Jane Hendrix Committee to Elect

In June 2007, I traveled to South Africa as the keynote speaker at the Kindermusik of South Africa’s annual convention. I had been invited to talk about the power of music in uniting teachers across the world – and how similar the issues were between the educators in the US and those in South Africa. The country was experiencing a nationwide strike so conditions were very volatile. The strike ended and the next day, Kindermusik International’s CEO, Michael Dougherty and I were escorted into one of the most dangerous areas of the world. We visited a school for orphans, one in which a Kindermusik teacher led music classes one day a week. These young students walked for miles in order to get an education and they held learning in high esteem. They were respectful of each other and demonstrated a desire to gather as much information as they could. I saw first hand the power of music in uniting people of different cultures, ages, and backgrounds and it was an experience that changed my life forever.

Why can't we hold education in Gwinnett County in the same regard? I want to made a difference here in my community.

I've included a short You Tube clip of a class in the orphanage. Yael Benjamin is the Kindermusik educator and I had the opportunity to participate in the fun.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwYeuvm7OD0

The bottom line is that our schools need to serve the students. However, we must also support the professionals who work with them every day - the teachers in the classrooms, the bus drivers, the operations staff, the administrators. Without them, we can't build strong schools.

Schools bring communities together. We need to attract the private school students back to the Gwinnett County Schools by offering great schools!  Great schools will boost property values while engaging the parent, student, school system employees and business leaders in the common pursuit of community accomplishment, excellence and pride.