Posts Tagged ‘West Vancouver’
Out And About In West Vancouver – Part Two
I filed my nomination papers on October 12, 2011, and I’m not quite sure how this happened, but five weeks have passed since then. A blink of an eye, a heartbeat, a breath.
It has been an intense five weeks: not so much because of the new challenge of running an election campaign for the first time, but because of the way the demands on my time and attention as a Mom, a candidate, an employee, a graduate student, and a volunteer seemed to escalate at the same time.
As much as I’ve enjoyed the experience, I have to admit I’m looking forward to kicking back tomorrow night, after what’s sure to be a frenetic day, to watch the results roll in once the polls have closed.
And even though tomorrow’s election day, I’ve already begun to file away lessons learned for the future. One of the most significant is that while it’s intimidating to promote yourself as a candidate, in the face of the reluctance of individuals to engage and the malaise that seems to hang over the modern electoral process, the connections you make are invaluable and essential.
I’m not just talking about the encouragement offered by friends and family or the surprising shouts of support from acquaintances, sometimes strangers. My favourite example of the latter was a woman who said to me, “I was talking to my son in Singapore today and he said to vote for Reema Faris.” I didn’t know her, I don’t know her son, but I had been recommended as a candidate in a message sent out by a supporter to acquaintances and colleagues, one of whom was the man in Singapore!
Other connections, connections which may be transitory or incidental, take on additional significance during a campaign because they resonate with meaning. I wrote about one such connection last night: the story of my conversation with a teacher for the visually-impaired who I met during a meet and greet at the Park Royal Shopping Centre last weekend.
I had a number of conversations that day, all of them meaningful in their own way. And one that sticks with me was the interaction I had with a woman who shrugged apologetically in passing, saying that she didn’t have children in the school system.
With all the activity in the days since, my recollection of the details is already hazy, but I think she did pick up a copy of my brochure and we did talk briefly.
What was so significant about this interaction?
Well, I’ve heard that assertion before: “I don’t have children in the school system”. And while that would make the election of Trustees more directly relevant to a voter, the Board serves on behalf of the entire community. So while it’s critical that you get out to vote tomorrow, please take the time to encourage everyone you know who also votes to cast their ballots, not just for Mayor and Council, but for Trustees as well whether or not they have school-age children or grandchildren. The Board of Education is theirs and they have a right to exercise their discretion in choosing candidates who will serve on their behalf effectively, efficiently, diligently, and passionately.
As I hope to do in West Vancouver.
Out And About In West Vancouver – Part One
Last Saturday, Park Royal Shopping Centre offered council candidates the opportunity to hang out at “the mall” to meet voters.
Trustee candidates were not contacted directly, but Nora Gambioli, my friend and neighbour who is seeking election as a District councillor, let me in on the plans and we shared a display table in the centre court of the North Mall. Watching Nora engage people — she has campaigned before — inspired me and I enjoyed the time I spent meeting with residents and voters.
There was coffee on the go and sugar cookies decorated with reddish icing — the word “Vote” had been inscribed on the top of each treat. Passers-by were much happier taking the time to snag a cookie and a cup than they were to talk to candidates. However, connections were made and there was a full range of interaction that day: from the “I will avoid eye contact at any cost” to the “I’ll acknowledge with a smile, a nod and move on” to “I was wondering”.
One of the most informative discussions I had was with a teacher for the visually-impaired. She had previously worked in West Vancouver and now commutes to Surrey to teach there.
We had an engaging discussion and spoke at length about the challenges she faces in her work.
One of the most interesting points I took from our conversation — aside from the keen sense of her commitment to her students and her passion for her profession — had to do with how the nature of her work had changed.
She explained how visual-impairment now was often not treated as a singular challenge. That is, the students she works with now may be struggling with little or no vision, but they must also contend with other issues as well, such as autism or behavioural challenges.
Perhaps the ways in which student needs are identified have changed and the increasing sophistication of diagnosis has helped to identify a range of support and assistance required.
Our conversation emphasized how important it is, in addressing the special needs of students, to look at the whole individual. We have to identify the complete complex set of factors with which a child may be dealing, and we may not be able to rely on the work of one individual to help a child, no matter how committed or passionate, because their skills may only address one area of need — we need a team approach which capitalizes on the strengths and specializations of the personnel and resources available.
I know that the West Vancouver School District has worked very hard to help address the needs of its students. Jody Langlois and the team at Student Support Services do great work.
If elected, I look forward to learning more about the approach they’ve taken in West Vancouver to support our students. I hope also to work, as a Trustee, to make sure the programs in place continue to evolve and adapt to new research findings and new modalities of service in order to provide support and assistance to students with special needs on the basis of who they are as a whole, valued individual.
Why I Am Running
My name is Reema Faris and I’m running as a candidate for Board of Education Trustee in West Vancouver.
Why?
I have a profound belief in the value of education and the benefits of learning as well as a passion for the public education system.
Consider, too, that the BC Ministry of Education is pushing the concept of “personalized learning in the 21st century”. Why? What does it mean? Well, I want to be at the table to make sure that if there’s an overhaul of the system it’s done well and it’s done right. That it’s implemented in a way which benefits all students.
Here are some of the other issues I’m thinking about:
• how do we engage students so that they take ownership and responsibility for their own learning at all levels?
• which programs and practices will best help students develop critical thinking skills, good study habits, and build character and resilience?
• are we able to provide better leadership & communications training for administrators, teachers, and staff?
• how do we manage technology in our curriculum and in the classroom, and how do we make sure that the Arts are not overlooked?
• what measures can we take to enhance community connections and make better use of combined resources?
• which steps do we have to take to complete the French Immersion Review that’s been called for in West Vancouver and how do we ensure the implementation of the resulting recommendations?
• how do we ensure that School District operations are as efficient & effective as possible?