Yakima School Board
Position 3
A FOCUS ON CHILDREN
What's best for the children?
I will be an advocate for parents rights, teachers, and students
in the decision-making process with a focus on:
Student learning
Safe corridors and bathrooms
Local policies that work for Yakima kids!
Greetings, I'm Colleen
WHERE I COME FROM
Yes, I’m Irish . . . and a bit of everywhere else.
I’m a conservative from a traditional Methodist family. My interest in education is not new, sudden, or novel: My great grandfather was a business college administrator in northwestern Missouri. And my own participation is diverse and extensive, spanning my parapro years to public school certification, Scouting and Camp Fire, church vocation, and the founding of a private Christian school that has flourished for 21 years.
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In my role as administrator of West Chestnut Academy, I have hands-on experience with hiring and training staff; developing policies, procedures, and selecting curriculum. As a teacher in the program, I have over twenty years of experience in the classroom. Lesson planning, teaching strategies, and classroom management are grounded in sound pedagogy and designed to promote academic excellence.
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EDUCATION
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Master of Education, Indiana Wesleyan University, 2008
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Methodist Course of Study, St. Paul School of Theology, 2008
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B.A. Elementary Education, CWU, 2000 in collaboration with Heritage University and Yakima Valley College
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A.A. Early Childhood, YVC, 1997
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Violet Lumley Rau Alumna of the Year, Heritage University, 2018
"One mark of true brilliance is the ability to make complex ideas seem simple.
I think this is why so many of us fondly remember our early school teachers.
They helped our young minds learn things (long division, for example)
which at the time were new and often either exciting (to some of us) or tiresome
or even frightening to some. We admire our teachers because they succeeded."
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A Thought for Today from John Mauldin, Economic Analyst
October 7, 2023