I once claimed the only thing you would see me running for is the state line. I do not know where I heard. But I adopted it for my own selfish purposes. Now I am running for the city School Board. So what on earth would I want to do that for?
Running For
I now serve a church in my hometown. And I love it. It is weird to consider that my generation has become the leaders. Kurt Vonnegut once said, “True terror is to wake up one morning and discover that your high school class is running the country.” I shared that quote with a friend when she was elected to our city council. She agreed it was scary. One of my elementary school teachers has advised me on the nuts and bolts of campaigning. Her most important words of advice are, “Remember why you are running. You want to help the students.”
I am, therefore, running for the sake of the students. We have a good public school system. It is one of the best in this state, in fact. I want to make the best better.
Am I Qualified?
My college physical education course was a little different than the ones most students take. The class was working with children in the special education programs from the local schools. Twice a week, the students were brought to the old gymnasium at Oklahoma Christian. Our task was to work with them. Really, our task was to play with them. Their teachers came with them and observed. They gave us an informal evaluation. There were similar programs at the state universities. But the teachers said our interactions with the children enhanced the quality of their lives.
Oklahoma Christian is a conservative evangelical school. The lessons I learned in that one class improved my ministry. I could take them with me into whatever kind of church I served.
I do not possess a state license to teach. But I have taught in churches all of my life. I have been Santa Claus for homebound students. A few literature classes in High Schools heard me talk about the Holocaust when they studied Elie Wiesel’s classic Night. And my doctoral project was in Children’s Spirituality.
Running Against
I want to protect the students. I want to protect their opportunity for public education. The recent wave of book banning is detrimental to that goal. I am running against believing children should only be obedient to authority.
Individual education programs (IEP) for special needs students need more funding. Our present state legislature and governor want to commission fundamentalist charter schools that will suck needed funds from students. I am running against indoctrinating students.
But You’re A Pastor
Yes, I am. I believe Christians should use whatever talents or skills they have to better the lives of the people in their communities. We should use our opportunities to serve the community. And it is important for progressive Christians to find seats at the community table. Enhancing the lives of students now is necessary for when they become the decision makers.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In