Seattle Schools Community Forum: The Face of Evil

Seattle Schools Community Forum: The Face of Evil:

The Face of Evil

by Charlie Mas

I’ve been doing this for eleven years and people wonder how I can continue in this work without getting burnt out. Why don’t I get tired of it? After all, I never win. And, given the fact that the District has all of the power, all of the authority, and makes all of the decisions unilaterally, I am unlikely to ever win in the future. How can I possibly endure and persist when it is all so futile? I don’t have some well of energy that keeps me going. Honestly, I am not really built for long distance races; I’m no good in a mile run. In truth, I’m not even a sprinter; I’m slow over the 90 feet between the bases. I’m more of a guy with a quick, hard first step. How can that last over eleven years?

While my eleven years of advocacy in Seattle Public Schools may appear to be one long contest, it has actually been hundreds of brief ones. This is not one long reaction to a single outrage, this is a series of reactions to