One Voter at a Time

Being a newbie to municipal campaigning as a school trustee candidate, I am learning ‘something new’ everyday.  With the help of good friends and my daughter, we have successfully distributed the first batch of campaign pamphlets.  My mantra is… One voter at a time. 

First, I have a modest campaign.  I am a full-time graduate student at SFU who tutors math part-time and occasionally gives Assessment for Learning professional development workshops to teachers.  I hope my intentions and political platform is clear to the public, especially to the District of Sechelt voters.  I am an advocate for quality public education.  Do I love teaching?  Yes I do.  Do I plan to return to teaching?  Possibly.  Am I all about student learning, learning communities, and safe learning environments?  Absolutely.  Aside from wanting to finish my dissertation in educational leadership in a timely manner, I have a great desire to remain active in SD46 as a community member, parent, and representative of the constituents of Sechelt.  It is not the number of campaign signs, newspaper ads, or font size that matters.  It’s quality NOT quantity.

Second, this political journey has been an excellent real-life problem solving situation.  It’s like a calculus maximization problem.  How do I reach out to as many people as possible, on a limited campaign budget, to ensure that the voting public realize who I am, what my credentials are, and imagine how I will do in the position as school school trustee.  Some candidates rely on advertising and name recognition.  Other candidates depend on their reputation and word of mouth.  While others will attend every campaign opportunity to have their voice heard and platform understood.  For me, I am tapping into a bit of each realm of campaigning.  I have some advertising and online campaigning, some know me as a teacher and teacher leader at Chatelech Secondary, and some are getting to know me from face-to-face interactions and word-of-mouth.

Third, I am truly grateful to all those whom I talked to and met so far during my campaign.  People have their shared stories, concerns, and interests in public education on the Sunshine Coast.  I appreciate those who asked the ‘tough questions’ and questioned my intentions of running for school trustee.  Why should I vote for you?  It reminds me of being interviewed for a job.  I guess I am under scrutiny until voting day on November 19, 2011.  I know that I cannot be everything to everyone, but my intentions are authentic and my integrity matters.  I could list off my academic credentials, my professional experience, or my current involvement in the field of education.  Instead, I want people to know that I feel honoured and touched that they are willing to talk to me and share their stories with hopes of being heard.  Thank you for your words.  I am listening.