Sparking a Revolution

As a former government teacher and lover of history, I am fascinated with the American Revolution. In the days just before Egyptians began protesting in Tahrir Square, my 5th grade son came home with questions about the Declaration of Independence. We sat there in the living room lingering over the beautifully written words of past patriots. Just a few days later we watched news from around the world of another group of patriots clamoring for the right to be heard..."...whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these Ends, it is the Right of People to alter or to abolish it..." I challenge you to re-read the Declaration of Independence while thinking of the images you've seen from Egypt in the past month. Goosebumps.

In my quest for information about Egypt, I stumbled upon an article in Fast Company titled, How Social Media Acclerated the Uprising in Egypt. Give it a read when you have a chance. We have heard a great deal about the roles that Twitter and Facebook played in Egypt. So much so, that the government shut down the Internet! Wow. Social Media played a powerful role in bringing about a revolution, a change in government for a nation the size of Egypt!!

If social media can help bring change like that to an entire nation, shouldn't we be using it to spark our own revolution and change regarding what people think about our public schools??

Setting up a Twitter or Facebook account takes a matter of seconds. Using those status updates and tweets to let people know how great your job is as an educator, or how awesome your child's school is, or something great that is going on in Texas public schools, is a powerful way to get those positive messages out. And, we need to shout out the wonderful achievements of our public schools now more than ever. Optimism is contagious and if we use it and social media, then maybe, just maybe we can spark a revolution that will restore the faith and PRIDE in our public schools that they so deserve.

You can follow me (Leslie Milder) on Twitter--@FOTPSambassador

Blessings,

Leslie