A Visit from Senator Grassley

More often than not, when a politician comes to your school, there is usually very short notice, giving us little time to make plans. Such was the case when aides of Senator Chuck Grassley asking if he could meet with our seniors contacted Jim Hanson, one of our social studies teachers. Once we received the request, Mr. Hanson alerted the media as best he could. With a weekly newspaper and without a radio station in the district, it is a bit difficult to notify everyone in the area that a visitor of such status will join us. However, the request was to speak with our seniors as part of the Senator’s educational tour to provide information about the workings of the federal government and provide insight into current issues.

I have had opportunity to meet with Senator Grassley three times in the past four years as part of a four to six person group of Iowa educators that go to Washington, DC each summer to lobby on behalf public education. All three times that I have participated, the Senator has met personally with our delegation. Without being too political, we have also scheduled meetings with Senator Harkin’s office at the same time and not one time have we been able to talk personally with him, rather we get to speak with his aides. In elections I have supported both senators, obviously crossing over party lines to vote for one of them. But it says a lot to me that while both of these men are very busy, one of them has taken the time to meet with public educators from his home state. Kind of interesting when you think about the current political climate and the different perspectives on public education taken by Republicans and Democrats! Those that educators most often view as “friendly toward education” are not the ones represented by Senator Grassley’s party.

The Senator impressed me as to how well he answered the student’s questions. And, I was very impressed by our students and the questions they asked. This gentleman is 77-years old and he is still very sharp on issues and was able to provide solid information in his responses. I do remember a trip to Washington a couple of years ago when it seemed to me that he was “slipping” a little bit, but all of us can chalk up a bad day or two. Were some of his responses political? Yes, they were. He let the students know what he thought. Was he trying to influence them? I don’t believe so. And when I think about it, that is what I respect about Senator Grassley. For years he has reminded me of my grandfather in a number of ways, and while he has been gone for close to ten years, my grandfather was a very strong Grassley supported. While he was alive, we had some really intense political arguments, many of which had Grassley at the center. On Friday listening to the Senator talk, my mind wandered to my grandfather and it became clear why I respected him, and Grassley so much. You do not have to agree with them, but you must respect them for their convictions and their honesty. There is nothing phony about Chuck Grassley. What you see is what you get. In today’s world, maybe we can all take a lesson from that.