Her Story
About Jeanine
I started my career at the high school level in 1994, where I created the peer mediation and conflict resolution program from scratch. I also ran the teen parent program for teen moms who were trying to finish school, handling their social services to make sure their children were seen by doctors and all of their medical and emotional needs were followed up on. I taught parenting to them, and I was actually the first to include the boys in the program, the fathers of the babies. That was somewhat my idea, but it was also the idea of one responsible young man who wanted to be in the class. I started Move It Forward, a social club for kids who wanted to stay on the straight and narrow or had been in trouble and wanted to stay away from that arena and have something more positive to do. With my students who were trained in the mediation program, the peer mediators, we started that program where they would meet for bowling, dinner, or just hanging out at the beach. Initially I was supervising it, but the kids took it over and they ended up being independent of any adults. I also did 9th grade student support for kids who were at risk, a dropout prevention program, counseling to make sure that their needs were taken care of and that they were not failing, to follow up on them and keep them going so that they were successful in school. I loved teaching and enjoyed it. I also worked for the American Cancer Society as a health educator. Now I'm retired but I still volunteer at a Title I elementary school a couple of days a week, which I've been doing for about two years.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Jeanine
01What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I think the biggest challenge in education, for me or anyone, is the change in our society and the change in the value system of our society. Education has become more of a business, rather than a social service. It's become very focused on the emotions being kind of taken out of it because everybody's so worried about making marks, and getting grades, and getting test scores that the emotional part of the child is not being attended to. When those programs became less important to the powers that be was when problems started. I would say around 2008, 2010, when the economy started failing and people were not thinking straight, putting the value system on the wrong thing, on money rather than people. That was the biggest, and it has been the biggest, problem in education, putting the focus on the finances, rather than what we're offering the students. The number one challenge was never having enough support from administration. When I first started, I had amazing administrators, but as time wore on, I think our society changed.
02What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I have a pretty defined value system of honesty and integrity. With my students, when they graduated, I had these plaques made that said, stand up for what's right, even if you stand alone. That's my basic tenant, because I feel that not enough happens like that today, that people aren't true to themselves, and true to what they believe. I feel that we need to look out for our society and children. To me, children are number one. Their welfare should be number one in everyone's mind. We all should look out for every child and take care of them, make sure that their needs are met, and that they can live a full and healthy life, and work to their potential. My values are always influenced by that, and my family. My family is my primary concern. Honesty, integrity, and character are unfailing. What you're doing behind the scenes should be the same as the way you present yourself in public. No phoniness.
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