Candidate for
Board Member; Newark Unified School District

A Little History and what I have learned. . .

I graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in Home Economics Education and a teaching credential from Minnesota and California. My first job was at king Junior High in Oakland where I taught Home Economics, Science and PE. It was during those years that I learned about the fragility of the child during the early teens.

Tom and I married and moved to Daly City. During his college years, I worked at South San Francisco High School teaching Home Economics. Tom graduated from SFSU and we bought a home in Newark in 1965. I retired from teaching and stayed home to have babies and raise our three sons. Those were good years. We didn't have much money (fed a family of five for a week on $50) but we paid our bills. I was an active volunteer at the schools and part of a food co-op. It was during those years that I learned how special a child is and how fierce the emotions of parenthood can be.

When the kids got older I went back to school to work on my masters while teaching part time in Hayward, first at Sunset High School and then at Mt. Eden High School. I taught classes to angry teens who were trying to survive with dignity. I lost a student to a drug induced car accident and saw pain in the eyes of family and friends. It was during those years that I saw what happens when children are not treated in a respectful manner. I saw how seductive drugs can be and how devastating they are to those who have lost personal control of their own lives.

In 1981 I took a job at Logan High School, finished my masters and lost my father. It was during this year that I learned to delegate responsibility. I also learned that energy and will is finite but that most things are do-able.

During my 20 years at Logan, I taught Child Development, Foods, Life Skills, Parenting, Survival and ROP Careers with Children. I developed curriculum; I started a program for teen parents that involved counseling support, child care on campus and parenting education. I was a teacher-elected member of Logan's Leadership Council, a Department head for the Careers and Technology Department and teacher of the year for House 1. I was active in the Teacher association as a board member and as a member of three negotiating teams. It was during those years that I received training in financial planning, negotiations and consensus building. I learned that change takes time and when the time is right, change will happen.

In 2001, I applied to fill the vacancy created when Eilene McDonald resigned from the school board. I was appointed to fill the vacancy and have spent the past year learning to be a board member. This past year I have learned that: a board member must do her homework, a board member is not all powerful, and a board member must be responsive to the community as a whole. I also have learned the power of group discussion and decision making.

My experience in education and our community speaks to my dedication to Newark and its children. I offer a voice of common sense and reason as we work for student success.