Diane Ravitch once stated, “Without knowledge and understanding, one tends to become a passive spectator rather than an active participant in the great decisions of our time.” These words truly spoke to me and have propelled me to attempt to take on a more active role in my children’s education by running for an open seat on the school board. Recognizing I have been critical and disappointed at times over the past two years in the decision-making process that impacts Gilford’s entire school community, I would like to be a catalyst for change.

 

I have always had a passion for, and a firm believer of, public education, which is what brought me from Connecticut to New Hampshire where I studied to become a public educator. I believe our district has quality educators and many valuable resources at its disposal. A main reason my husband and I chose Gilford as the town to live in and raise our family 18 years ago was its reputation for an outstanding school system. 

 

I have many qualities that make me an excellent candidate. First, I am the proud parent of two amazing girls, one at the elementary school and one at the middle school. This reason alone provides me with a strong, vested interest that our school district strives to be the best it can possibly be. Additionally, I am a public educator with 25 years experience; 17 as a middle school math teacher and 8 as the K-12 district math specialist. I have served on the NH Teachers of Mathematics board, held leadership positions in my local teacher’s association, as well as having been recruited by other school districts and the UNH Professional Development & Training program as an independent mathematics consultant to work with educators around the state since 2018.

 

This pandemic’s strong hold is impacting so many facets of our lives. The health and safety of both students and staff must be at the forefront of every decision. I believe we should continue to define and refine safety protocols and metrics using resources provided by the experts to keep all of the school community safe. However, I truly want the conversation and energy of the school board to shift its focus to the learning loss our students are facing by providing quality learning opportunities based on best teaching practices for our children. Another very critical issue that needs consideration is how we can better support staff through the pandemic so that we retain and recruit quality staff.

 

Students in kindergarten through grade 2 across our nation have never experienced a “normal” school experience. Due to absences, quarantines, and the original shut down, students at all levels are being greatly affected by both the pacing of curriculum and content understanding, as well as social and emotional needs. Differentiation of content has been a struggle of educators for years, and this pandemic has only compounded the problem for educators because of such high and frequent absences. Educators nationwide have expended all of their energy and are experiencing burn out. We need to prioritize ways to better support and retain staff so they can be more effective with their practices.

 

When it comes time to make your decision on which candidate can help to make the school board and district stronger, I would appreciate your support. Working together, we can make the Gilford School District a more innovative and an even stronger school system.