Introductory Letter

My name is Whendi Cook Broderick and I am a candidate for the Oxford Board of Education on Row B. I am pleased to run with two outstanding members of our community, John Mele and Marcy Kaether, who have introduced themselves here on 9/26 and 9/30 respectively. I believe our complementary and vital skill-sets would make a powerful contribution to Oxford. We welcome the opportunity to join a Board that has oriented itself in a positive direction, and to Move Forward with You.

I have worked widely throughout Connecticut and beyond as an emancipatory educator and teaching artist, facilitating transformational learning experiences with people of all ages in schools, camps, workshops, and conferences.

As an outdoor educator for students in grades Pre-K through 8 at Great Hollow Wilderness School in Fairfield, and for young women in high school at Westover in Middlebury, I have fostered resilience, self-reliance and embodied learning among individuals and communities.

My service as a teaching artist through the Connecticut Department of Education’s Higher Order Thinking (HOT) Schools program has given me an appreciation for integrating the arts across all curricular areas. Multiple approaches to learning enhance student performance, understanding, and application of their learning.

For nearly a decade I taught hundreds of Connecticut teachers in a Master of Arts program in Oral Traditions at The Graduate Institute in Bethany. We explored the challenges teachers face in balancing classroom management, parental expectations, student achievement, assessment, administrative responsibilities, and their personal lives. Together we introduced small interventions that made the teaching experience more enjoyable, and the classroom experience more productive.

I have undertaken extensive research with students across Connecticut to understand barriers to learning and self-development, and to hear what they believe they need in order to thrive. This work has provided me with comprehensive insights into the inter-relationships among students, schools, and the educational system at large.

Over the next four years, the people of Oxford will engage in decisions and planning around important concerns:  How do we best implement – and measure the success of – the Common Core State Standards adopted by the Connecticut State Board of Education? Do we want – and what would it take – to move to full-day Kindergarten to join the 100+ Connecticut school districts (and nearly 75% of Kindergartners in the state) who already have it?  Would it be advisable to offer – and would we be able to provide – an extended school year for all those who need or desire one? 

It will require thoughtful consideration and critical reflection to forge a path ahead that takes into account student achievement and wellbeing, teacher preparedness and support, parental advisement and involvement, administrative resourcefulness and responsiveness, and financial planning and prudence.

It is my hope to join the Oxford Board of Education to offer my expertise as a passionate educator, critical thinker, effective strategist, and informed citizen who is committed to the success of all involved with the Oxford Schools. 

Please feel free to contact me through oxforddemocrats@gmail.com.