A Long Ways from the Action

Dallas, TX

 

I wonder if it’s frustrating working for a national organization trying to make a difference in children’s lives.  It just seems like it’s often a long ways from the action.

 

I’ve been serving on a task force to help make recommendations to the board of this major national organization for how to increase and promote the role of the arts in education.  The topic of Sunday’s particular sub-group’s focus was supposed to be “Directly Affecting Students.”  I was hopeful that we might somehow actually focus on this.

 

Unfortunately, with no clear funding, no real authority, a "facilitator" that dominated the morning's discussions with negativity and elitism, and a limited scope of which schools might be affected, I have little hope that much practical value for students will come of it.  Perhaps our focus group should have been called “Hopefully Indirectly Affecting Some Generally Privileged Students.”

 

When it comes to directly affecting students, I think I’ll stick to teaching.