As a former high school teacher I know that investing in education is one of the most important things we can do not only for our children but for the benefit of our whole community.

I'm not only a lawyer I have a post doctorate degree in federal tax law from William and Mary. I work in serious scholarship and work in the United States federal tax court. My husband and I raised five kids. We've raised 23 foster children. We've applied ourselves to education reform. We started a charter school for at-risk kids.

I thought if anyone need a leg up it was our foster children. So I started getting involved in education reform and that was back in 1998. And as a result of all the reform work that I had done people urged me to run for the Minnesota state Senate. I did I was there for six years.

I've got a very deep and abiding passion about education being far more than buildings and textbooks it's what children bring into school with them.

But the best thing Washington can do for education is realize that our role is limited. Washington must keep its promises but let those who know our childrens' names- parents teachers and school board members- make education decisions.

What the mayors care about is 'How can I get money to invest in the infrastructure in my city? How do we put people back to work lower the unemployment rate provide for job training programs? How do we make class sizes smaller and make investments in our children from an education standpoint?'

When the state or federal government control the education of all of our children they have the dangerous and illegitimate monopoly to control and influence the thought process of our citizens.

Many seventh graders I know in Illinois as well as around the Nation are studying the Constitution. I was pretty impressed with the quality of education our children are receiving because they had not expected me to ask them about it.

I knew from a young age that I wanted to be an actor. I never even thought about other careers. The acting field is certainly not the path many Indian parents encourage their children to take but mine were very supportive. They wanted me to have an education but understood that this is what I wanted to do.

Parents should conduct their arguments in quiet respectful tones but in a foreign language. You'd be surprised what an inducement that is to the education of children.