I Can't Say No

This week in my inbox, I received a message telling me I was selected to participate in a public education survey. The survey was being conducted by a doctoral student as part of collecting data for a dissertation. I was promised in the e-mail that it would take no more than ten minutes. I hovered my cursor over the delete button for a moment. Ultimately though, I clicked on the survey and completed it. 

I can't say no to people who ask me to fill out online surveys, at least those that commit to pursuing further educational research. I sometimes don't want to. Sometimes, I'm really annoyed by them. And still, I almost always say yes. You see, I was once in their shoes. 

As a part of my own dissertation, I sent out surveys to a group of public school principals to complete, answering my research question. Since this was more than ten years ago, they went via snail mail, with questions on physical paper and a pre-stamped return envelope. I sent two batches and then waited by the PO box that I rented for them to come back to me. I waited. I don't remember now, but a particular number needed to come back to me for my project to continue. 

I waited. I checked the PO box often, perhaps too often. The future of my research was dependent on the kindness of others. The future of my research depended on others taking the time to care about my work. The future of my research was out of my hands. And that was terrifying. 

One day I went to the PO box, and I had one! My first! I tore open the envelope and recorded the data. Then another, and another. After what seemed like an interminable wait, I was getting results. I had the minimum number of surveys necessary. And the envelopes still kept coming in. I had more than enough. My research would move forward, and I could complete my dissertation. 

That's why I can't say no. I know exactly how it feels to be that vulnerable. I know exactly how it feels to have your work in someone else's hands. I know exactly what it's like to wait for results to come back to you. 

I owe a debt of gratitude to all those anonymous people who filled out a survey from a man they'd never heard of. Those kind people took time out of their day, and as public school principals, those minutes are precious. They gave those minutes to me to contribute to work that was important to someone else. My research could not have been completed without them, and had I not received enough surveys I would be back to square one. Instead, this May, I will celebrate my tenth anniversary graduating from Loyola University Chicago with a Doctorate in Education. 

So that's why I can't say no when someone asks me to contribute to their work. And for the readers of this blog, the next time you get an invitation in your e-mail to participate in a survey that will benefit someone else's work, please give it a little more consideration. There is a real person on the other end who is hoping beyond hope that you will give them a little of your time. Yes, it is typically a complete stranger that you've never met and may never meet. But their work is no less important than yours. Who knows, your response could meet the minimum requirement for them to move forward. 

We stand on the shoulders of others when we do research. We need others to complete our research. We are once again dependent on other people in our world to make our world go round. 

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