Today, Sea Shephard shared this video interview.

Whether you agree or disagree with Sea Shephard’s efforts and methods, we felt it was important to share this because it seems to lend some credence to Parent X’s concerns.

What are your feelings about letting the internet create a record of your child’s beliefs, causes, and interests?

Okay, okay… I have no idea if the FBI really does put people who donate to Sea Shephard or are active members of their support community on a terror watch list. In fact, I suspect they don’t do anything of note… maybe log an ip or add the names to a list buried somewhere. But what about other countries? What about 10 or 15 years from now when Sea Shepherd finds itself on the wrong side of a politically powerful movement or individual? What about the way things on the internet seem to last forever? What if my daughter goes to apply for a job 15 years from now and her love of Captain Watson proves to be a reason she’s blacklisted? What if in 2030, her company does lots of business in Japan, but she is unable to enter the country because they are retaliating against those who fought whaling in the 2010′s?  Silly, I know… right?

Now, hold on… before you blast me with criticism, please allow me to make some important points.

1. I’m not saying any of this is really gonna happen. I’m just saying, who knows how the tides may change (no pun intended) 15, 20, 40 years from now and what will be held against who by whom?
2. I understand that part of being an activist is standing up for change and what you believe in despite the risk of repercussions and it being unpopular with some people. I get that. But, my daughter’s 11.
3. My daughter’s 11, did I mention that?  She’s not quite ready to make major decisions on her own, and I’m not looking to make them for her in this arena. The Whale Warriors can’t be that desperate for foot soldiers that I have to commit her to the cause before she fully understands what she’s fighting for and against. I suspect they’ll still be there and glady accept her assistance when she’s 16 or 18 or 21 and able to choose to give it herself.
4. My daughter is 11. I want to buy her a hat and a t-shirt, not declare the actions of another culture to be against nature’s lawas. Not that I condone some of what goes on, but I’m not fully informed, nor am I comfortable imposing my morals on another culture. Yes, what’s right is right and what’s wrong is wrong… but what’s right and what’s wrong is sometimes subjective.  And I’m sure some of the things I do and the actions of some people I support would be opposed by othrs. I’m not looking to engage in that war. I eat at Mc Donalds, I think leather seats are comfortable, and I just want to buy a cute t-shirt and maybe a bag for my daughter. She’s 11, she’s allowed to support “the cause” at only a pre-teen level.
5. My non-enlistment should not be viewed as condemnation of the actions of Sea Shephard. I think they’re great. And just like many of their supporters, I follow their actions online, I agree with a lot of what they do, I watch the show, I am learning more about some of the ways I can effect change and trying to do what I can… which is more than I used to do.  I’m a casual fan, and a moderately informed supporter. I just don’t want to put my daughter at the forefront of it all, and attach her name to something she doesn’t fully understand.

So we quietly fight the fight. We pick up plastic bags from the beach, she writes her essays in school about ocean conservation issues, and we try to be good, nature appreciating people.

And I feel badly for it… like I’m doing something wrong, or not enough.

But my daughter is my number one priority, and we can enjoy and support the work of Sea Shephard from a distance, with her name off any watch lists.

I hope that’s enough for now… it should be. And if it’s not, then maybe I need to take a closer look at who I’m supporting (passively) and what they really stand for.

I think it’s fine… I don’t think anyone who matters has an issue with our casual support. But I’m a worrier, and as I said… my daughter is my number one priority, and she’s only 11.

Our position regarding the current elections here in NJ, and for all states, is that the most practical vote is a vote FOR the budget.

What the average voter does not realize is that the majority of the money spent in a school budget is mandated expenditures. When a budget is voted down, the school district cannot touch certain areas. Salaries and benefits for the coming year are already committed to, having been negotiated years earlier. State and federal laws mandate expenditures in the special education and special needs areas, and in the event of a budget defeat those expenses will still have to be paid.

A vote against your school budget forces your civic leaders to make cuts, and most voters do not realize that those cuts will HAVE TO come from the areas most voters like about their schools: extra curricular offerings, class sizes, field trips, activity buses, new textbooks, etc.,.  The issues that draw the most criticism from voters are often untouchable.

