This week I was fortunate enough to be invited to speak at the White House.  Yes, that White House.  Matchbook Learning was one of nine social enterprises in the country that the Administration wanted to feature and promote as an entrepreneurial solution to one of our country’s most pressing social problems.  The idea behind the Social Innovation Summit was for our government to identify and highlight entrepreneurial solutions and ideas that they could get behind. 

Surreal.  Something so strange you cannot believe it is real.  Webster’s dictionary defines surreal as something “characterized by fantastic imagery and incongruous juxtapositions”.  This one word, surreal, captures the entire experience of being on the grounds of the White House and so that is how I presented.  Before I talk about my presentation, let me give some perspective on what it is like to be at the White House.

Approximately 10 or so days prior to the event we had our security information requested (full name, address and social security number is all it takes for them to run a complete background check for security purposes).  Consequently, on the day of the event, July 11, 2012, after taking a taxi to the Southwest Visitors Entrance of the White House, all my wife and I needed to show to the security officer was our driver’s license and we walked in.  We climbed a long flight of outdoor stairs to the Dwight Eisenhower Building (building adjacent to the White House that houses most of the White House staff).  We pass through a simple metal detector (much easier than airport TSA; no shoe removal required) and we’re in. 

Inside the Eisenhower building are incredibly long hallways of black and white square tiled floors, endless offices of staffers, and massive wooden doors that swing open automatically as you approach taking you through outdoor breezeways and then again through massive similar hallways.  Our event was held in a small 150-person auditorium in the center of the building. 

Two things struck me as we walked through these hallways.  One, we were able to pass in and out fairly freely.  No one watching us or directing us.  We could go through the breezeways and see the West Wing and the White House.  Of course, the residence, Oval Office, etc. parts of the White House are off limits and have another security office to go through.  But for the most part, you feel like an incredibly privileged citizen who is very welcome to be on the premises. 

The second thing that struck me is the massive and palpable sense of power and influence you have just being on the grounds of the White House.  There’s a silent aura of power, prestige and calm across the grounds.  Everything has the Presidential seal on it – from styrofoam cups to sugar packets for coffee – I’m not sure but this may be to show they’ve been tested, but regardless, the entire grounds has visual reminders of quiet, calm, assured power. 

Each of my fellow social entrepreneurs and I were given 5 minutes to present our idea and then time for Q&A and networking afterwards. 

So how or even what does one present to a room full of White House Officials and social, civic and faith-based leaders from across the country in just 5 minutes? 

Surreal.  An incongruous juxtaposition marked by fantastic imagery. 

I started with an incongruous juxtaposition.  The children that Matchbook Learning seeks to educate in bottom 5% public schools overwhelming hope and desire along with their parents to achieve a public education from Kindergarten through college that prepares them to live out the full potential God has given them.  However, statistically, only 9% actually do.  Hope and reality collide unfairly. 

Fantastic imagery.  Despite these odds, children continue to dream, finishing the iconic childhood sentence and Matchbook Learning rallying cry “When I Grow Up…”.  Our blended model, and any blended school model for that matter that radically disrupts the one-size-fits-all traditional school model and powerfully personalizes teaching for the teacher and learning for the learner via technology-enabled instruction, reapplies the adhesive between hope and reality that is our democracy. 

I closed with an image of Jalen, a 4th grader in Detroit who dreams of becoming a CIA agent and what he looks like when he realizes his dream and imagining what our country would look like if every child like Jalen realizes their dream of what they want to be when they grow up. 

I did not get to meet President Obama.  This may seem like a disappointment, to be so close to the most powerful person on the premises and our nation and not have him attend.  However, among the distinguished guests and accomplished social innovators at the event was one woman whose name I cannot recall because she barely mentioned it or much of anything as she came up to me.   She was shaking, visibly moved by Jalen’s dream and its collective representation of the dream of America.  She said with tears welling up, “I can barely get these words out…but thank you, thank you so much for what Matchbook Learning is seeking to do for our children and our nation”.  

This was a better way to end the surreal day than if I met the President.  The President’s power, influence and hope are both obvious and expected.  This woman however represents in her passion, conviction, gratitude and hope – what all of America is hopeful for.  That is the most powerful influence in the White House.  What a privilege to be just one of many, many folks, organizations and stakeholders that daily partake in restoring our democracy and its ideals.  Surreal.