Press enter after choosing selection

Meet The Candidate

Meet The Candidate image
Parent Issue
Day
24
Month
May
Year
1974
Copyright
Copyright Protected
Rights Held By
Donated by the Ann Arbor News. © The Ann Arbor News.
OCR Text

Astrid Beclrhasnnound her candidacy for a posmon on the Ann Arbor Board of Education in the June 10 election. She submitted the following statement: "As a Human Rights Party candidate I endorse, and when elected will strive to implement, the HRP platform. In this regard I will be working for the establishment of: community control of education, student rights, public financing of education (through the adoption of a steeply graduated income tax), the right of public employees (to form and join unions, etc, and to strike), and calling for the elimination of ageism, ïacism, sexism, and tracking in our public schools. "Schools are reflective of our society, and the society is reflective of our schools. Ultimately, I hope to see the establishment of an educational process which is an integral part of a wholely transformed society. I believe that struggle I for the humanization of the educational institution (encouraging people to be more rather than to have more) will con tribute to the emergence of a social system which serves, "rather than exploits, I its members. "lam tired of "Ivory Tower" school boards who demónstrate their contempt for the I public by ignoring it. This atI titude is underscored by the I recent board decisión to in I plement Plan F, despite ferI vent community opposition. I I am tired of the dehumanized, Icost-accountant mentality, I which considers our young I people as "quantities" and I "end-products," to be "studlied," "molded," "evaluted," l"shaped," "tracked" and othlerwise manipulated by the I elite. I "Public schools are not facItories dealing in assemblyIline production. Young people Icannot be forced to conform to l"quality control" standards of Iwhat they should be. They Ishould be encouraged to Irecognize what they are, and Iwhat they might become, so Ithat our young people will be lable to develop their human I potential in ways that are perI sonally fulfilling. "I support student rights in ■ education. Central to this pols itionisniyconyictionthat young people should have a determinative role in education and thus a decisive voice 'in the shaping of their own destiny. In this same vein, I am committed to the right of students to particípate in school board üecisions. The present "advisory" role permitted students is mere tokenism. "I believe that, by and large, education in the Ann Arbor schools is sexist. Instead of helping to socialize women into subservient positions in society, schools should be actively working to end such discrimination. Students should be encouraged to view all forms of sexual expression as personal variations on an essentially human theme - i.e. Love - and thus, something to be positively valued. "I also believe that racism, both individual and institutional, is a continuing feature of education in Ann Arbor. 1 1 support the right of third world peoples to have and to i : control their own programs, I and also to be included in general curriculum. J "I support the HRP platI form on education. I helped I write it. I know there will be politica' opportunists who will seize upon this complex document and, attaching their own interpretations, attempt to manipúlate public opinión against me. I belive the Ann Arbor voters have had their fill of political "dirty tricks." I will welcome the opportunity to personally appear before any group, at any time during the campaign, to explain andor discuss my position on the issues." "My two sons are both enrolled in the Ann Arbor public schools. Thus I have a very personal interest in education in Ann Arbor. Teaching is my personal career choice and I have been a U-M teaching fellow for the past two years. I have attended a wide variety of schools, both in Europe and in America, and these experiences contribute greatly to my conviction that the educational system must be changed. Education has been a dominant theme of my life for as long as I can remember." Beek came to Ann Arbor in 1 1970 and worked for Michigan Bell Telephone Co. before ■ resumiñganoctoral program ■ I in comparative literature at I ■ the U-M. She Uves at 1706I BMcIntyre.