Educators--and parents and politicians and others--say children are their future. They say that they want students to think critically, that they want them to be problem-solvers, to ask questions, to challenge educators to make the world a better place. And yet, the author sees educators set aside these high aspirations and silenced by the fear of professional disfavor and criticism. As an educator, as a parent and as an activist, the author is deeply troubled in rethinking public education. This article takes a look at the author's struggle to reconcile ideology with reality in the nations' classrooms and schools. The author calls for a revolution of hope, a revolution that eliminates the hands-off practice of urging students to resolve their own problems while leaving students vulnerable to bullying and burdened with issues too huge for them to ever resolve, and urges educators to seize a golden opportunity to rethink the nature and purpose of public education.