'Who Me? An Activist?'

NEA Today, Oct 2004 by Flannery, Mary Ellen

You say you're no politico. You say you're too late to help. You say it all sounds like a big fat drag. Not true! The campaign trail is a long one, but NEA members can give their candidates a little crutch and cradle at any point along the way. Your colleagues can be your inspiration-they have fantastic ideas, big and small, and more fun than you might imagine!

You can't vote if...

You're not registered! So make sure your voter registration is current and, while you're at it, take care of your colleagues too. Member Kathleen Tierney of Long Beach, California, plans to stop by every room in her elementary school with a stack of registration forms in hand and "give them a little nudge," she says. Helping high-school students register also would be dynamite, she adds, urging, "Let's get young people involved in the political process."

Activism for the introvert

Some members will have their say without ever opening their mouths. How? A political sign in their front yards. Just call campaign headquarters and ask for a drop-off. If you're looking for a subtler message for the garden, Democrats can grow a two-foot-tall donkey using a wire frame from . eTopiary.com, while GOP folks can opt for an elephant. (A simple "bush" may be a little too esoteric, no?) And, of course, Green Party fans have a whole host of low-key choices.

More silent stumping

Send postcards to your friends, reminding them to vote and making your case for your candidate. Lynn Mason, a Michigan physical education teacher, already has filled out more than 100. Use her format: "Dear so-and-so, I'd like you to join me in voting for..." Then ask the campaign managerto mail them a few days before the election so they're fresh in people's minds.

Understand your power

When it comes to issues like class size or the so-called No Child Left Behind law, nobody knows more than education professionals. And what's more, voters trust your opinion. In a recent Gallup poll, teachers ranked at the top of the list for trustworthiness, better than doctors, clergy, judges, police officers, and the President.

It makes the world go 'round

Love? No, money! If you don't have the time to walk door-to-door or the energy to make phone calls on behalf of a candidate, write a check. (Consider the NEA Fund for Children and Public Education, which has recommended Sen. John Kerry for President.) Michigan's Mason usually buys extra tickets to fund-raisers and gives them to retired folks who might not be able afford the price. That way, she says, her candidate gets a chance to win over a few more new voters.

'Party like a rock star

Last month, thousands of members hosted house parties as part of NBAs national effort to let people know what's happening in public schools. We had boat bashes; church shindigs; even parties in libraries-no shushing allowed! Don't let the festivities stop now-how about a Halloween party? For many educators, this election has some scary potential.

Ring, ring, ring

Washington state teacher Fern Tresvan plans to do "whatever the campaign bosses want me to do" during this election season. Working the phones is a common campaign chore that may sound intimidating, but isn't, Tresvan says. "My whole approach is, the worst that anybody can say is, 'I'm not interested,' and I don't take that personally," she says. "You've just got to make contact with people. "

Working the polls

"At first I thought, Oh, no, standing out there...'" but Jim Politis of Maryland actually enjoys his 7 a.m. shift in his polling place's parking lot, he says. This retiree catches up with neighbors and shares his local Association's recommendations, printed on apple-shaped paper. "Everything we do, everything we want to do, everything that affects us, is controlled or regulated in some way by government, especially as educators," he says. "It seems to me it's incumbent upon us to share our expertise."

Poor Aunt Shirley

With her hip, she can't get out of the house. Help her get an absentee ballot by calling or writing the local elections office so she can cast her ballot from the comfort of her La-Z-Boy. Unless Shirley has a specific disability that makes it impossible for her to read or write, she must do the voting herself. But make sure she signs it!

Meet the candidates

Two years ago, Iowa reading teacher Roberta Mass called up local candidates and invited them to speak to her colleagues in clayton County. This year, she plans to host another Candidates Night and extend the invitation to the general community. "Maybe this year we can have a little debate," she muses.

Like a broken record

You think you're talking too much about Bush and Kerry, Bush and Kerry, Bush and Kerry, but you're the only one listening so carefully. Take a lesson from the cell phone companies. In a 1998 national study, researchers found the more people saw or heard a company's advertisements, the more they believed that company's products were tops. So keep it up!

Bagels and ballots

If your school serves as a polling place, invite your colleagues to swing into work early on Election Day and include a little party with your politics. For Kerry fans, check out a New England favorite-hot maple-flavored Maypo cereal. For Bush backers, it'd have to be Texas (definitely not French) toast.