New Delivery Technology, Same Message 20 Years Later

Where to start?

I graduated from high school, June 1990. I was a proud member of the 50th graduating class of West Charlotte Senior High School, in Charlotte, NC. Those of us that graduated from West Charlotte all have incredible stories to tell, regardless of race or socioeconomic status. Please do yourself a favor and watch the following video in its entirety.

You see, this is where I got some of my passion for education. Having been exposed to an educational community like West Charlotte, I assumed that everyone shared the same zeal and passion for education as I. Wow.....was I ever wrong!

Let's go back 20 Years

Twenty years ago, I had graduated college and was working as an Analytical Chemist in Florence, SC. Work was work and I desperately needed more. That was when I decided to start Mind Over Tutors and give back to the community. My thought was affordable tutoring in Math and Science from currently employed scientists and retired school teachers. How could we go wrong? Again, was I ever so wrong. My service and business became more of a hobby and an expense than anything else. Notwithstanding, I enjoyed how this service made me feel so I continued it. Take a look at my message to schools to try and recruit students to use my services, some of the services for free.

This letter was for the 1997 - 1998 school year.

Education in the 1990's

Education was definitely improving in the 1990's from what I had experienced throughout my earlier years in school. At least from a technology perspective. However, violence and standardized testing were on the rise. Parents were left wondering what to do in order to keep their children safe and afford them a quality education. That was when great schools like West Charlotte Senior High started their decline.

The 1990s Education: Overview

What a shame! Schools and tradition destroyed. Unity and community torn down and apart! One would think that that late nineties served as a reference to get back on track. Right!

Fast Forward to 2016

It would be very easy to just give up. Personally, I have probably spent more of my money with Mind Over Tutors than I have ever made. But educators keep moving forward, working for a better future, not because of money or fame. Educators keep at it because of hope and passion!

I recently recorded a podcast that is incredibly similar in message and content to my letter above.

Why is it, that twenty years later, my plea to parents is the same? What are we missing? What must we do to get things back to that model I grew up with at West Charlotte Senior High School?

Hold your politicians and local government accountable

I am a firm believer that it will take an aggressive approach, going through government and local school systems, to re-shape education as it has become today.

My plea is that parents will take the time right now to prepare themselves and their children for the next school year. It is too important to wait! I will continue to develop and grow Mind Over Tutors Online Academy and challenge government officials like Thom Tillis, to see if he will be accountable for the things that he wrote in his letter to me.