School Is in Session . . .

. . . but not only for my daughter. For me as well.

On Monday, my wife and I will send our first-born off to kindergarten. I'm only half-joking when I say that I'm hyperventilating about this: First, it doesn't seem possible that she's old enough. Second, did I mention that it doesn't seem possible that she's old enough?

So as a parent new to the school system, I thought it would be interesting to chronicle our adventures. I'm not starting this blog because of how much I know about the public schools. I'm starting it because of how much I don't. But nothing is more important to me than her success and happiness, and I believe it's up to me to take as active a role as possible.

For the record, my wife and I are both strong supporters of public schools. A number of our friends and colleagues have chosen to enroll their children in private schools, but we never seriously considered that option. We both are proud graduates of Texas public schools, and we are both grateful for the education we received. We can only hope that our daughter has the same opportunity. And my first job out of college was teaching in the public schools in our hometown. Though I taught for only one year, it remains one of the best experiences of my professional life.

That said, I'm not a booster, and I'm not pushing an agenda. I'm interested in discussing solutions to problems, praising the schools when they do well, and asking questions when they don't. After all, my daughter's future is at stake.