The last word: The glad game 

“You see, when you’re hunting for the glad things, you sort of forget the other kind.” —Pollyanna

Many of you may have read the children’s classic “Pollyanna” when you were young, and some of you might have seen the 1960 movie version of Eleanor H. Porter’s novel, which starred Hayley Mills in the title role. What you probably don’t know is that the movie was filmed in my hometown of Santa Rosa, in the McDonald Mansion. The mansion is quite a place. Originally called “Mableton,” it was built in 1879 by Mark L. McDonald, one of the town’s most prominent citizens. A Kentucky native, Col. McDonald came west as captain of a wagon train, as did many others during that era.

But the purpose of my final “Last Word” column is not to provide you with a history of Santa Rosa architecture. Instead, what I want to do is talk about optimism, and “the glad game.” And that brings me back to “Pollyanna.” In the book, the game is taught to Pollyanna by her father. It’s a very simple game—you try to find something to be glad about in every situation.

For reasons you can probably surmise, the glad game has been on my mind a lot during the past few months because, despite everything that has happened this year, I’ve got a lot to be glad about, and I’d like to share some of those thoughts with you.

• I’m glad that CSBA filed the school finance lawsuit in May. If there’s ever been a better example of this association demonstrating leadership in California’s education community, I’ve yet to see it. I’ve heard some wonder why it took so long. The reason for that is simple. It took so long because it took a lot of hard work by a lot of talented people in order to get things just right. And no matter what the ultimate outcome, it was the right thing to do, and it would not have happened if it were not for the efforts of CSBA. It may have been nothing more than a quirk of fate or timing, but I’m glad to have been had the opportunity to speak at the press conference as CSBA’s president on the day the suit was filed.
• I’m glad that our members are sticking with us. Yes, we’ve lost a few. And yes, some of those that have stayed are mad at us, and probably mad at me. Heck, some people may be mad at us for a long time. But as I sit down to write this in late October, only three—that’s right, three—members have dropped their CSBA membership as a result of what happened. Membership in the Education Legal Alliance has also remained strong (and above projections), and the numbers for the Annual Education Conference will come in well ahead of last year’s pace. I think that says something about the value of CSBA, and the support that our members have for the association.
• I’m glad to have had the opportunity to meet so many of you in the past few months. Whether by e-mail, or in person, or through some other means, I suspect that I’ve come close to setting some kind of record for meeting the most people during one’s presidency. Sure, I suppose I could say that I wish it had been under happier circumstances, but I’m glad for it nonetheless.
• I’m glad that we have such a great staff at CSBA. I have to tell you, we could not have gotten this far without them. They deserve your thanks for the long hours and the hard work they’ve put in to help make things right. I’m very proud of our staff.

And in the end, as difficult as it has been, I’m glad to have had the opportunity to help make things right at CSBA. I really believe that CSBA is going to end up as a stronger organization for all that we’ve endured this year, and I’m glad for that.

Keep hunting for the glad things—you might surprise yourself with what you find.