Today I’m heading down for a quick trip to Washington DC to learn how to be an educational advocate. I think advocacy is incredibly important, and as recent political events have shown, we need to make sure we are appropriately advocating for what we believe in.
Advocacy, in many ways, is like the relentless pursuit of a vision, in that the goal is to achieve what we believe is best for those we serve. The challenge, of course, is that it is a vision that others might not believe in.
Convincing anyone that your values should be theirs is never an easy task, even if the advocacy subject is education, something that we all know everyone needs (and certainly something that we can never have enough of).
So, while I consider myself well-versed in what works in education, I could like using some educating in the nuances of sharing my beliefs in a way that lands well for anyone. Questions that arise as I prepare for the conference range from “How do I advocate without turning people off?” to “What makes an advocacy story stick?” to “How do I provide excellent follow-up and make sure that my vision continues to exist for others?”
I’m not sure which of these questions will be answered by ASCD, the group leading this short conference, but I’m excited for the opportunity to explore and grow my advocacy skills further.
When I return on Wednesday, I hope to have a number of advocacy tools in my toolkit, from better understanding those with different opinions, all the way up to negotiating from a point of strength.
I’m looking forward to continuing my learning and growth!