“So much energy is focused on what’s wrong with our public schools and how to fix them that we often lose sight of the extraordinary work occurring in our schools every day, thanks to millions of caring and dedicated professional educators who work hard to ensure every student reaches their potential.”
— Leslie Milder, Founder, Friends of Texas Public Schools
“Great things are happening in our Texas Public Schools,” says, Leslie Milder, Founder, Friends of Texas Public Schools. “Unfortunately, there is too little optimism and too much doom and gloom in the public debate about public education. That’s why we have a perception of widespread failure in our public schools.
“What we actually have is a massive image problem,” Leslie adds. “We are not failing and I resent the relentlessly harsh criticism of our profession. We move mountains for kids every day, especially amid the chaos of this worldwide pandemic, but that’s not the story that’s being told. The conversation and debate about public education is ill-informed and oftentimes mean-spirited. It’s time we take control of the narrative, let people know their children and tax dollars are in good hands, and that there is no better educational option in any community than in their neighborhood public schools.”
Optimism breeds success. It motivates, inspires, and unites. Children and teachers thrive in environments that are full of hope and encouragement.
The Ambassador Training Academy was founded on these principles of hope and optimism, designed to mobilize educators as ambassadors for their students, campuses, colleagues, district, and the American ideal of a free public education system for all.
The Ambassador Training Academy includes lessons on the historical perspective of the image problem plaguing public education, its negative affects on staff morale and student learning, and the importance of nurturing a culture of pride and optimism in your schools. The Academy also explores how to restore the public’s faith and trust in their schools through studies of brotherhood, customer service, PR/communications, and the politics of the profession.
Participants benefit from book studies over Hard Optimism by Price Pritchett and Hello! My Name is Public School and I Have an Image Problem by Leslie Milder and Jane Braddock.
For more information, please contact Leslie Milder at lmilder@fotps.org, or by phone at 214-498-7680.
Click here for Leslie Milder’s book Hello! My Name Is Public School, and I Have an Image Problem
