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I believe anyone who has actively served on a local board of education would agree that this volunteer job is a life-altering experience. It is an agony and an ecstasy. It will affect your personal and financial life. It forces you to look at countless situations from many different perspectives. You will make decisions that affect the lives of dozens, hundreds, and thousands of people.

You will never again be able to look at an educational situation from just a parent's viewpoint. You will look at and evaluate the situation as an elected representative of the entire community, with all the different perspectives that involves. You must be a financial steward, an educator, an administrator, and--last but most importantly--you must look at how your decision affects the lives of the children in your district. There are many stakeholders who deserve to be heard and represented.

Board service can be the most frustrating, depressing, rewarding, uplifting experience of your life. What other volunteer position would have you, in a week's time, sadly deciding to terminate a child's education for the rest of the year and then going to a concert and being entertained by dozens of very talented young people?

Stress and frustration go with the job of school board member. You quickly learn that it is impossible to please everyone. You may, in fact, find yourself in conflict with friends and relatives. Many people will treat you differently after election to the board. You may be asked for favors or blamed for anything that goes wrong. In the worst-case scenario, you may receive threatening letters or phone calls. Your children may be treated differently by their teachers and principals.

The slow-moving change process in education can be very frustrating. There are so many things needing to be done and such limited resources to accomplish them. The need to be responsive to all constituencies while dealing with limited resources and insufficient information can be extremely frustrating. You may find that friendships formed with fellow board members become strained when there are strong differences of opinion on controversial issues. You must work together in spite of personal disagreements and dislike. All of these things added to the normal stress of everyday life can take a toll on your mental and physical health.

Some active board members may find that their board service is so life altering that it brings them into divorce court or into the job market. There are things you can do to prevent that from happening.

Time is most often the villain identified in the disruption of personal and work lives. Serving on the school board is a time commitment that needs to be considered carefully. Of course, there are the normal meetings, special meetings, committee meetings, special committee meetings, tons of reading, phone calls, constituent conversations in any public place, and many workshops and convention opportunities that are important to your growth as a board member.

You will receive countless invitations to school and social events. Some of these come with a monetary cost involved and perhaps a need for a wardrobe update. It is important to attend when possible. It is sort of a reality check for you to see the fruits of your labors. All of these commitments may cause some financial hardship on board members who may have to take time from their jobs to fully participate or give up business in order to not have conflicts of interest.

Family relationships may suffer because of time pressures. Maintaining a strong family relationship depends on your ability to manage time and prioritize. It is also essential to have a supportive spouse and children. Not only is the time an issue, but family members may have to deal with people who do not agree with a decision you made. Your family may bear the brunt of their unhappiness.

Many people have said to me that they would not consider serving on the school board because it is a thankless job requiring a great deal of time. I usually respond by saying there is certainly some truth to that, but there is another side.

Board service provides you with the opportunity to make a positive difference in the lives of children. It is a chance to give back to your community for the many benefits you receive by volunteering your time, talents, and knowledge. It is an opportunity for learning and growth as a person.

This is a chance to positively affect the lives of thousands and contribute to the future of your community. There is much satisfaction when you as a board and district celebrate the successes of your students and staff. You may have the good fortune to form lifelong friendships with board members you did not know before your board service. As a board member you have the opportunity speak to and for your community.

You have the opportunity to lobby your legislators for your constituents through meetings, letters, and testifying before committees. Some 95,000 people throughout the United States realize the benefits of serving on their local school boards and are doing so presently. Most of these people receive no monetary compensation, so obviously other rewards motivate their desire to serve.

I would and do encourage anyone who is committed to children, interested in education, and willing to listen and learn to give board service a try. Those people serving on boards should take the time to visit schools, to attend athletic competitions, to attend musical and dramatic performances, to accept invitations to various events taking place--but not at a personal and career cost.

Don't get trapped into spending your board tenure just looking at numbers on a page or discussing the physical needs of the district. Of course, these are essential to facilitate good education, but you have the opportunity to become a voice for all the children in your district. You have an opportunity to learn so much about everything involved in the educational life of a child. I urge you to take advantage of those opportunities.