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Integrity and Sense of Presence

My name is Hugh Birdsall, and I am running for the Clinton Board of Education on the Green Party ticket. I have been a Green Party member since 1994, and the Green Party’s core principles of grassroots democracy, non-violence, social justice, and environmental stewardship resonate with me more than ever today.

As a Board of Education member, I would hope to speak for those who do not currently have a place at the table. I would advocate for holistic, inter-disciplinary education, civics and social skills curricula, full-service schools, restorative behavior management practices, less standardized testing, and less homework across the board. In addition, I would actively seek out feedback on our school system from students, parents, teachers, administrators, and fellow board members. My intention would be to make our schools less stressful and more inspiring places for all stakeholders. And finally, I would try to find ways to reconcile diverse points of view in order to create win-win situations.

As a retired public school language teacher and teacher educator, I would bring to the position considerable experience with pedagogy, active listening, community building, and diversity training. I would hope that my integrity and sense of presence as a teacher would carry over into this new domain. My openness to learning might help me form alliances with people who have perspectives different from my own, and I might be able to help others see familiar situations with fresh eyes.

I would also like to put in a good word for fellow Green, Jim Connolly, who is running for a position on the Planning & Zoning Commission in Clinton.

Hugh D. Birdsall

Clinton

Hugh D. Birdsall is the Green Part candidate for Board of Education.