Lessons learned back in Canfield

Lessons learned back in Canfield

The quality of education I received at Canfield Local Schools has profoundly shaped who I am and enabled me to find success in my adult life. In addition to academic content, I was taught analytical problem-solving skills, compassion for others, and the responsibilities of citizenship in a participatory democracy. One of those responsibilities is supporting the schools in one’s community.

As an educator, I have a dual perspective of CLSD. I not only look back through the rosy lens of nostalgia, but also with the critical lens of someone who has an advanced degree in the education field. Throughout college and graduate school, I became increasingly more impressed and aware that I had an incredibly effective k-12 schooling experience. In a world where so many communities have extreme difficulties educating their youth, Canfield has been doing it right for decades.

The quality of personnel in the school district is the most effective and crucial element, and one that will simply be impossible to keep at its current level if the levy does not pass. As my career has moved up through three different school districts (each more desirable to work in and difficult to find employment in than the previous one), I have constantly reflected on the educational values instilled in me by my Canfield teachers. Mrs. Kerpsack. Mrs. Pesce. Mrs. Amon. Mrs. Armbrecht. I can still go back and list every teacher I had from kindergarten through 12th grade, because each one had a profound effect on the way I view and participate in the world around me. Mr. Costello, Mr. Schragel, Mrs. Eynon, and Mr. DeAngelo are a constant chorus in the back of my mind while I teach my own students with the same passion and competence that Canfield teachers taught me years ago. There is no telling how far this ripple effect reaches; I have over a dozen of my own former students currently pursuing careers in education.

It pains me to hear that not all Canfield residents are aware of what they have, and how easily they could maintain it or deprive future generations of it.

Please continue the legacy by voting in support of Canfield Local Schools’ levy.

Megan Neville-Jellen, Solon

The writer is a 1999 graduate of Canfield High School.