Rita Thompson decided to run for an at-large Fairfax County School Board seat four years ago after the experiences she went through with one of her own children. Now Thompson is looking to hold onto that seat.
Because of her own child’s learning difficulties — her daughter’s educational career included both public and private school, while her son graduated from West Springfield High School — Thompson learned how to navigate the school system to ensure her child was receiving the services necessary and was being taught in a style that fit her child. That led to others seeking her advice when it came to their own children.
“Parents came to me not knowing how to break through the bureaucracy. I had a talent for breaking through,”
Thompson said.
THOMPSON IS A FIRM believer in implicit phonics, especially for minority groups, and that students are taught to rely on calculators rather than being able to do basic math automatically.
“Students need different styles — phonics, vocabulary, fluency — without results, opportunities are lessened. The students do not do well on the SATs … and are stymied. I’ve seen it happen,” Thompson said. “I feel very passionate about students having opportunities. The NIH [National Institutes of Health] shows 95 percent of students can learn to read [with phonics].”
As for the use of technology aids for everyday tasks that older generations learned to do in their head, Thompson said, “It’s way, way too bad so many students are relying on calculators and computers instead of using the muscle in their brain.”
The mother of two said the expectation of achievement for county students is very high and it is her priority to make sure students in danger of not graduating under the new Standards of Learning requirements get the resources and support they need to ensure they collect a diploma in June.
Equally important, however, Thompson said, is for the School Board to set spending priorities, which include paying teachers and providing instructional aides in classrooms; and to provide scientifically-proven curriculum in the schools.
THOMPSON’S SUPPORT of NIH incentives, such as teaching phonics, has earned her some critics, among them the county’s largest teachers association, the Fairfax Education Association, which opted not to endorse the incumbent.
“It’s more for philosophical reasons — some of her philosophies on issues such as reading and math and on how to teach them,” said Barbara Allen, president of the association. “We do not agree with those philosophies. We think there needs to be a broader base in teaching, including phonics.”
The county’s other teachers association, the Fairfax County Federation of Teachers, by contrast endorsed Thompson.
She has also gained the endorsement of the Parents Against Bad Books in Schools, also known as PABBIS. According to a press release, “Thompson is an experienced incumbent who supports standards of decency in FCPS books and up front informed parental consent.”
THOMPSON SAID she expects the new School Board to be different from what it has been in the last four years, but she said it is too early to say whether the philosophical differences seen with the current board will be smoothed over. Seven of the 12 current board members are seeking to retain their seats, leaving five up for grabs.
One thing that will definitely be different is the overall representation on the School Board. Thompson is one of two minorities running for a School Board seat, along with fellow at-large candidate Ilryong Moon. The board’s three other minorities — Isis Castro (Mount Vernon), Robert Frye (At large) and Ernestine Heastie (Providence) are not seeking re-election.