As one of 8 children who moved around the country with the military, I found my home at 16 in Cherokee County. My parents were hard working people who had only finished the 8th grade in Mississippi. While I was raised with a serious understanding of discipline and work ethic, no one had any experience with the word college, my parents were happy if we finished high school. My four college degrees came from that work ethic and the voices of teachers encouraging me to learn. Like many, I married right after high school and worked on the line in the local poultry plant. I am proud that a series of very difficult jobs and being raised in poverty taught me the value of education. As a young mother, I quickly learned the value of community. Each job had an encouraging person who would push me to achieve. Without loans from local bankers I would never have finished the first college class. Without tolerant employers when I was a single mom, I would never have been able to work flexible hours at various jobs to become a teacher. It took seven years to get that first college degree.
|
Walking into Cherokee High School many years after graduating from there as a teacher was one of the pinnacle moments in my life.
I know that the greatest impediment to student learning is poverty. Students in poverty don’t do field trips, extracurriculars or athletics without the help of a school system. The greatness of American democracy is our public education system. We take every student who comes in the door and we do our best in this country to equip the students for a life of success and good citizenship. Whether they need food, advanced classes, remedial classes, or special needs services, public schools provide that opportunity. Teachers provide that early nurturing and love of learning to rigorous academics to skills for a trade to those willing to step up and serve their country. And America also gives every parent the right to choose public, private or home school. I respect that we have that choice. |
|
"The greatness of American democracy is our public education system. We take every student who comes in the door and we do our best in this country to equip the students for a life of success and good citizenship." |
My life has been greatly blessed through family, church and community. I have been a member of Heritage Fellowship Church for 28 years, am I a deacon there as well as serving in the areas of finance, personnel and hospitality. My parents never attended a single one of my graduations from high school to a doctoral degree from the University of Georgia for reasons from work to child care to transportation. But the core values they taught me are embedded in how I raised my family, serve my church and serve my community through volunteer service. If chosen to be a School Board member I will support those same values for all students in Cherokee County.
