Candidate for
Board Member; Campbell Union High School District

My teaching career began in a rather dismal setting, but one that cried out for innovation and risk-taking. Lathrop Junior High in Santa Ana was a collection of portables in a dusty field, its former Spanish Mission-style building having been deemed seismically unsafe. The student body was disadvantaged in many ways, and I was drawn-in by the challenge the job would present. In this setting, I met and partnered with a graduate student from UC Irvine to create a program we called "Operation Awareness"--essentially a calendar of weekend field trips and activities which we hoped would stimulate interest in school and improve academic progress. Our data showed most decisively that it did.

A year later I visited a relative here and took the opportunity to interview for a job with the Campbell Union High School District. I fell in love with the community and with Westmont High School in particular where I enjoyed a wonderful decade teaching biology in room three. During that time, I served on the "Biopsy" committee which re-wrote the entire science curriculum and set higher standards for student performance.

In 1980, I came to Campbell High School to team teach with Richard Kuehnis in its closing year. The Science Research Methods program that existed at Campbell is one I would like to see updated and re-implemented.

The following year I arrived at Del Mar High School and made a radical switch to teaching English, with a foray into photography teaching in the years 1984-89. During those five years, our photography students consistently took top honors in Santa Clara County competitions. I am fully credentialed in both science and English, and I have always believed that change can sharpen any teacher's skills, so this was an exciting time. I taught all levels of English and supervised the publication of the Del Mar student paper for several years. In 2002, I piloted an "After School Summer School" class for struggling freshman students, and this class eventually became the current CaHSEE workshop program.

Along the way, I enjoyed rewarding relationships with colleagues, often as a result of the Mentor Teacher program that came into being in 1989. I was chosen by my peers eight times to mentor others in such areas as classroom management, portfolios and performance-based assessment and the teaching of writing. By the year 2000, I had been chosen to serve on the Peer Assistance and Review Council which selected and supervised other consulting teachers. Beginning in 2002, I was asked by two different Principals to serve as an Intern Coach to new teachers, reporting to San Jose State. All of these positions fostered relationships with colleagues that were as rewarding for me professionally as I hope they were for those I mentored. The entire experience convinced me that teachers must have the opportunity to work collaboratively to learn from each other. Such interaction keeps the excitement of teaching alive and leads to new and better methodologies.

Two highlights of my career occurred in my last five years in the classroom. The first was the incredible opportunity afforded me by the Fulbright Memorial Fund program to study Japanese K-12 education. I was able to spend time in three schools during an extended stay in Japan, exchanging information about best practices with Japanese teachers. We had many questions for each other!

The second was an invitation from Superintendent Rhonda Farber to chair a curriculum project to address the issue of domestic violence. The project was the idea of Judge Richard Loftus who is very passionate about breaking the cycle of violence beginning with teen dating relationships. This body of lessons created by English teachers across the District uses literature already in the curriculum to explore the concept of healthy versus unhealthy relationships. For this work, the District received the 2006 Glen W. Hoffman Exemplary Program Award. Nothing is more important that the physical safety and emotional well-being of our students. I will strive to ensure that we continue this type of education and that we have strong programs in place to address bullying in all its forms.

Since my retirement in 2009, I have served as both a long and short-term substitute teacher in a number of different subject areas, gaining additional insights into the needs of our students. I am also a volunteer in the Del Mar Performing Arts program. For example, this year I will again chair the Haunted Mansion fundraiser in the weeks directly preceding this election! I do not believe there will ever come a time when I am not deeply interested in the activities and achievements of our students. I am very grateful for my time in education, and I hope to continue my service to the community as a Board Member.