Questions & Answers

Published on February 18, 2019

1. What motivated you to share your story? As an educator with many years of experience and more than 40 years of research, it seemed like the right time to share my unique perspective so I could finally pay it forward to a farmer on a little tractor who pulled our family out of a ditch on a freezing cold day. When teaching teachers and preparing/training educators for the classroom,  I observed outstanding schooling and numerous ways to use staff, district resources and money more wisely — how to spend less and accomplish more. I spent years researching what getting back to the basics means: reading, sharing, laughing, and caring about human rights, preserving finite resources and improving democracy for all, not just a few.

2. What is your own experience with public education? My bachelor degrees were in School Community Leadership in Recreation Education, Elementary Education, and Reading.  I was a recreation director in nursing homes while my husband attended college after the air force and a PTA president when our children were in grade school. Our severe needs foster teenager helped me understand a little about severe mental health issues and bullying in public education. My master’s thesis was based on 20 years of research about teaching reading to all children, including non readers and gifted learners. My post master’s research added a schema for valuing differences when teaching. I taught children and teachers pre-K to university, including in “homes” (two adolescent prisons) for troubled teens. I studied legal aspects of public schooling when I earned principal and superintendent certification. However, I knew that was not my niche. I chose to return to teaching science and social studies in the lowest income neighborhood in our district.

3. If elected, what skills will you bring to the job? Some school board members have been serving the district for years and understand legal requirements and rules of order to ensure a so called “well-run” board meeting. However, most have little or no teaching experience. Effectiveness of a school board is equally dependent upon interactions between board members and administrators and teachers to promote high levels of student performance and achievement. Among other things, as a curriculum resource, I offer suggestions based on experiences and research. I have seen what works and what is a waste of money because it “dumbs-down-and-deskills” to create ignorance.

4. What are the current challenges facing the district? Schools that define “excellence” using test scores for comparison (and no longer for evaluation) lag behind in the current technological knowledge explosion. The most important challenge is encouraging knowledgeable staff to learn to use their limited time to meet the needs of each child. Yes, this is possible! Schooling must be a place where motivated teachers enjoy teaching, students are excited about learning and where parents and communities are energized to be involved.

5. What opportunities do you see in a public school district? Unlimited.  When public schools and communities research critical concerns about health and safety from economic and ecological perspectives, opportunities abound to instill in students an appreciation for and understanding of how fortunate they are to be part of preserving their extraordinary landscape. Each public school district has talented and insightful people, usually with unique ethnic backgrounds, and environmental resources unique to the area. Each district may embrace theater, arts, music, recreational and learning opportunities to improve human rights and the environment for all, not just a few. Each has access to news, social media resources, AI and other learning opportunities. Exceptionally thoughtful people who care about human rights, equality and sustainability are in every community. Many who “can” have donated to the arts, recreation and organizations that help people in need or who quietly “pay it forward” in many ways. Schools working with communities are literally in the center of it all.

6. What is your vision for public education? When students are appreciated for their unique abilities and work together to resolve a problem (instead of striving for a higher test scores used to compare schools), they are engaged and empowered and there is a direct relationship to improvement (yes, even on test scores) with few discipline problems. My vision is to empower staff to effectively collaborate with communities for the health, safety and achievement of children and improvement of communities within the guidelines of the law. Children learn to problem resolve and to understand bullies, to appreciate differences, and be effective decision makers in their jobs as part of a government of, by and for all people when they graduate. They will have opportunities from experiences to put on resumes.

7. What are your views on transparency of information, and what kinds of school district information should be made public? Some information is, and should be, protected by State law. Beyond that, there is no place in schooling improvement for Bullying Speech (BS–Bashing, Badmouthing, Belittling), distraction and deflection. We need to focus on sharing verified facts to make informed decisions to improve. However, we must also must protect people’s legal rights and care about human rights, not inadvertently promote greed based on misinformation.

8. When a parent comes to you with a particular school issue, how do you see your role as an educator to resolve that issue?  Depending on the issue, the parent should be “guided” to the best resources to help to address their concern or maybe see a different perspective. We cannot force a child to change. They must value themselves and their abilities and choose to change.

9. Do you see yourself primarily as a representative of the community or as a representative of the school system?  Depending on the concern, sometimes one, sometimes the other and sometimes both are required for effective decision making. Actually, I see myself as an educator of people of all ages who wants people to choose to share researched facts to make informed choices to benefit all, not a few. My years of research show a lack of education about assertiveness to bullies in our schools and society and a focus on dividing people into groups to compare, instead of sharing ideas and researched facts and asking, “Who benefits?” so each person can choose to be greedy or caring and understand what makes them happy.

10. What do you see as the most important role of the school board? A school board member is not elected to support their own agenda or privilege just a few students. They must understand and support or work to improve the Wisconsin Law, 118.0. They must support the School District commitment to engaging minds, empowering learning and preparing children to graduate with decision making abilities — caring for all people, not just a greedy few — by getting back to the basics: reading, sharing, laughing and caring.

Carole’s Beliefs & Experiences
Example: “Safe?” Hwy 42 Petition