Hi there! My name is Hope Young and I go to a charter school. Recently at my school, a politician came in to access whether or not Pennsylvania should cut funding for charter schools. When I heard this was happening, to be frank, it terrified me. It made me think about life at my old school, and life at the incredible school I’m at today. 
Personally, I think no school is capable of being perfect. And when I say my school is incredible, I mean it’s incredible for me. Some might say the same about my old school, but I was simply not one of those people. 

From the start, age seven, I’ve always been told I was “gifted.” The term never quite made sense to me, as I saw it as just another label. It was only when teachers would pull me aside in class to give me more advanced worksheets or when I was getting every one of the teachers questions right when I started to understand the meaning of the term. 
So from second grade on, I went to a gifted classroom every day for math. I loved my gifted teachers, as they challenged me and always had a new task for me to complete. It was in this hour and a half each day when the gears in my brain got to truly turn, so much so I was sad to go back to my regular classroom. Because once I finally had a taste of being challenged, I never wanted to go back. This was why I went to school. To be challenged and to grow. The other kids were constantly being challenged in our classroom, but never me. It felt so good to be challenged. Even at that age, I was aware that growth and improvement only happened with a challenge, so I wanted as many as possible.

After elementary school came middle school, and finally, my regular math class was one that challenged me. I was getting questions wrong, thinking deeply, and sometimes even struggling, but it felt good. My other classes didn’t challenge me though. I was known as the top writer in writing class. Every kid wanted to work with me, every class essay was written by me, everything came down to me. I loved my writing teacher, as she saw my spark and passion, and called on me frequently. But I found myself not learning a thing. I wanted challenge in every class. I wanted peers who didn’t rely on me for everything. Peers who could contribute their own ideas, instead of simply looking to me. 

Seventh grade, on the other hand, was different. I was at a new school, and for the first time in my life, each one of my classes were hard. Instead of effortlessly getting an A, I was working for it. I took an honors math class that motivated me to start studying for the first time, as I had never needed to study before. My English teacher challenged me to dig deeper, as did the rest of my teachers. Finally, I was getting what I had lacked before. I was getting the challenge I needed to keep growing.

And I can’t imagine my education any other way.

If you think children like me should have their chance to be properly academically challenged, signing my petition would mean so much. With your help, we can keep the funding for charter schools, allowing kids of all ages to have access to an education that fits their individual needs. 

Thank you so much for your time, and have a great day.