Candidate for
Governing Board Member; San Luis Coastal Unified School District; Trustee Area 1

Three-Minute Speech to Introduce Myself at the Candidates Forum Hosted by the Del Mar School PTA and the League of Women's Voters on September 30, 2004

I am Adrienne Dickinson, and I am a candidate for Trustee of the School Board. My great-grandfather was a school board president on the plains of Kansas, my grandfather was president of La Verne College and delegate to the United Nations Charter convention in 1945 in San Francisco. My mother was trustee of the University of La Verne. I married my high school boyfriend, whose dad was superintendent of our school district before he moved up to San Luis Obispo to teach school administration at Cal Poly. Although I never had a class from Robert's dad, I have had close to 30 academic classes in education and supporting subjects, post-baccalaureate, mostly at Cal Poly, over the years, and am currently getting my third teaching credential and master's degree.

I am a full-time teacher and I began my teaching career right here at Del Mar Elementary, where I taught 6th, 5th, and 3rd-4th combination class and the GATE program. I have taught elementary, junior high, and high school. I have taught regular education, alternative education, and now special education. I currently teach English and math at Arroyo Grande High School with students who qualify for special education services.

I would come to the board with the perspective of an educator, remembering the perspective of a parent. I had years when I took time out from teaching to be a full-time mom to our three kids who all went through schools in this district. During that time I became a Mary Kay Beauty Consultant, which was a very valuable experience because I ran my own business and worked with all kinds of women from all walks of life. I learned a positive attitude, which I might not have learned in the teacher's workroom, and a whole lot about motivation.

One of the most life-changing experiences, however, was an annual conference I became part of while working with the churches as my children were growing up. It was an ecumenical conference at Asilomar and people came from all parts of the world and shared their stories. I heard people speak, over the years, from the Philippines, Indonesia, Central America, China, Africa, and the Middle East. It changed my life to hear them tell about situations that I had never heard of in the American media. I felt a connection with people from all these places and a responsibility as a global citizen. I became avidly interested in current events and rooting out information not readily available. Perhaps that is why I am advisor now to the Amnesty International Club at my school.

This brings me to the current state of the world. I see troubled times and a singular lack of creative and critical thinking going on in our own country. I heard Leon Panetta say at an event this summer that in a poll he took, 80% of the college students thought the government affected their lives in no way. This is a stunning statistic and is an indictment in some ways of public education. Standardized test results are not the only accountability measures. How many young people vote, are motivated to search out information and are capable of discerning propaganda? How many students can truly write well? I would like to see thinking skills emphasized in the schools. I would like to see music and art considered core subjects.

I am a good listener and enjoy learning, so I would be happy to learn from you as your trustee on the school board.