Who is this "Lynn Prevatte"?

On a personal note, I am just an ordinary girl. I was raised in an enlisted Navy family, and I was fortunate enough to travel. I grew up, married, and had two children (more beautiful than you could ever imagine!)

Neither of my parents were college educated, and NO ONE in my house knew anything about how to prepare for, apply to, or be accepted by a college. What's worse, no one could have explained how all of those factors affect who we all turn out to be and what opportunities we lose when we aren't shown the way.

So, after working twice as hard to get through college (holding at least two jobs at a time just to stay in school), I became an eighth grade English teacher. Over the first seven years, I realized that my students who came from families where mom and dad were not educated beyond high school were almost certainly locked out of postsecondary education - not because they weren't smart enough, but like me, no one was able to show them what to do and how to pay for it.

In 2003, I became a National Board Certified Teacher. That same year, I was fortunate to meet Dr. Dennis Carrol who taught my Pre-AP Vertical Teams workshop. After four days, he took me aside and said, "Lynn, would you like to do this?"

Well, of course I would! And, I did! I became a College Board consultant in 'English Pre-AP Vertical Teams', and later, I added 'Rhetoric' to my endorsement. All of the sudden I was presenting to groups of parents, teachers, administrators, and other consultants from all over the country who wanted the same thing I did: opportunity for kids. . . all kids: rich, poor, or somewhere in between.

In 2004, I was fortunate enough to travel to Japan for a Fulbright Memorial Fund three-week study of that country's education system. You know what I discovered? The United States of America has the greatest education system in the WORLD! No matter who you are, no matter where you were born, YOU can earn a college degree!

Now I spend a great deal of time committed to raising the bar. In my own district, I am working to educate students and parents about the opportunities that go with taking and passing Advanced Placement exams. At a young age, students should KNOW what rigor feels like, and they should understand that rather than being afraid of it, they should embrace the payoff. Everyone who knows me should know that I believe that the bar can, and should, be lifted - that if we water down education, we are destroying what should be sacred in this country: excellence.

Presently, I am working on my Master's Degree in Instructional Systems at Florida State University with the hopes of moving into full-time consulting.

I hope this blog will provide an opportunity for people to find and spread information that will open doors. What I find in my travels is that we're all afraid to talk about what's REALLY important. HOW do we talk to parents? WHAT do we say to kids who aren't working hard enough? WHEN is it right to ask a teacher, "Do you even LIKE kids?"

I love this quote: "Think like a wise man but communicate in the language of the people." -William Butler Yeats. You won't find many people who can speak as "ordinary" as me! I can tell you what "poor" feels like, and I can tell you what "excuses" sound like! Neither will bring much peace to your life.

So, that's me, and this is my forum for you!