Click image above to see my vita, or educational resume.

WHY RUN FOR BOARD MEMBER?

As a parent and educator entering my last decade of teaching, I am at the stage of life where I can give back some of the expertise I’ve gathered over the years. While at Thornton Township District 203, I benefited from educational leaders who taught me that meaningful leadership is compassionate and shared. When I came to New Trier Township District 205, that lesson deepened as I became involved in the New Trier Faculty Association and our advisory program, both of which are bellwethers of student success and community involvement.

My educational approach is very much a “whole child” philosophy. For example, I believe that play is very important in the healthy development of children. Play should not be restricted to the early, elementary years of education. Whether teaching freshmen complex sentence structures, or seniors Jungian archetypes, I believe everyone learns better when we love what we do, we laugh about what we’re learning. Without joy or passion, what purpose is there to education?

Click on the image above to read my campaign flyer…

HOW HAVE I BEEN INVOLVED IN OUR COMMUNITY?

I am a high school English teacher at New Trier High School in Winnetka, Il, and have 24 years of experience in teaching. My immediate family includes my wife Janet Easton, my 4th grade son John who is at Middleton, and my 7th grade daughter Ella who is at McCracken. We moved into our Skokie home in 2003 after getting married in 2002. We love Skokie, and routinely participate in park district programs, activities, and sports.

Since moving to Skokie, I have been involved with District 73.5 in various ways:

Canvassed door-to-door for the 2003 District 75.3 referendum;
Contributed to 2018 Five-year Strategic Plan;
Den leader in Cub Scout Pack 85 at Middleton since 2014;
Built and donated carnival games for the district Fall Fest;
Proud supporter of and advocate for district-wide music and the arts

WHAT DO I HOPE TO ACCOMPLISH ON THE 73.5 BOARD?

John and I on Main Avenue, completing a Library summer reading requirement.

Professionally, I have seen American education lean towards standardized testing, a longer school day, and rote curriculum. While the American public and politicians have become enamored with test-scores, and school report-cards, Chinese educational leaders have busily copied our models of smaller class size, individualized instruction, and creative problem-solving instructional practice. Why? Because American schools produce thoughtful, imaginative leaders who believe in themselves, despite the obstacles so clearly in the way. To my way of thinking, play has an important role in healthy, happy child development and developing the leaders we need.

My hope would be to nurture this type of educational policy, to be a voice in support of children’s exploration and play, administrative transparency, more welcoming facilities for our community, and increased faculty participation in decision making. I see my role as one who listens carefully and guides others toward thoughtful, research-based, and educator-guided instructional practice. I hope to give back to our community some my educational expertise and to support healthy, balanced educational opportunities for all children in our schools.