Jefferson's Woes

Lately on the blogsphere there has been quite a bit of talk about Cynthia Harris, the principal at Jefferson, and the way that Jefferson is being "dealt with" by the district.

My thoughts on the subject are plentiful, but the bottom line is: parents have a right to be involved in their child's education. That is not to say that parents should be in charge of an entire school, as I am sure that most parents have other things to do.

The message Cynthia Harris is sending is that parents have no business asking questions about what is happening at their child's school. Which is, of course, ridiculous.

Of course, most people are focusing on the racial issues brought up by this incident. They are definitely important. After all, "black kids are different" is an absurd thing to say.

I think that the issue that necessitates focus is parental involvement. If parents are welcomed at their child's school, it increases the sense of community. A sense of community is one of the most important things in a classroom and a school.

The Campaign is on!

I wasn't aware (until Thomas kindly pointed out), that there are plenty of people concerned with the May 2009 school board race already. I am so excited to interact with these people! I love the enthusiasm I read in blogs and comments.

It is inspiring me to believe even stronger that we can make a difference.

May 2009 is far away, but I feel like the campaign has essentially started.

More things will be posted on my website (http://www.lisarichardson.org/) about me and my ideas for school board.

I ask that you be patient with me. What I say is not written in stone. I am not asking for people to vote for ME, rather the idea that we can all have a voice. I want to work for and with the community of Zone 6, and if they want something different than I think is best, I am humble enough to rethink a position. When I say community, I mean community, not the folks with the deepest pockets. Though, I won't deny that supporters with deep pockets can be great also, but I certainly won't sell a position.

Please share your thoughts, comments, and ideas about what you see posted on the site when it arrives. There is a lot of wisdom out there, and with cooperation, we can make this race important to a lot of people, and help pave the way for significant change and achievement within the district.

I cannot say enough how excited I am.

Thank you!

Votes

Ian and I did some research today. We were trying to calculate various numbers and figure out how many votes I might need.

We looked at PPS school board election history for 2003, 2005, and 2007. The data from 2003 was a "fluke". There was so much going on in the district, that there was a really large turnout.

The winning board member has to have the most votes, not a certain percentage.

We ran some numbers and figured that I will need about 40,000 or so votes to feel secure in winning. 40,000. That's the number of votes I will need.

Anybody know a few thousand people to start me off?

I think it will be incredibly challenging, but trying to talk to over 40,000 people personally over about 10 months will be really fun. Let's hope I can figure out how to convince them to invest their vote in me with sheer passion and determination. Oh, and a proven track record of success that can be easily converted to an environment like a school board.

Good luck to me.

The Vanishing of Time

It is absolutely unreal how quickly time vanishes. Each day seems to go quicker.

We are now halfway through the 1st quarter. That means, that in no time at all, it will be time to head back to Portland. For good. It's creepy, because it feels like we just got here.

Because Webster sucks, I won't be finished with the MBA until October 2008...and we were planning for May or July. That is horrible. Nonetheless, I will find something worth my time in PDX from June until November, and then (hopefully) find something more exciting and with a bigger paycheck.

I still have so much to do for the school board campaign. I know it is incredibly far away, but I like to be prepared. I want to know all that I need to know before we move home. That is (in a nutshell): how many votes I need, who are my potential voters, what are the issues that students, parents, and other folk are concerned with, and how much money I need. Geez.

I am getting more and more anxious about this as time dissolves. However, I know that things will calm down as more time passes, and I have plenty of time to prepare.

A part of me can't wait. I love St. Louis and my kids, but I am ready to start doing good for education in Portland. I am from Portland, I've seen the educational issues there firsthand. The students there need someone to fight for them. On the other hand, I love my kids. I love my kids. My kids are so amazing I cannot describe it in any words I know (in English or Spanish!). I am having a crisis of sorts coming to terms with the fact that I will not be a teacher anymore a year from now. I have a lot to learn and an infinite number of improvements to make, but I am a good teacher. What if my kids don't have a good teacher next year?

The what ifs are too much for me to bear at this point. I just have to do as much as possible to help build a foundation at my school so my students are supported next year and the years that follow. I'm not sure what I will do when I don't have kids to teach every day. I don't have any idea how to cope with that thought.

At least I have 9 more months, or 3 and a half more quarters to figure it out!