Hope in Coal Country: Parents Without Diplomas Keep Their Kids in School
October 21, 2019
By: Meredith Kolodner
Source: The Hechinger Report
HYDEN, Ky. — Rita Sandlin knew what she wanted for her children. It was something that she didn’t get for herself.
Born and raised in a mining town tucked in a southern slice of the Appalachian Mountains, Sandlin left high school in 11th grade. She made it clear to her daughter, Katie, and son, Jalon, that they weren’t to follow suit.
“I wish I would have graduated from high school,” said Sandlin, a petite woman with a slightly shy and very warm smile. “Then they would have knew that I graduated. It would have been something that they would have been proud for.”