Linda Beebe for School Board

[Linda Beebe]

I have served on Lakewood Board of Education for 23 years. I am a former teacher and an estate planning attorney; I am also the wife of a former teacher Dr. Bruce Beebe and parent of two Lakewood Schools' graduates.

My family and I have lived in Lakewood 34 years. Lakewood offered something very special; it’s a small town similar in many ways to the country village I grew up in. It’s residential, with sidewalks and shops accessible on foot. I can walk down my street and see people I know in the coffee shop, in the grocery store and in the library. I believe the quality of our schools is important to preserve and enhance the quality of life and the character of our city.

I am a former teacher. When I quit teaching to go to law school, I ran for school board to maintain my connection to public education. I love the challenges and rewards of public education. Teachers and school board members are learning to address different learning styles, maturation issues, effective use of assessment tools and data, cultural and ethnic differences.

I am proud that our schools integrate new teaching methods and still find time to teach deductive learning, to inspire children with the awesome -- and make learning fun so that children will continue to want to learn.

Lakewood schools are changing for the better. We have new buildings, a balanced budget, and our teachers and administrators are better trained, more creative, more attentive to the needs of individual students than they ever were.

Public schools are under attack from many directions. Nothing gets me more fired up than hearing, “These schools or this city is not the sameâ€Â