I was fifteen months old, a happy carefree kid until the day fell. It was a bad fall. I landed on a glass rabbit which cut my eye badly enough to blind it. Trying to save the eye, the doctors stitched the eyeball together where it was cut, leaving a big ugly scar in the middle of my eye. The attempt failed, but my mama, in all of her wisdom, found a doctor who knew that if the eye were removed entirely, my face would grow up badly twisted, so my scarred, sightless, cloudy and gray eye lived on with me. And as I grew, this sightless eye in so many ways controlled me.

I walked with my face looking at the floor so people would not see the ugly me. Sometimes people, even strangers, asked me embarrassing questions or made hurtful remarks. When the kids played games, I was always the “monster”. I grew up imagining that people looked at me in an unusual way, as if my appearance were my fault. I always felt like I was a freak.

Yet mama would say to me, at every turn, “Hold your head up high and face the world.” It became a litany that I relied on. She had started when I was young. She would hold me in her arms and stroke my hair and say, “If you hold your head up high, it will be okay, and people will see your beautiful soul.” She continued this message whenever I wanted to hide. Those words have meant different things to me over the years. As a little child, I thought mama meant, “Be careful or you will fall down or bump into something because you are not looking. ”As an adolescent, even though I tended to look down to hide my shame, I found that sometimes when I held my head up high and let people know me, they liked me. My mama’s words helped me begin to realize that by letting people look at my face, I let them recognize the intelligence and beauty behind both eyes even if they couldn’t see it on the surface.     

In high school I was successful both academically and socially. I was even elected class president, but on the inside I still felt like a freak. All I really wanted was to look like everyone else. When things got really bad, I would cry to my mama and she would look at me with loving eyes and say, “Hold your head up high and face the world. Let them see the beauty that is inside.”

When I met the man who became my partner for life, we looked each other straight in the eye, and he told me I was beautiful inside and out. He meant it. My mama’s love and encouragement were the spark that gave me the confidence to overcome my own doubt. I had faced adversity, encountered my problems head on, and learned not only to appreciate myself but to have deep compassion for others.

“Hold your head up high”, has been heard many times in my home. Each of my children has felt its invitation. The gift my mama gave me lives on in another generation.

“I’m so tired of Christmas I wish there never would be another one!” cried Effie as she watched her mother arranging presents. Although her mother was shocked to hear this, Effie continued to complain about the holiday, with all its useless gins and lack of surprise. She wished that she were a beggar girl, free to go out at will.

In her sleep that night, Effie dreamed she was a beggar girl. but it wasn’t what she thought it would be -- for she was cold, hungry, and miserable. Just then, a Christmas spirit appeared before Effie. He took her hands in his, turned the snow into a warm coat, and gave her a bowl of hot soup.

Suddenly, an amazing world began appearing around Effie. She heard merry Christmas bells and saw the most marvelous Christmas trees with candles that never stopped burning. There was joy in the air, and Effie watched as other spirits got ready for Christmas. There were four Santa Clauses getting ready for their long rides, and dolls in their houses living like humans, except the dolls were being kinder and nicer to each other.

Effie was then taken to another place, where she saw kindhearted people bringing joy in the form of gifts, food, and love to the poor. “I wish I could make merry Christmases as these good people do,” she said. She wanted to stay longer but was awoken by her mother.

Hearing the details of Effie’s dream, her mother had an idea. She got to work on setting up a surprise for Effie. When it was finally time. Effie was dressed up like the spirit in her dream and was led to a large room.

What awaited Effie was something truly magical. There were rows of Christmas tree decorated with popcorn, fruit. candy, and toys. Twenty-four orphan girls walked onto the magical scene, and they couldn’t contain their excitement. They each were given their own tree and the toys and candy that came with it. Some of the girls even cried, overcome with joy. Effie’s Christmas dream had come true. Later, as she lay in bed, her heart was filled with a new love for Christmas, and she couldn’t wait to do it all again next year.

Not every parent looks at education in the same light. Some prefer the public school approach, while other parents would rather take their child`s learning experience into their own hands at home.

Reports state there has been a 75 percent increase in homeschooling in the US since 1999. Over two million American children are homeschooled now. Parents can tailor(定做) their children' s classes, environment and schedule in order to fit the needs of the family, which is very convenient.

There is a dark side to this educational freedom, though. Homeschooling is completely legal, but in most states parents are only required to sign a paper expressing their intention to homeschool their child. It is only when there is doubt of misconduct or mistreatment that officials will look more into the authenticity(可靠性) of the level of education and care of the child within the home.

Blindly trusting parents to give their kids a proper learning experience at home without any outside intervention (干预) is putting children at risk for losing out on a basic standard education. There is no confirmed statistic that shows homeschooled children do any better in study than those in public and private schools. A study in 2013, in fact, showed homeschoolers can be at a disadvantage and pointed out a serious educational gap.

Homeschooling can also create more opportunities for mistreatment in households that struggle with home violence. One frightening case in particular involved 10-year-old Raashanai Jones, who was found dead in her home, where her mother was supposed to be providing a safe haven and a basic education for her. Raashanai was 55 pounds, and neighbors didn't even know she existed because they had never seen her outside.

Many times when there is a problem with a child, whether it being mental, physical or educational, teachers and peers are the first to take notice. Taking this opportunity away from the child without giving back is a huge harm to the child and the community at large.