Parents are a child’s first teacher and lifelong advocate, but what about those children whose parents aren’t very good at either role? Can anyone champion these children, especially in the classroom? If so, who should it be — other parents, teachers, policymakers, legislators? I discuss that challenge today. Readers share their views on how to improve the odds for kids who don’t have parents in their corner able to provide them with any advantages. In a guest column, an educator criticizes Fulton County schools' abstinence-based sex education curriculum.

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Seokmin Song, 35, his daughter Hayeon Song, 2, and his mother attempt to fly a kite in Piedmont Park in Atlanta on Wednesday, June 18, 2025. (Abbey Cutrer/AJC)

Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com

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Julian Conley listens during opening statements in his trial at Fulton County Superior Court in Atlanta on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025. The 25-year-old is accused of fatally shooting 8-year-old Secoriea Turner in July 2020. (Abbey Cutrer/AJC)

Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com