Lorna Di Davide, who has worked as a substitute teacher in the San Bernardino City Unified School District, has emerged as the sole challenger to three of the school board members who are her ultimate bosses in the November 3 election.
Up for reelection this year are incumbents Mary Ellen Abilez Grande, Abigail Rosales-Medina and Danny Tillman.
Di Davide said she is not running against Grande, Rosales-Medina and Tillman as much as she is hoping to get into office in order to apply what she says would be the best approach to educating the district’s students in a way that will 1) prepare them to be able to function within, and meet the demands of, modern workplaces and 2) inspire the students by catering to their individual personal interests and make them enthusiastic in general about learning.
“I have read some things lately about how young people are getting involved in their communities, and they are running for political office. I would encourage civic literacy, and the importance of engaging in issues affecting the community.”
Di Davide said, “I’ve worked directly with teachers and administrators throughout the district,” Di Divade said. “Academic proficiency in reading and math: scores are still too low, and well below the California average scores. It’s time for an infusion of new energy, and new ideas and someone who has worked successfully with students, parents and administrators throughout the district. I know the challenges…”
Di Davide called for the school district, its administrators and teachers as well as the older generation in general to harken back to the natural curiosity and inquisitiveness of youth and remember the enthusiasm they themselves had for whatever it was that captured their imagination when they were young. What the educational system needs to do, she said, is allow the enthusiasm individual students have for those things they have a natural organic interest in to fuel their further exploration of that subject matter. By tapping into their youthful passion for ideas and topics of their choosing, she suggested, the students can be motivated toward mastery of any of dozens or scores of academic specialties.
“We should be urning visions into action.,” she said.
The idea is to “encourage students to love learning. Our job is to empower them with the tools, the knowledge and the skills to succeed and guide them on the path they wish to follow. The first priority is to make sure that every student has the basic skills of reading, math & science language proficiency in order to thrive in areas they wish to pursue and on whatever path they choose to follow.”
It is imperative that teachers engage with parents, Di Davide said.
Di Davide has lived in Spain and speaks Spanish.
“As a member of the School Board, I would pay close attention to the importance of technology and artificial intelligence in education, and how these tools can be used to enhance education and prepare students for the future,” Di Davide said.