I was blessed with parents and grandparents who were passionate about education and learning. Both my parents were self-taught historians who passed along their love of literature to me. My maternal grandmother, who never had any formal education, loved to read and was a self-taught artist who mastered a delicate form of china painting in her sixties. I also come from a family of educators. And once upon a time I myself wanted to be a teacher. Education and learning have always been one of the main focal points of my life. When we started Erie Life Magazine, one of our goals was to educate and enlighten people about Erie and our region.

Developing our first annual Education Issue was exciting and sometimes frustrating. There were literally a dozen different angles we could have taken to produce this month's magazine. We chose to provide you a solid overview of education from teachers and administrators to the students themselves. You will meet some dynamic teachers who take a different approach to education, and you can read just how they really feel about the controversial No Child Left Behind Act. We also included stories from preschool to college and beyond. This month, we are introducing a new contributor, Sian Currie. A true student of life, Sian is a world traveler and brings a wonderful global voice to our magazine. Be sure to read her feature from "London to Erie," her report on daycare, and her editorial on teaching through the eyes of education degree graduates and students. We have also expanded the responsibilities of our fashion editor, Leslie McAllister, and added a style column to the magazine. A few months ago, some journalist (from across the pond) called Erie "unfashionable." We beg to differ. Each month Leslie will impart fashion tips, trends, and forecasts that prove while Erie may not be Milan, we are not fashion morons either.

With gas prices at $4.04 (that's what I paid recently), we are introducing a new travel section each month that will feature destinations you can reach in one day by car. We are kicking this special section off with a feature on Bemus Point and the Chautauqua region. I have been vacationing in Chautauqua for over 12 years. I have traveled all over the country, and I can tell you Chautauqua is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. Focused on learning, the Chautauqua region literally has something for everyone, and it is only 35 minutes from Erie.

I have decided that before I exit this planet, I will learn to speak fluent French. I also intend to finish War and Peace (which I started sometime back in the 1990s), and I will learn to how to prune roses, correctly. How do you want to continue to learn and stretch your mind? Let us know at www.erielifemagazine.com. We love hearing from you.

Avec amour,

Réna Tran
Publisher and Editor-in-Chief
Erie Life Magazine