Scott Harrison’s July 25 op-ed, “It’s time to rethink how Maine manages schools,” offers yet another idea to “fix” our education system. I believe the most impactful improvement we can make in educating our children is getting parents more involved. If parents do not show an interest in their child’s education then the child assumes it must not be important.

Asking our children “How was your day at school?” often begets the usual response, “Good,” and usually ends the conversation about school. We must show more in-depth interest by asking deeper questions such as:

• What did you like the least about school today?
• What did you like the most and why is this important to you?
• What did you think was a waste of your time?
• What would you like to see change?

We should point out to our children that things they are learning are foundational to giving them more choices in the future. This shows them that education is important; we are interested in their experience; and we learn about what is happening where our child spends a lot of time in their day.

I also want to mention that over half of local property tax dollars go toward schools (not to mention state tax dollar contributions). Don’t people want to know what is happening with their taxes?

I believe emphasizing the importance of education will go a long way toward improving schools at no cost.

Michael Parent
Manchester