Dads in the Driver's Seat: Showing Up and Shaking Up Education
A Rural Dad's Take on Why More Fathers Need to Step into the Education Arena
As a parent, I found myself thrust into the world of education policy early on. It started simply: I needed to fulfill volunteer hours when my son was in Pre-K, and the Policy Council fit the bill. It wasn't in the classroom, so I figured, why not? Little did I know that decision would lead me down a long road—one that eventually landed me on the board of the governing organization, then as its president, a position I still hold as my son prepares to graduate high school this spring.
I've learned a lot of lessons along the way, but the most powerful one is simple: showing up.
We often hear that 90% of success is just being there. While I don't think that number is always accurate, the power of presence is undeniable. Just being another set of ears to listen, another set of hands to help, another voice to understand (or even respectfully question) why something is or isn't getting done – that's powerful.
This is where dads need to step up. There's an outdated stereotype that a mom's place is with the PTO or on advisory committees. I've witnessed that bias firsthand. But I've also seen, firsthand, the profound impact a dad can make when he gets involved in a positive manner, whether with his words or his actions.
Now more than ever, education needs more positive actions. The endless debates—Should it be this policy or that policy? Is it "woke" or not? Federal funding or not? Can we do this or that?—it's time for more people, especially more dads, to be present in the conversation, present in the arena.
Speaking of the arena, here's a quote that keeps this all in perspective:
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly..." - Theodore Roosevelt
We have to be in the arena first. If you need help finding your arena, let me know. If you are already involved, let me know! Let's talk, let's share stories, let's grow some momentum!
Dad Joke: Why did the teacher wear sunglasses? Because her students were so bright!