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But as I read the first few pages with the standards for Kindergartners, I became enraged as a parent.  The previous spring I had spoken at a public hearing at my daughter’s school about the language arts standards being too Eurocentric and not including enough literature from diverse cultures.  As a white male I’ve felt handicapped by my own lack of understanding of diverse cultures.  I don’t want the same thing for my kids.  I want them to have a well-rounded education.  I was very angry to see the social studies standards were equally flawed, if not more so. 

At first I felt anxious and overwhelmed because it was such a big document and there were so many problems with it.  It took me a couple of weeks to figure out that it would take more than one voice to really make an impact.  In the current political climate teachers are marginalized, so I became involved as a parent and family member, which I have a legitimate right to do. 

The night before the public hearing at Saint Paul Central High School, I decided to “test market” the proposed standards with my family—my parents, my sister and her husband—over Sunday dinner.  At first they laughed.  Then they were disbelieving—of the way the standards were drafted and the content they included.  We decided to create MAPSSS—Minnesotan’s Against the Proposed Social Studies Standards.  My brother-in-law works a lot with computers, so he put up a Web site that night with a petition linked to www.petitiononline.com.  We drafted our concerns, posted them at the Web site and created a one-page flyer that I brought to the hearing.

The hearing itself felt like a sham.  There were 200 angry people there, each saying what they had to say in three minutes.  It’s hard to say anything of substance in three minutes.  What’s more, I knew from my own experience when the language arts standards came out, that they didn’t reflect the things I heard at the language arts hearing.

I just happened to get lucky to speak first, so people were able to approach me throughout the event.  A lot of them said, “Thanks for putting this together.”  I didn’t expect that.  It was like shooting in the dark hoping to resonate with others, but not really knowing how it would turn out.  I felt like I was taking a chance, but it didn’t really cost anything.

People who objected to the standards found they could do something by going to the petition.  They found strength in their voice by knowing there were other people who had concerns as well.  It was very empowering.  We had 90 signatures within the first week.  From then, people forwarded the link to others.  In less than 40 days we had over 1,400 signatures from people living in different towns across the state. 

The first petition against the first draft of the proposed standards carried through December.  In January we posted a second petition calling for better standards.  This was during the time when the Department of Education was their spin on how final standards were responsive to the public.  It was all balderdash.  There were improvements, but they weren’t even close to sufficient.  We shut down the second petition after the session with 1,100 signatures.

Another thing I was involved in was a November press conference held by five different parent groups right before a meeting of the standards writing committee.  MAPSSS was there with Parents United for Public Schools, the Minnesota PTA, Unite 196 and Save Our Schools (now Parents United Network).  The event got good coverage.  There was even a photo printed in the Star Tribune with the Maple River folks clustered around me trying to interfere with my ability to speak. 

Even though I testified a few times during the session, I felt like people were saying, “Thanks, but no thanks.”  I had never testified in my life before in front of elected officials and it wasn’t all that positive of an experience, but what I did learn was that building relationships with elected officials is really, really important.  I was truly amazed by how accessible our elected officials are, and how open the public process is.  I learned that I could walk into the capitol and talk to my representatives with or without an appointment.  I learned that it’s a lot easier to get involved and express my thoughts than I had thought it would be. 

Throughout the session I took the initiative to set up appointments and meet with my elected officials.  I stayed in contact with various legislators—both Democrat and Republican—to share the concerns of not only myself, but also the people who signed the petition.  The signatures gave strength and confidence to my voice.  Even so, I felt welcomed in a way that would have allowed me to express my views without the backing.  I went from feeling like I had no voice in September, to feeling like I was one voice speaking in a loud chorus by spring.

One of the most satisfying things has been the networking and getting to know people committed to supporting public education.  All the connections helped me feel like something was growing and something was possible; that together people could make a difference.

The impact of my efforts was in the petition and the Web site as a collecting point for concerns and criticisms.  It was in communicating with a variety of people, groups, elected officials and the press.  It was in having a presence at the writing committee meetings open to the public as the representative of a group of people who had concerns about the standards.  Being there brought a level of accountability to their work that they wouldn’t have had otherwise.

As we look toward the next session, I would urge not only parents, but also every citizen in the state to—

Read.  Watch.  Listen.  Question.  Learn. 

Read the newspaper with a critical eye.  Go to public hearings.  Being in the audience is a form of involvement that makes a statement.  Watch the Department of Education and your local district’s Web sites for new initiatives.  Get connected to a network so you can get informed. 

Parents can have a lot more impact in more important ways than simply raising money at the next candy or bake sale.  At the same time, it can take a lot out of us and have a big impact on our families.  A lot of people have sacrificed a lot time and relationships to fight these battles.  It’s a struggle to find balance.  To lead, but not ignore what’s most important to us at home.  The more people who get involved, the more we can share the load.