Alexis De La Garza comments on how to encourage your local politicians to endorse the IB programmes.
“Education and politics have a brutal history together. They are always at odds. One is always trying to get ahead of the other. However, education often needs politics to get ahead in any way, and politics needs education to do the same.
Today, I attended a session about getting local politicians involved in the IB programmes. I don’t know quite what I expected to get out of it, but I ended up understanding politicians a lot more than I did before.
In the session, Arizona Republican Senator Rich Crandall helped teachers to understand how politicians work. Yes, he said, they don’t read every bill that enters the house. No, they don’t always understand every issue. Sometimes, he stated, politicians trust their friends’ opinions on issues they aren’t familiar with. He went on to say that what really matters in an issue is who you get to endorse it.
When you pitch one of the IB programmes to your local representative, you’ll want quotes from parents who love it. You’ll want a picture of (not controversial) politicians with IB graduates. You’ll want endorsements from at least one of two groups politicians wouldn’t dare trash: veterans and every day heroes.
Talk to a fire-fighter IB dad or a veteran IB mom. People identify with others they admire or see as important.
Most importantly, though, make sure your local politicians know what IB is. Some of them don’t know what the initials stand for, and even less know what “International Baccalaureate” means. If they don’t know, they most certainly won’t be able to help you fight for the IB programmes.”
