total time: 15.17 minutes
total words: 1468
[Danielle Balocca]: Hey listeners, this is Danielle. And Shelley. Shelley is a radical Dravidian and racial equity activist.
[Chelli Keshavan]: And Danielle is a community mobilizer and changemaker. And this is the Medford Bites podcast. Every two weeks, we chew on the issues facing Medford and deliver bites of information about the city by lifting the expertise of our guests.
[Danielle Balocca]: Join us in discussion about what you hope for the future of Medford. And as always, tell us where you like to eat. All right, thanks so much for being with me today. If you don't mind introducing yourself with your name and pronouns and just a bit about who you are.
[Erika Reinfeld]: Sure, my name is Erica Reinfeld. I use she series pronouns, and I am a candidate for Medford School Committee.
[Danielle Balocca]: Great, thank you. And we'll talk definitely more about your campaign as we continue today. But if we could start the interview with the question that we ask everybody on the show, which is, what is your favorite place to eat in Medford? And what do you like to eat there?
[Erika Reinfeld]: You know, this is getting harder and harder to answer, because we keep getting new restaurants, new businesses in Medford, but I am going to go with my classic Goldilocks, and I always get the NovaLocks sandwich. Although I do mix up which type of bagel I want. Onion, garlic, salt, a lot of good options out there.
[Danielle Balocca]: I don't know that I've ever had a breakfast sandwich there, but that sounds good. Great. If you could just start by telling us, you mentioned you're running for school committee, if you could talk a little bit about how you arrived at that decision and what your path to local politics has looked like.
[Erika Reinfeld]: Yeah. Well, I was never looking for a path to local politics. I have been working in education for my whole career and I have been tuned into the school committee meetings for quite a while. I have two kids. I'm about almost halfway through my Medford Public Schools journey. I have a third grader and a seventh grader, and I have been watching the school committee for years and being really interested in the work that they're doing and thinking, someone like me who has worked in education and who has had a lot of interactions with teachers, with students, with families, That's a voice that would be really welcome in these discussions about these big hard questions. I think Medford over the last few years has seen a lot of change and I see a lot of change coming down the line and so I want to be a part of that conversation and I talked to a lot of the folks who were on school committee and tried to get a sense of what it was all about. And I think there's a real opportunity to make a difference for students and involve more of our community in the decision making and hold people accountable and make sure the things that we're doing are really working for our students and all the students.
[Danielle Balocca]: Yeah, thank you. So I know the last couple of years like with coven and some of the stuff we've been seeing maybe highlighted more about our schools like some of the kind of like. some like violence and just sort of like the some of the like social emotional needs of students. I wonder if you could say, kind of like what, you know, what your sort of priorities would be for change, like maybe what you see is going well, what you see, if elected, you'd kind of want to make priorities for, like kind of the focus of your time.
[Erika Reinfeld]: Yeah, so again, that's a very big question, but I think my priority is really about school culture and making sure people feel like they belong and that they have a voice in what's going on and in the decisions that are being made. And I think that affects social emotional health. I think it affects physical health. It absolutely affects intellectual health and the way people learn and that people are showing up excited to learn and feeling valued. And like their expertise is, is contributing to the way schools are. So I think my priority is culture, but I think there are a lot of policies that we can look at to make sure things are consistent, that they are meeting different students where they are, and just really reflecting the needs of the community and letting the broader community, yes, teachers and students and staff and families, but also broader Medford and look at the resources that exist in this community and try to bring them into the schools even more and inform people about what's happening in the schools. Because ultimately, we are all citizens of Medford and these are our schools, these are our values, and it really has to be reflected and we need buy-in. So my campaign is, I'm trying to build it around these three ideas of curriculum and culture and community. Alliterative there, too. I love alliteration. It's one of my, I don't know, weaknesses as a writer, as an educator, as a communicator. I'm a sucker for alliteration and I'm a sucker for puns.
[Danielle Balocca]: Yeah, I mean, feels like a good campaign slogan too. What do you see as kind of, you know, you pointed to like culture being an important part for you and what do you see that like could be improved about culture that would sort of aid to that sense of belonging for students?
[Erika Reinfeld]: Yeah, that I would love to see more opportunities for students to collaborate and support each other and look at learning kind of across different age levels across different cohorts. One of the things that I did at the Roberts Elementary School. So we had fantastic tradition of art night and STEM night and it was often something that the kids came in and they did and And it was great. But I said, look, we could we could make this more we could bring in these resources from the community we could have middle and high school kids come back and volunteer and help and teach back. And so I would love to see more of that. I would love to see greater representation. In the curriculum, making sure that we're we're meeting kids where they are and also that the skills and the knowledge and the materials and the resources that they have really reflect the diversity of lived experience in our community that kids can see themselves where they're going and have that have that voice and the teachers. aren't just receiving this is this is what you have to teach this is what you this is what you are being handed down upon high but you really know how to personalize it how to customize it for your students, and this is this is how it can be used. So, and I think people. being able to value each other as humans, as learners, as partners in learning is really what we need to make school culture important. I think at different stages, it's knowledge, but it's also skills and it's working together and it's attitudes and it's valuing the people around us and what we have to offer and teaching empathy and just knowing that we are all in this together and that what you do affects other people and having that sense of responsibility in our schools.
