Editor, Times-Union:
I grew up in Nappanee in the ’80s and ’90s. Because our town was home to lots of working class families like mine, our schools received extra money from the federal Department of Education (DOE) called Title I funds. I can’t say with certainty how our district used those funds, but I’d bet they created room in our budget for things that made school feel like home to me.
Over the years, I learned science at fish hatcheries and parks, experienced history while paddling a canoe, and lived literacy by writing my own books. I participated in five sports, sang in lots of choirs, performed in plays and musicals, competed on academic teams, and had access to advanced classes. My schools and teachers helped me gain knowledge, skills, and confidence inside and outside the classroom. I was so in love with learning I thought I’d become a teacher myself.
Being the first in my family to go to college, I didn’t realize being a good student wouldn’t be enough to earn my teaching degree. When I found out how much it would cost to attend my first-choice, private, Christian college, I thought my dream was dead. Luckily, there was a public university nearby that was happy to have me. My Purdue financial aid packages offered me a real chance at higher education. Again, the DOE showed up to make a difference in my life, this time offering me federal work-study jobs, low-interest student loans I wouldn’t pay until graduation, and Pell grants I would never repay.
That funding and that school changed my life. I have no shame that I needed help, only gratitude for the taxpayers and government that took a chance on me. One of our country’s best qualities is its commitment to investing in the potential of every child. I’m proud the Department of Education looked at a girl from small-town, rural Indiana, whose parents drove a semi and sold Avon, and saw a person of worth. That’s what I see in all our children, which is why I now work at a university helping professors and schools improve curriculum and instruction, provide enrichment opportunities, and generally find ways to make kids’ lives better. And guess who funds a bunch of that work: the DOE and other federal agencies.
Growing up I didn’t realize all the ways the government worked to support me. I now understand that the Department of Education is key to my happiness and success. I’m terrified that closing it — and firing the folks responsible for getting its funding to students and schools — will mean the end of stories like mine. I beg you to join me in letting your representative, senators, governor, and president know what education means to you. Let’s help them see how the DOE can keep funding Hoosiers’ American dreams.
Jana Grabarek
Chicago, Ill., via email