Why Educators Must Become Political Animals
This is an extremely interesting opinion article written by Mary Esther Van Shura on the role of educators in the political realm. The article starts off by explaining why people in positions of power are typically described as "animals" and what that metaphor typically means. The author's main point was to address the need of our educational leaders, principals and superintendents specifically, to become political animals. The article states that those with influence are frequently portrayed as creatures of immense appetite operating with reckless disregard for the needs of others, which could be seen as a little rough. But the thought is that it is necessary for our educational leaders to take on the political persona to fight for what is right in their field with the right knowledge and language to combat those with "higher power". The author really wanted to portray the importance in determining the level of congruence between the school-community profile and the greater community’s electoral makeup and just how our leaders can do that. The author offers up the animal kingdom as thus:
The tigers (the voters)
The zebras (the unions)
The hippopotamus (the bureaucracy)
The monkeys (intergovernmental forces and/or lobbying groups)
The bats (social forces)
The hummingbirds (social media)
The owls (legal forces)
The bunnies (special interests)
The hunter (the media)
The author went on to talk about the need for our educational leaders to understand the beasts of the kingdom but to also become one themselves, "It’s time for the educational establishment to recognize that the sustainability of efforts to promote accountability and academic excellence will be compromised if we do not have administrators who are proficient in the art and science of being a political animal." I really think that this is an awesome article with a great message that really puts the direction of our educational management into perspective.
The article points out many of the problems faced by the educators but the solutions seem to be a little unrealistic. I agree that educators as well as the rest of society should be knowledgeable in how the political systems work and be active in pursuing their agenda. In the real world it is the individuals that can sway the voters that determine the state of our educational systems. This is usually the rich and influential. An example is the latest school bond measures in Portland’s last election. There was general agreement that the bond measures were for a good cause but many voters were influenced to vote against them with one barley passing. I believe that the leading educators are politically savvy enough they just don’t have the influence. When the media (hunters), who are controlled by the financial powers (600 lb. gorillas, not listed), who control the intergovernmental forces and/or lobbying groups (monkeys) exert their control it is extremely difficult to influence the voters to their cause no matter how just.
ReplyDeleteWell said. I want to know who acts as the zoo keepers.
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