In the 1990s, when sex education programs were being introduced into 6th grade classrooms, I decided that having the personal experience of uninvited sexual advances from my adopted father, that a morality component would be necessary to go along with the program. Young and impressionable students needed more information, in my opinion.
This is what motivated me to write my first book, The Virtue of Virtues, which turned out to be the first of six books I wrote. I picked up on this theme in my 2024 International Impact Book Awards winning series that included: 1) IN THEIR IMAGE AND LIKENESS, subtitled, UNIVERSAL WISDOM; 2) MY RED BAG OF COURAGE, subtitled, SURVIVAL WISDOM, and 3) NATURE SPIRIT WISDOM, subtitled, LIGHT WITHIN THE ANGEL, MINERAL, PLANT, AND ANIMAL KINGDOMS.
It is the pressing need of the community and world at large that motivates me to pour out my heart in the books that I write. I am also a first child with the drive and ambition that motivates me.
The following is an excerpt from MY RED BAG OF COURAGE that explains more:
“I was voted in by the town of Hopedale to be on the 1994 Massachusetts Education Reform Act Board which was the same year Governor William Weld was re-elected by the largest margin of victory in Massachusetts history. [1] At my first meeting on this board, I was elected co-chairman along with the elementary school principal.
“This board was part of Improving Americas Schools Act (IASA) of 1994, a major part of former President Bill Clinton’s administration’s efforts to reform education. It was signed in the gymnasium of Framingham High School in Massachusetts. It reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. [2]
“I wanted to go over the school’s curriculum since sex education was being introduced to sixth grade students. I had already been before the school committee to express my concerns.
“Read the bible. It says the truth shall make you free,” one woman snickered and laughed as she spoke up against my concerns at that school committee meeting.
“They missed the character education point I was making. The school did have the program, JUST SAY NO to drugs and alcohol, but when it came to sex, they wanted their kids to know how to have sex safely. To me, this is also like trying to teach these same children how to drink and smoke pot responsibly. The room was packed, and many parents voiced their opinions. I was outvoted and the sex education curriculum stayed.
“Having been a victim of the uninvited sexual advances of my adopted father, I was keenly aware that teaching sixth grade students about safe sex practices would not empower these young and impressionable children to be able to stand up to sexual predators in their own homes, neighborhoods, schools, including possible sex-offending teachers.
“Literacy scores for white students peaked in 1975, while math scores peaked in the 1900s. Unfortunately, I knew in 1994 that there has been no significant progress since then[3]. Student performance since then on literacy and math assessments was a concern, and it remained an ongoing issue.
“In US History and Civics in 1994, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) found that only 13 percent of eighth graders performed at or above the proficient level[4]. I wondered if the curriculum was adequate at elementary school level to provide thirst for knowledge in the introduction to this subject.
“Also in 1994, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) began focusing on and emphasizing outcomes-based accountability giving birth to No Child Left Behind.[5]
“These were some of the items of concern that I wanted to address in addition to the sex education program at the first meeting after I was voted in as one of two parents on this state-mandated school board.[6] I raised the issue of reviewing all the curriculum of the students at this school.[7] It seemed to me that the decline in education was more than only addressing the sex education program. The links listed above show the “steady decline which I wanted to also address in 1994. Instead, I was out- voted in favor of re-writing the school’s handbook.
“It takes valiant courage to release the fear, fear of using your voice, fear of opposition, fear of being misunderstood, fear of retaliation, fear of failure, fear of success, and fear of what happens when, as an adult, you obey someone else over listening to your gut instinct. …”
My website is https://lindahourihanhhcp.com
You Are A Spark Of Limitless Living Light
[2] Improving America’s Schools Act of 1994 – Wikipedia
[3] The declining productivity of education | Brookings
[4] ‘A National Concern’: Student Scores Decline on U.S. History and Civics | Education News | U.S. News (usnews.com)
[5] Three Decades of Education Reform: Are We Still “A Nation at Risk?” | American Institutes for Research (air.org)
[7] ‘A National Concern’: Student Scores Decline on U.S. History and Civics | Education News | U.S. News (usnews.com)
In spite of all the wisdom and motivational drive we exhert, we cannot seem to change the world but rather wander about profecising ‘like a madman in the desert’. Respect, Linda🙏🏽
I agree. If only it was a simple solution or explaining truth to enlighten everyone. For me, it helps to remember that everyone has free will to find their own path, no matter how dysfunctional it is. We can only shine the Light of Wisdom and Love. I can’t do anything else but shine that Light. I have discovered a lot of new information, which is really a lot of ancient, buried information, which also explains a lot. That will be the fodder of my future books. Never give up hope. The Light of the Soul is eternal.