Education: Grassroots Organizations

Education reform, like any movement, has grassroots organizations. These groups seek to empower parents and teacher so students learn better. These education groups have several ideas in common. First, the core of their beliefs is that parents are children's first and most important teachers. These organizations explain basic education concepts and terms. Second, many contributors to these groups are unpaid; writers simply want to share information and build a community of parents and teachers. Finally, they are also excellent platforms for parents to ask questions about current policies and standards.

Here is a rundown of grassroots organizations working for early and meaningful education:

ABC and 123
ABC and 123 is a learning cooperative. It is a place to "collect and borrow teaching tools, share and receive inspiration, and explore and review professional resources for those who love to learn and teach, those with lots of time and those with limited time to invest in their children." Its base is homeschooling, but the material is useful for all parents. Parents share activities, which are easy to access as the cooperative divides them by subjects.

No Time for Flash Cards
The purpose of No Time for Flash Cards is "to provide an accessible resource for parents and teachers filled with multilevel, easy to follow, and fun activities for young children." The activities are not typical school activities (like flashcards) but instead use regular home supplies to create meaningful lessons for children. The activities are easy but meaningful.

The Activity Mom
The Activity Mom is a teacher who shares her successful and not so successful activities.  She has numerous printables that parents can immediately use with children. Additionally, the 'lessons' range from sorting Halloween candy to sensory activities to everyday crafts. This website especially stresses that learning can take place with any tool (such as noodles or an ice cube tray) which is true in all of life.

We Teach Group
We Teach is another learning cooperative. "Our goal is to share the tools and resources we need so that we can all learn, share, and grow as parents--and teachers--for our children." Groups are divided by topics, such as 'we teach…' alphabet, writing, numbers, and foreign languages. We Teach has 30 such groups, which parents can join and then contribute to activity ideas and discussions.

These education grassroots organizations are wonderful resources for homeschooling parents, for parents with preschool children and for parents with school age children who want to reinforce concepts from school. These education resources have an overwhelming honesty about them, as parents express their frustrations and questions. Challenges from numerous nations are present, which speak to the necessity of an educational movement, the movement that believes everyone teaches children.

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