If you’re a reader of this blog you might understandably assume that I’ve been at this rabble-rousing thing a long time, that I’m the type who regularly shows up at school board meetings with a raised fist and a loud voice.
But nothing could be further from the truth. Until I was asked only a few months ago to put my name up for nomination for our district’s food services Parent Advisory Committee (which I did with great reluctance — seriously, who needs another volunteer commitment?) — I was perfectly content to just sit on the sidelines and grouse about things I didn’t like (chips and ice cream in the cafeteria, treats in the classroom). I always assumed that they (the rabble-rousing parents) must be out there somewhere doing whatever needed to be done on my behalf.
Then I met Mary Lawton, a human dynamo (and great cartoonist) who’s been working for six long years to improve school food in my district. (If you live in Houston and you’re glad that your child can no longer make his/her lunch out of Little Debbie snack cakes, you owe Mary a personal “thank you.”) And what Mary told me completely shocked me — all that time, while she and a small group of other parents were trying to raise awareness about the food in their own elementary school, the district-wide food services meetings they’d been attending had been virtually empty. Since it was too hard for this small group to locate and organize other interested parents in the district, they simply did what they could within their own feeder pattern.
All that time, they’d been wondering where we were.
Last week, my talented writer and performer friend Christa Forster left, as she often does, an eloquent and thoughtful comment on this site. I’ll excerpt here her thoughts about getting involved:
My suggestion — as a parent of public school children and as a former public and private school teacher — is that we individuals who are “outside” school culture (i.e. not administrators or teachers) become invested in whatever ways we can. In order to effect change, the first task is to take the initiative to pull together of sphere of people who are interested and concerned in the same things, and to then start conversing with the schools or feeder patterns in your community about how to help them improve in the areas of your concern. There are some groups already established, like Recipe for Success, where people can get involved in a pre-existing cause. If there is not a group for your issue of concern: FORM ONE. Once you are well-versed on the school needs and culture, take your arguments to the state level and let the representatives know what you want. The more tax-payers “outside” school culture demand changes, the more those decision-makers elected by the tax payers will have to listen. Unfortunately, tax-payers “inside” school culture (teachers and administrators) are not listened to with the same ethos as parents are. Insiders are considered biased, and they also are usually too busy with the work inside their of schools to have time to think about changing the larger culture.
Speaking from personal experience, the simple act of getting off my rear end and joining the PAC helped me find my voice in ways I couldn’t have imagined only a few months ago, this blog being the most notable example. So if something is bugging you about kids and food — whether it’s the unnecessary “refueling” with Oreos at the 10 am soccer match, the prevalence of highly processed food on your child’s lunch tray, or the Sunday school teacher who hands out candy for good behavior — speak up and get involved.
The rabble-rousing “they” out there can’t do all the work for you. It’s only when we join them that real change can happen.
I’ll end with a thank you to every reader who takes a moment to leave a comment on this site. I don’t always have the time to respond to them individually, but I read every one of them and they often become, as Christa’s did today, a springboard for future posts.
Kristin says
The problem is (and perhaps this was just MY experience) that in order to start anything you have to be REALLY dedicated and have lots of time. Most people (like me) are super busy and want to find a larger group to be a part of where we can make little contributions. I tried starting something here in Houston, but I found that being a leader requires unearthly strength and you must be ok with working all day long, then leaving your children in the evening (after not seeing them all day) to goto a meeting or fulfill some other kind of committment. When one tries to organize something, everyone else looks to that person to hold everything together and make sure everyone shows up and does their job. But if you are not truly superwoman or superman, this is often too much to bear for a working parent. I was always hoping a SAHM or SAHD would come along and jump at the opportunity to grab the reins and dive into a project, enabling them to get away from the kids after a long day of work at home while at the same time establishing social (and possibly professional) contacts while making a difference in the community.
So what I am trying to say is that is easier said than done. This is why things are the way they are. It is easier to generate mass-produced preservative-laden lunches than to serve fresh food. It is easier to stay at home and tend to my regular evening-time ritual. It is better for my job-security to actually do my work while I am on the job rather than type emails and flyers and blog posts for a cause. What we all need (those of us who want to start something but are not super-people) is some kind of activist training. It would be nice to have some kind of network that provides mentorship and accountability. Perhaps if I had this kind of “personal trainer” whom I could goto when the going got rough, someone I could discuss the ups and downs with who had been there before, I would have continued in my efforts. Unfortunately, I often felt I was going it alone, and because I held so much of the burden, it was easy to let it die.
bettina elias siegel says
Kristin: You raise many important points – I plan to excerpt your comment in a post in the coming week or two. I’ll email you when/if it’s going to appear. – Bettina
Lenée says
Excellent points made, Kristen! I worked in the school with a lunch program, and even being in the school system with first-hand contact with administrators, parents, and the food suppliers it was extremely difficult to get things done and implement change because of the bureaucratic BS I had to wade through each day. And I was an employee within the district! I can just imagine the difficulties faced by parents and organizations who are not part of the district and union of workers. I did make a post regarding my troubles with the system and all the red tape we are up against as employees, volunteers, and parents.
bettina elias siegel says
Kristin (and Lenee) – I’ve had a draft post sitting around ever since you (Kristin) left this comment weeks ago. It really affected me. I will try to post this week! – Bettina