Dear Greene County community members:
My name is Samantha Telleen. I am starting my 15th year teaching and am a middle school special education teacher this year in Greene County. My husband, Heath Telleen, is a social studies teacher at Greene County High School. We moved to Jefferson in August 2014. My husband and I grew up as next door neighbors to Greene County. We both attended and graduated from Prairie Valley. Our children will be in third and seventh grades at Greene County this fall.
I wanted to take this opportunity to share with you a couple of the many reasons we will be voting yes Sept. 13. Shortly after the school year started in August 2014, our son, unfortunately, encountered a broken leg during a football game and not only needed a cast but a wheelchair as well. Our son had very similar circumstance as JB and Lorelle Hinote’s daughter, which was shared in an earlier Letter to the Editor. Our son did, however, eventually use the wheelchair lift at Greene County Intermediate School.
The wheelchair lift is slow, takes up the majority of the staircase, and requires students to leave class early or go to class late if there is a need to go up or down a large number of stairs. The permanent lift does not go to all the levels of the Intermediate building, so a mobile lift was purchased in order to get students to those areas of the building. The mobile lift requires the same accommodations as the permanent lift with regard to leaving class early.
In my opinion, class time is essential for all students. I originally was not going to write a letter in support of the bond issue, but instead support it quietly. I then remembered as a teacher, specifically a special education teacher, I am not only an advocate for my own children, but I am also an advocate for my students. Our family was very fortunate that our son’s cast was only temporary because for many students, that will not be the case. Accessibility is crucial to every child’s learning.
Growing up, running was a passion of mine. When my teammates and I would begin to prepare for the state track meet in May, our coaches would take us to practice, with permission, on what is now the Greene County track. We practiced there because of the top notch facilities. Those facilities allowed us to practice at our fullest potential.
You play like you practice.
It is not different for students in a classroom. Great facilities do not make great teachers or great students, but it does allow our great teachers and students to perform at their fullest potential. We want our students to be equipped to practice what they will be playing when they leave Greene County Community Schools.
As mentioned in many other letters, we want to attract students to our school district and our community. The main reason we chose to relocate to Jefferson was because of the knowledge we had from growing up near here. We wanted our children to be a part of a great school and community, but just as your home needs to be updated, your schools do as well. I want people from other schools asking to use our facilities in order to better their students or their athletes.
I am proud to say that my children attend Greene County Schools. We will be voting yes on Sept. 13 because we want to continue to be proud to be a part of a school district that puts students first.
Sincerely, Samantha Telleen – Jefferson
