First Day Feelz

Well, I finished my first day in the office of North Carolina Superintendent of Public Schools, Mark Johnson. It has been my dream for as long as I can remember to be a part of state education policy and administration. I have prayed about finding a position where I can be the link between schools and policymakers—where I voice the priorities and needs of teachers, administrators, students, and parents to policymakers, ultimately influencing their policy decisions surrounding K-12 education.  As an intern with the legislative team, I have already interacted with legislators following the release of the General Assembly’s 2019-2021 biennium budget on my first day. We attended appropriation committee meetings, made phone calls, met with legislative staff, and drafted amendments all before 10:00 am the next day when amendments were due to make sure the Superintendent’s priorities were included in the proposed budget.

I am already questioning the dynamics of the politics-administration dichotomy often debated by scholars and our cohort alike. As Woodrow Wilson wrote, “The field of administration is a field of business. It is removed from the hurry and strife of politics…. Administration lies outside the proper sphere of politics. Administrative questions are not political questions. Although politics sets the tasks for administration, it should not be suffered to manipulate its offices.” While I only have a first glance at the inner workings of the department, I am not so sure I agree with President Wilson. The legislative team of the superintendent was certainly in the “hurry and strife of politics” on my first day to ensure that the “set tasks for administration” align with the priorities and values of the administrators. I have defined our team as “public sector lobbyists” that lobbies from within the department—that is certainly not outside the “proper sphere of politics” that President Wilson suggested.

Despite the overwhelming feeling of first day feels, the anxious look in my eyes as I wander around lost, and the flurry of remembering everyone’s names, I still feel valued, supported, and needed here. I am so excited to continue pursuing my passion for serving children through bettering education policy one day at a time. It is going to be a crazy few weeks, working late nights as the G.A. moves towards passing the new budget and going to conference. Following the passage of the budget, I am eager to start working with the policy team to figure out implementation policy. First day finished, feeling fine 🙂