The Real Homework

I have debated whether or not pulling Marra from school for 4 days during October can be justified. I struggled with the thought that I am creating for her a precedent that there are good reasons to skip out on school. I can't have her throwing this back at me one day ("But Dad, remember you let me skip school that time when we..."). Yes, I plan it to be a working trip for the both of us, but it is not math and science class, and the names of the various campaign managers and staffers in NH will not be on the Virginia SOLs. So, I need some goals for the trip, specific lessons to be taught. After all, I'm supposedly one of her 2 best and most influential teachers in life...regardless of my academic qualifications.

Here's the preliminary core lesson plan:

It takes work: My children have been blessed with natural smarts, and one could coast through elementary school and some high school on that alone; however, if Marra doesn't learn that hard work is essential, she could ultimately be left behind, in school and in life. While in New Hampshire, I hope we see volunteers really working for their candidates, sweating the details - accomplishing more with their passion and effort than with their God-given brains. I hope she sees the value, if not the immediate gratification, of hard work.

Value Teamwork: The candidates may get all the glory and notoriety, but it is the inner functioning of their teams that moves a campaign forward. I want Marra to come home having experienced a real team, accomplishing more together than they could have apart.

Talk to strangers: Every parent who watches Dateline or any other of those fear factor news programs knows that kids have to be taught NOT to talk to strangers. Important lesson for kids as they grow. As Marra matures in the coming years, I want her to exercise sound judgment, yes, but I also want her to see that meeting new people in appropriate settings is a vital life skill. We must reach out and be willing to communicate with new people, and Marra needs me to model that behavior successfully.

Recognize a bullsh*t answer: Ah, this is a critical thinking skill. Marra will hear many answers to many questions during our trip. Many of those answers will bear no relationship to the question, or will allow for multiple interpretations by different listeners. I would like Marra to learn to recognize when a question is not answered (of course, this skill must remain dormant when I avoid her questions about my formative years. Don't want to freak her out.). With some coaching, perhaps she could also learn to follow up with the person when her question is not answered. How priceless would it be to have Marra get a question answered by a candidate, and then hear her say, "Thank you, but you didn't really answer my question, did you?" Can you say "You've been YouTubed!!!"

Participate in making things better: "Decisions are made by those who show up". Great quote, and I don't know the origin. I heard it on "The West Wing" (sometimes known as "The Left Wing") and it stuck for me. Marra and I will meet people motivated by their passion to make the world, or at least their part of it, better for everyone. Even those with whom we may disagree will be in New Hampshire with noble intentions (except the neo-cons), working often for no money to see that the message of their chosen leader is heard, acknowledged, and considered.

It is big world: We live in the richest country in the world, in one of the richest counties in the country. Believe me, I tell her all the time that we are not rich, but relative to the world, we are wealthy beyond imagination. There is more to this world, and while I am not ready to sign Marra up for the Peace Corps, I do want to expand her vision slightly beyond her own bedroom walls and her own possessions. Frankly, I could use that lesson, too.

I end with this quote:

"They say that these are not the best of times
But there the only times I'll ever know."
Billy Joel - "Summer, Highland Falls"

These are her times, and I hope that she will one day look back on our little excursion north and say, "I was a part of something important."

JS