I'm leaving for El Salvador in four days. I need to pack. I have no less than three very large loads of laundry waiting to be folded, and the dryer will be buzzing at me very soon. I have volunteer obligations that need tending to. I guess maybe 'volunteer obligations' is somewhat of an oxymoron. Volunteer tasks might be a better way to put it, but we'll get back to that a little later. At any rate, the PTO checkbook needs to be reconciled and I'm supposed to be contacting an attorney on behalf of my church regarding a conservation easement on the church's property. I digress. I have no intention of ever residing in Kansas again. These are just a few of the reasons I have no business writing a post on my feelings about mid-term elections in Kansas. But, here I am.
Until this election, I really hadn't followed a Kansas gubernatorial race since I'd been away. Not that I didn't care about my home state, but it was a busy time. I had some stuff going on: entering the real world, moving, learning how to be married, having babies, etc. And, I knew Kansas, though the overwhelming electorate held political views very different from my own, would be OK. Although I still feel busy (albeit in completely different ways), Kansas politics has sucked me in of late. Like many things that suck me in at this phase of my life, I attribute this to social media. And, in particular, the facebook page of Game on For Kansas Schools, and their efforts on behalf of students in Kansas.
They brought to my consciousness the state of education in Kansas and it wasn't pretty. Being that I had no real intention of ever residing in the sunflower state again, it would be logical for me not to care. BUT...
I'm proud to be a product of public education in Kansas. The knowledge and values that education instilled in me are why I have the 'volunteer obligations' mentioned above. In Kansas schools I learned about being a contributing member of society, about looking out for one another, about helping out where we can for the greater good. I don't love going to PTO meetings or serving on church committees; but growing up and being educated in Kansas, I learned that citizenship and service are vital to creating the kind of world I want to live in. I'm proud to be the granddaughter of Kansas educators. I'm proud to hold a degree from the University of Kansas (I'm also proud to hold a degree from Southwestern College, but it's a private institution, so that's a whole different ball of wax). And to me, the current state of education in the state of Kansas feels like a complete kick in the face of all those things. And, most importantly, as far as I'm concerned, it feels like a kick in the face to the scads of fantastic teachers who helped to shape me into what I am today.
When Chris and I moved to Minnesota in 2000, we intended to spend three to five years here and then try to get back to Kansas. Life got in the way of our plans, and we're still here 14 years later. Our lives our such right now that we could live anywhere on the planet, so long as there's reliable internet access. We could move to Kansas. We'd be closer to most of our family. Our taxes would be lower (we're white and fairly well to do-- Sam would take very good care of us). We could sell our 1950's dated rambler and buy a brand stinking new, maintenance free mansion with the proceeds. On paper it'd be a sweet deal. In reality, it'd be hell.
Take comfort in my to do list. If not for it, I would sit here and bellyache all day. Alas, the laundry calls.
