Giving thanks

For those in positions of public trust, that they would serve with integrity and uphold the dignity of all.”
-from today’s intercessions at St. Paul’s Cathedral

In a week in which we both traditionally give thanks and we saw the "landmark" "monumental" insert-other-awe-inspiring-descriptor-here school funding bill signed, it is important to me to take a second to say thank you.

This year has seen what at least in my memory is an unprecedented level of new appreciation for what we might have dismissed as career bureaucrats at the federal level.
They have their parallels at the state and local level, too.
I got some credit this week for the work I've done explaining school funding in Massachusetts. I appreciate that.
I also know that I can only do that as well as I do because there are a still-surprising to me number of people in Boston and in Malden and closer to home who answer my emails and phone calls and such. I came to the realization this year that the number of people who can answer a question I run into on Massachusetts school finance is small. I'm glad they answer me, still.
I won't name names--there are too many places where, far too much like the national atmosphere, that would only harm--though I will note that this week also saw an unprecedented amount of tweeting from the Deputy Commissioner.
Perhaps, though, we can be a little less quick to use "bureaucrat" and "administration" dismissively, and recall that some who "serve at the pleasure of" serve us.
And some do it well.