Dear Friends,
On the Sunday after Thanksgiving, early in the evening after a long drive to Fredericksburg, I dropped my youngest child off at the Amtrak station and waved goodbye as he journeyed back to a college founded in the seventeenth century and one of the second oldest institution of higher education in the United States. The locomotive’s whistle took hold and transported me.
Three American presidents studied at the College, as did sixteen members of the Continental Congress and four signers of the Declaration of Independence. Those founders helped create a remarkable experiment in republican government – with all its genius and imperfections – that millions continue to benefit from more than two centuries later.
Regardless of how old your children are, where they attend school, or whether you have children of your own, perhaps you have also asked soul-stirring questions about what lies ahead for rising generations of young Americans:
Are we collectively and individually raising our kids in ways that cultivate meaning and faith in their lives?
Are we teaching them to discern both good and evil and equipping them with the knowledge and skills to reason as free people must?
Will our children, when they are full-grown adults, enjoy at least the quality of life many of us have enjoyed?
And will we sustain this great republican experiment and ensure our children thrive within it?
I‘m Antonette Bowman. I have devoted much of my life to the rewarding and foundational work of teaching young people, and I’m interested in thinking critically about how we are Raising Americans – and how we can do better. I believe that raising enlightened and fulfilled American citizens who will foster a flourishing American democracy requires reflection, purposeful commitment, and candid conversations related to parenting, education, and culture.
I am an experienced educator and a graduate of Stanford University who earned an M.A. in Teaching from Johns Hopkins University. I have many years of classroom teaching experience in both private and public schools. I genuinely love helping students and their families, and I’ve enjoyed working with a wide range of age groups — from diligent AP World History students tackling college level material to eager first graders just learning to read.
I am also the proud parent of two incredible young adults who attended public schools after I homeschooled them for a few years when they were little.
In America, many of us often proudly proclaim that “our children come first.”
But do they?
This newsletter is for people who care deeply about raising kids in the United States and have concerns about whether a genuine path to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” will be available to our children and future generations.
You will not find cheap outrage or insults here. Rather, I hope my work will spark serious contemplation and civil discourse. I’ll write articles and thoughtful commentary on current events, and I’ll provide helpful teaching and parenting tips as well. I am also excited to recommend books and films, and the work of people I respect. I’ll share an original work of art from my sketchbook now and then, too, such as the one above. Beginning the first week in January, you can expect an article in your inbox on Tuesdays and Thursdays with an occasional surprise on Fridays.
Subscribing to the newsletter is free and simple. Just click the button below. I welcome subscribers to share their thoughts and insights. In the meantime, I invite you to forward this to your friends so they can subscribe!
Join me in exploring parenting, education, and culture in the United States and how we can better accomplish one of our most important missions: raising kids…WELL.
I am so glad you are here!
Sincerely,
Antonette