To get your local district to be more pragmatic with regard to teacher salaries and vendor agreement or if you are unhappy with the direction your school is headed, the school budget is not the place to to make an impact. If anything, you want to support the school budget so that a “no” vote is not used as an excuse for the path the school is currently on.

Where you can make a difference, is with the school board. Your school board negotiates the salaries, approves administrator hiring, and acts as your eye, ears, and voices in school decision making. You want to find and support candidates whose priorities are similar to yours, and who understand the concerns you have.

If you are unhappy with the salary the school principal makes, a “no” vote will not affect his/her paycheck. However, a vote for a specific school board candidate can influence the salary his/her eventual replacement will receive.

On election day, we encourage you to be informed. School districts are required to make their budgets available for public review, and many towns hold meetings to discuss the same. Any school board or administrator would gladly go through the line items and point out what is mandated and untouchable in the event of a “no” vote. They are not trying to be arrogant or diminish the power of your vote, they would prefer that the public understood that the “good stuff” is what is really being voted upon, not the things many people criticize when discussing school budgets.

Your local paper will also give each school board candidate a chance to outline their goals. It is important to know, most school board candidates DO have an agenda (their son plays lacrosse and they hope to see the sport move to full varsity status, their daughter is in the band and they want to ensure the annual trip to a band competition at Disney is in place for years to come), but so do each of you. There are things you want to see supported and areas where you feel investment is wasteful. You want to support a like minded candidate or even run for the school board yourself.

The best way to be informed and make a difference is to attend school board meetings.

School budget elections are a high profile time for families to become involved in the directions their schools are headed. Unfortunately, most misunderstand the impact they really can have.  Vote wisely today, and become involved… that’s the best thing you can do for yourself, your children, and your community.

[Educator X is a fourth-year special education teacher. Her salary for this year and next were set during contract negotiations last year and will not be affected by the outcome of today's elections. Her position in her school district is a state mandated position and cannot be eliminated by a defeated school budget.]

Thinking that it may be a good lesson for my kids to learn about issues facing their community, I bribed brought them along with me.  Reluctantly, they came along and went door to door dropping off flyers and talking about the local parks.

Going door to door is not what young kids want to do. It can be time consuming, seemingly endless, and overall pretty boring.  This exercise in getting my kids to care about local politics was met with a lot of resistance.

Overall, they lasted for about 20 minutes before the complaining began.  “How much longer?” “Mom I’m hungry.” ‘Mom can I go to a friend’s house?’ … And so on.

It’s not that my kids don’t care about parks – they do. They frequent our community parks, and when I told them that they were in jeopardy of closing they were truly concerned.  However, their concern was not enough to want to spend 4 hours on a Saturday walking door to door “spreading the word.” It was in the height of their complaining that it hit me. Their feelings mirrored so many adults in our community.

Did they like the parks? Yes. Were they concerned over losing parks? Yes. Were they compelled to take action?  Well, sort of… Four hours of walking door to door was too much for my kids. Their feelings of ‘concern’ were simply not enough to drive a need to take that sort of action. What is the answer to the question, “How do I encourage my kids to take action on issues they care about?”  It really starts at home.

First, if they see that I do something about an issue that is facing the community, they may be driven to take action for something they care about.  Second, ask for their opinion on issues. It may not be about the same issues you care about, and face it parents they may (and probably will) have a different opinion than you. The importance is in their desire to express their opinion on something. Kids may not be able to vote, but they can still be encouraged to express themselves. Finally, encourage them to take action and support them!  Give them the opportunity to express themselves over what they care about – but just keep in mind their method of expression may not be the same as yours!

In my case, I deeply care about parks so I was willing to volunteer my time on a Saturday morning. My kids care about the parks as well, but in hindsight I should have encouraged them to take action by expressing themselves in a way they felt comfortable with. In the end, my 13 year old daughter passed out flyers to her friends rather than doing door to door. She also posted comments about the issue on Facebook and texted her friends to spread the word about parks.  Although my 10 year old son stuck it out with me going door to door, his action was helping set up for one of the parks events.  When I go out again this weekend, I’ll leave the kids at home, but will continue to encourage them to stay informed, be involved, and express themselves in a way that is rewarding to them.