Sharon Guzik, School Committee Candidate
My husband, Jack Beusmans, and I have two sons, Izaak and Ari, who attend the Columbus school. I grew up in Chicago and attended the Chicago Public Schools. I have BA in Biology from the University of Chicago and an MS in Biology from the Northeastern University. After graduate school, I worked as the Supervisor of the Biology teaching labs at Northeastern and also taught biology as an adjunct instructor for many years.
Some of the community organizations I have worked in or volunteered for and other organizational memberships:
• Part of the Leadership team of the Medford Chapter of Stand for Children and active in the parent grassroots group Advocating for Medford Public Schools.
• On the School Improvement Council at the Columbus School
• Involved in the Columbus School PTO and Enrichment Committee
• Volunteered in classrooms, the school library, and after-school clubs,
• President of the Friends of the Medford Public Library – During my tenure, the Friends membership and volunteer base has greatly increased, our fundraising has increased many fold and the visibility of organization has been enhanced.
• Vice President of the Medford Historical Society – As part of an 11-member working board, I have helped reorganize the Society, stabilize its finances, grow the membership, and catalogue and preserve our considerable historical collection.
• Volunteered for Medford Climate Action Network, M-BELT, and Royall House Association (RHA)
• Founding member of Medford Citizens Street Tree Group and Medford Environmental Alliance.
• Member of the Massachusetts branch of the International Dyslexia Association
When my sons, Ari and Izaak, reached school age, Jack and I chose to send them to the Medford public schools because we felt that the Medford public schools were good – and they are – but I believe they can be even better.
My years of involvement with education, as a teacher, as a parent, and as an advocate and volunteer, have led me to develop a vision for education where students are excited about school, engaged in learning, and inspired to become lifelong learners. In my vision, our students graduate from high school with the skills to succeed in the work place or in college.
These skills, however, are lacking in current Massachusetts high school graduates, according to the report of the 21st Century Task Force that the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education released last fall. These skills include being able to think and solve problems creatively, work collaboratively as a team, use technology effectively, and take initiative. Although, reading, writing, and arithmetic will always be at the core of a good education, these less tangible skills are critical in our 21st Century economy. I believe these skills can be taught by encouraging more project-based learning in our classrooms. Projects that will spark children’s imaginations, ask them to come up with creative solutions to problems, and teach them how to work collaboratively as a team.
It is also important to recognize that one size does not fit all in education. Every parent knows that our children differ in their abilities, in learning styles, and in their work pace. As a member of the school committee, I will be proactive in supporting our teachers with the professional development and resources they need to better individualize the curriculum for their students.
These are very difficult economic times and we are all aware of the severe cuts to our budget this year and undoubtedly over the next few years. We will need to be creative about how we can meet the needs of our schools and our students. For example, encouraging collaboration between teachers within schools and between schools and pooling our material and intellectual resources. Also, when we look at the budget, we need to keep our priorities clearly in focus and be advocates for our children and our schools. As a parent, I will be a voice for all our children as well as an ear for parents and the community.