I have been involved as an activist parent and community member in the education system for more than two decades at the school and board level. I have been an active and vocal member of school and ward councils serving as chair of school councils and representing schools at ward council. I have served as co-chair of the Organization of Parents of Black Children (OPBC) co-chair of the Parent Community Network and Campaign for Public Education.
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On October 25, we will be voting for a new mayor and members of city council who will make decisions that will shape our city for the next four years. We will also be electing school board trustees who are responsible for making decisions that will affect our city for more than four years because our students are the future. They are the citizens of tomorrow and they will have a strong impact on how our future society unfolds.
It is in our schools that our children are guided as they discover their potential. This is where the vision for the future is moulded. This is where our children learn the characteristics required to be contributing members of society. It is extremely important and should concern everyone, even if they do have children in the schools because the students in our education system today become the citizens/population of tomorrow.
School board trustees create a vision for our schools and then work to achieve that vision. To be an effective trustee one needs to have a passion for being involved in educating our next generation and also ensuring that adult learners are included.
It is also important to remember that the education system is not solely about academics. What lessons are taught, how lessons are taught and what is learned in our schools will influence the lives of the students even after they leave school.
We need schools in which everyone feels respected and included, where each person’s talents and skills can grow and flourish. We need schools that reflect our future society, where students learn responsibility for themselves and for others around them.
Whether or not you have a child in school you need to participate in electing trustees because trustees make decisions about creating an education system that will best meet the needs of society and will affect the future.
We need trustees who understand the important link between communities and the school board.
On August 17, 18 and 19, 2010 I was one of more than 100 participants at the Summer Institute offered by the York Centre for Education & Community (YCEC) in the Faculty of Education at York’s Keele campus.
Presenters articulated effective curriculum and pedagogical practices around inclusion and models of student engagement. I attended workshops, theory to practice seminars and panel discussions that addressed student engagement and building inclusive classrooms.
The central theme of this year’s summer institute was to encourage and guide thinking to find ways for educators and other school staff and members of the school communities to work together to create innovative avenues to engage students in their education.
Dr Carl James who is the Director of the York Centre for Education & Community (YCEC) in the Faculty of Education believes that student achievement is directly affected by engagement. It is also important for schools and communities to understand and engage with the collective experiences that students and families bring to their communities and classrooms.
I will be a trustee who will bring the issues and concerns of the school community to board discussions and decision making. I will work in partnership with school councils and community residents because I firmly believe that public education has to involve the public.
Email: votemurphybrowne@gmail.com
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