I really was surprised that my 9 year old boy, Calvin, was
excited about joining me Saturday morning.
I had been confident that, when I made him the offer, he would opt out
for something traditionally more fun such as playing with his neighborhood
friends, reading Harry Potter for the ten thousandth time or well, anything
other than what I was offering. Instead,
he was genuinely excited about heading out the door to join me and some other
adults to knock on people’s doors to talk with them about public education. Really.
Much of my surprise stemmed from the fact that I was not
excited at all. Yes, I had committed to
do doorbelling in support of state Representative Gerry Pollet in the 46th
legislative district, but when the time came, I thought of all sorts of things
I’d rather be doing. I know that Gerry
truly understands the experience and concerns of real educators in real
classrooms and that having a legislator like him in the state house is
important; still, giving up 2 hours on a Saturday for the cause seemed
daunting.
Calvin and I hopped in the car and headed over to campaign
headquarters: Gerry’s house. There we
met the candidate and other educators, some from Shoreline, others from Seattle. Calvin and I were paired up with Bob Murphy,
a math teacher at Franklin High School. Bob
took the even addresses, we took the odd.
As we went to knock on our first door, I was feeling envious
of those on the other side watching football games, reading the paper, cooking
& relaxing. I was also a bit nervous about the fact that my boy and I were
about to interrupt someone’s Saturday bliss with our intrusion. Never-the-less, I reminded Calvin to “Stand
where you can be seen, speak clearly, and be proud to talk about your school.”
And then a funny thing happened: While we certainly knocked on many doors
without even an answer, some doors did open and good conversations
happened. There is something about
introducing yourself as a teacher that compels people to listen. Once folks realized that we were not asking
for money, were not trying to sell them a vacuum cleaner but, were instead talking about
education and the importance of having law makers who truly want to support the
work of educators and the learning of students, that initial tension of the
moment left and was replaced by a sense of community. Plus, how can anyone really be mean to you
when you are standing there with your fourth grade child!
But I think there was more to it than having my kid with me.
In a very real way, Calvin and I were extending the same sense of community we experience
as teachers and students in the classroom to those on the street. We were lending our authentic voices to the
conversation going on in our state and nation about public education, and our
credibility as practitioner and student was unimpeachable. And by knocking on someone’s door, we were
breaking through the fortresses we build around us that hurt our ability to
have real conversations with one another.
For our fellow citizens to understand what is truly at
stake, we will need to make what is happening inside the walls of our
classrooms and schools visible to those outside of them, many of whom have not
set foot in a school since they were a kid. Whether than means knocking on
doors, calling them on the phone, speaking to our neighbors on the street or
having a conversation at the grocery store, this needs to happen.
And I realize now that my advice to my son is advice that I
and other educators may also find useful: “Stand where we can be seen, speak clearly and be proud to
talk about public schools.”
