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Inspire Excellence! The Issues  KIDS are our FUTURE!!! These big kids are modeling how to AMP their Brains... because (physical) ACTIONS speak louder than WORDS (standardized tests). KIDS are our FUTURE!!! Communication from the district... Communication to the district... DPS has a massive job... often making tough decisions that have excellent rationale. However, a district representative to the school board needs to establish effective, timely communication with the community. With the internet and cooperative school leaders, we can make sure everyone knows what is happening. Too many community concerns are lost for months, sometimes years, in the bureaucratic administrative process... and our children pay the price!We need to put the "joy" back in learning and teaching (and keep it for those that still have it)! Math and Science... English and Social Studies... Art, Music and Physical Fitness... ALL need to part of the curriculum and part of every after school program. Why did we all love to go to school! It was recess and art and singing... and the enthusiastic teachers who loved their jobs and gave us their ALL every day... they made the "boring" subjects "interesting!" The restrictions on the teachers and their principals to meet the standardized testing rigor is creating a tough, and tedious learning environment.  Neighborhood schools allow us to be more as a community! If a child is being driven across town to attend a school of choice, then that is time not spent walking or biking to their neighborhood school. It is often not spent singing and drawing. Jacqui has been advocating for policy changes which address EWAP (Exercise With A Purpose) and the Chinese Five Excellences (Brush, Zither, Sword, Chess and Book) since moving to Denver in 1988. Jacqui decided to run for school board because her many years of working with local, state and national officials have influenced few to seriously address these critical issues. She decided she just had to “BE THE VOTE.” There is more after high school than college! For years we have balanced the budget in the schools by eliminating art, music and physical fitness programs (both physical activity and physical education) from the curriculum. (Research shows that good nutrition contributes greatly to what Jacqui terms the “educating of the spirit.”) As rates of obesity and depression rise among young people, the need exists to educate our children to do more in life than take multiple choice tests. Our schools should be just as responsible for a child’s fitness and creativity level as they are for their math and science scores. Research has shown that if education becomes nothing more than test taking, our young people will not compete well with those in other countries. We need to revisit and encourage practical skill classes - like "home economics" and "woodworking." American creativity is our greatest advantage in creating the new opportunities of the future.  Inspire Excellence! Act Outside the Circle of CSAP! Teachers, staff, parents and the greater community also need to be encouraged to model healthy behaviors. The teachers need to be prepared for integrating music, art and physical activities into their teaching day. We need to do more than think outside the box when it comes to strengthening our neighborhood and choice schools, we need to “ACT OUTSIDE THE CIRCLE of CSAP!” Adults may transfer our job dissatisfaction and stress to our children and we CAN and need to lighten up and make learning fun for all children, parents, and teachers. We have taken the "spirit" out of public education and our lives because we have separated our minds from our bodies. Our physical interaction with our world through writing poetry, drawing a picture, acting in a play, singing a song or playing a drum are just as important as the physical act of walking or biking to school. A student who likes to work with their hands instead of a computer can often find more meaningful employment. We need a greater reason to graduate than just to find a job... and when we find that job, we need to honor all the skills it takes to make our society great. BE A SCHOLAR WARRIOR! Improved Discipline and Resources in the Classroom translates to Greater Learning! Although the school district has made attempts to improve behavior in DPS Schools, there are still too many parents who are pulling their children out of the public schools to put them in private or other school districts. These parents often cite the need for greater discipline and having their child feel safe as major reasons for their child’s not learning. A child’s energy needs to be used to enhance their learning, not suppressed with drugs. Physical Activity, Music, and Art have all been shown to effect a child’s ability to cope with stress. Children cannot learn in a chaotic environment, no matter how many tests they are required to take. Teachers and principals must be supported in enforcing discipline policies and the district needs to respond to concerns about its policies when they arise. The schools must be given real tools to create order out of the chaos. Those real tools should include physical fitness, music and art. Teachers and their principals need greater autonomy and money in the school buildings! As we are forced to make even more budget cuts with the current economy, we must make certain that we maintain the best teachers we can find... and give them the art, music, and physical fitness integration resources and training to do the job for which we will hold them accountable. We need to keep the teachers and principals who are dedicated to the joy of learning and passing that enthusiasm on to the next generation. If cuts are to be made, then reducing the number of salaried administrative positions at the district level should be considered before cutting further into the classroom resources. Oh...and one more thing - That's right... there is no pay for these school board positions. I am definitely running because I believe that our public education system needs some help and creative solutions! Who in their right mind - in this tough economy - would run for this public servant position? We are told by everyone who has dealt with school board elections that YOU HAVE TO RAISE A LOT OF MONEY to get people to take your campaign seriously... Hmm... How much should that be? What if we really care about getting our kids the education that they all deserve? Shouldn't we be focusing our fundraising efforts on supplying education needs - not on getting ourselves elected? That said, please contribute a minimal amount to my campaign... I promise to work on public financing for school board elections NEXT! I hope you are smiling... and singing! 
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