Tennessee's First Lady, Crissy Haslam and her role in improving children's education

One of our inspirations at Hands-On Mom is Tennessee’s First Lady, Crissy Haslam.  In her role as First Lady she has chosen to focus on three initiatives:  Parents as Teachers, Parents as Education Partners, and Early Literacy Improvement (can you see why we love her?!). You can learn more about Mrs. Haslam and her priorities on her website: http://www.tn.gov/firstlady/priorities.shtml. 
Below is an excerpt from an editorial by Mrs. Haslam, published in The Tennessean newspaper on August 27, 2011.

“Budgets are tight, and times are tough; these facts are very real to families on a daily basis, and I do not take that lightly. I also know from experience that parenting is incredibly difficult, and every stressor in life competes for attention and strains a parent’s capacity to be involved in his or her child’s progress. Furthermore, school is a bad memory for many parents, and their child’s school building does not always feel like a welcoming environment. Some feel their role is to send their child to school and let the teacher do the teaching. 

There are plenty of theories on the most effective ways to improve education, but a strong body of research shows that parental involvement matters for student success. What happens inside the school is important, but administrators and teachers face certain limitations because children who are unhealthy, unsafe, unengaged, or unprepared are less likely to thrive in school and in life.
Because school-age children spend 70 percent of their time outside of a school building, one of our best chances at lasting change starts at home. Fortunately, many of the best ways to get involved in a child’s education are FREE. Borrow books from the public library, communicate regularly with your child’s teachers, and stay informed about what they are learning in school.”

Things to Remember:  70% of their time is not in the school building; where are they, and what can you do to make the most of that time?