[Danielle Balocca]: I really like that. I think that. There's so many like things that seem kind of arbitrary, but it really do build on that like culture and sense of belonging. Like for example, I know you and I have talked about the paperwork that you fill out for kindergartners and how it, when my son was in kindergarten just two years ago, it was all like mother, father was how you had to fill it out.
[Erika Reinfeld]: Yeah, I'm part of a two-mom family and this is the first year in seven, eight years in the system that we have not had to cross off father. Like that was exciting and it's such a, you know, it feels like a little thing. It doesn't take that much time to cross it off, but it. it makes you feel like you're part of the school. I remember a first grade project we had, and it was a family tree project. And a teacher took the time to paste in another mother on top of, in that tree branch. And knowing that, you know, I think we see this in history curricula, I think Medford is probably overdue to be looking at some of its, materials to kind of make sure that we're telling things from lots of different perspectives, that we're not learning the same things that many of us learned when we were in school and we were less aware. I'm a white woman and I bring that perspective to schools. I'm also a neurotypical learner. I am a visual learner. There are just a huge range of diversity that I want to consider. I think we need to talk about the federally protected classes. That's absolutely important, but there are so many other components of our identities that we bring to our ability to learn, our ability to teach. Things like home life, language at home, access to resources, those all make a huge difference. And we need to be looking at what individual students have, what our students as a whole have, look for patterns. Where are people slipping through the cracks? and what opportunities, what barriers are there for everybody participating in schools? If we look around at PTO meetings, at staff meetings, are we seeing the people who are in our community or are we seeing a subset of them?
[Danielle Balocca]: Yeah, and I think you know your earlier answer it kind of also spoke to that like engagement that's not just engaging our kids and learning but in our like parents in the process and kind of keeping that engagement throughout like elementary, middle and high school and I feel I like that idea of involving. like older kids in those STEM nights and art nights, which I thought were like really fun to go to. Because there's no one cooler to my kids than like older kids. So like seeing those older kids think, well, like STEM is cool, like art is cool. I think that really would like that really would build a nice sort of investment for them.
[Erika Reinfeld]: Like, and then also, Yeah, it also gives those older kids a chance to teach back and to show off what they're learning and know what they're learning. And, you know, as part of that process, actually, they engaged with folks from Medford Arts Council, Beautiful Stuff Project, Tufts Engineering. And so they were there seeing other people in their community who were doing these things and could see what this would look like. what the many possibilities were, because that's what education is about, right? It's opening up possibilities and letting people figure out who they are, who they want to be, and how they are going to make a difference in the world.
[Danielle Balocca]: Minerka, what do you see as the most sort of pressing issues for our schools?
[Erika Reinfeld]: Oh, so our schools have faced a lot of challenges, but I think the most pressing issue is probably getting the resources we need into the schools. And that's money. Absolutely, we are facing big budget questions. And I know it's dangerous to talk about money, but that's a big thing. And we all know that Medford High School needs a lot of help. What I'm really concerned about is making sure that we're communicating what those needs are, not just that there's a need, but what they are, so that when the school committee, when city council says we need this money, that no one in the community is surprised about what's going to be done with it and understanding that these are the great things that are already happening that we can do more of, or these are the things that are not happening that we need more of, and that people trust the community leaders, trust the school leaders, the elected officials to make these decisions. So I think building that relationship of communication and trust is really essential. And looking at resources, not just in terms of money, but in terms of expertise in the community. We have, you know, we have Tufts, we have brand new art center coming online, we have booming biotech, lots of local businesses that are so great about supporting our schools. You see them sponsoring all kinds of events, but I think we can really formalize some of that and bring people together to change the way we do education and to make sure that it's really reflective of who we are as a community.
[Danielle Balocca]: That's great. Anything else, any other thoughts about change priorities if elected?
[Erika Reinfeld]: Yeah. I would love to see even more service-oriented learning and experiential learning. I'd also love us to look at the assessments that we're giving people. Are they giving teachers and students the information that they need? to succeed. I think data is great. I'm a scientist by training. I love data and I like quantitative data, but I also really like qualitative data and hearing about the experience. So I think all of those things are things that we need to look at and we need to make sure that it's working for everyone.
[Danielle Balocca]: Great. Okay, so my next question, maybe a little more fun. But so, so the kind of the hope of these interviews with different candidates is to kind of provide a bit of a human element, not just sort of like hearing about your platform. So I'm wondering if you could share something with us that like, we might not know about you but might surprise us.
[Erika Reinfeld]: Good question. Yeah, so my fun fact that I always share with people when we have to share something people don't know about you is that I still have one of my baby teeth. So I like to say this is like it keeps a kid inside of me. I have a tooth that just hasn't come out. But I think the surprising thing that I have is that I was really, really shy as a kid, which surprises people because I love going out and talking to people, talking to neighbors. That's kind of why I'm in the school committee race is I've had all these conversations with people and I've heard lots of different thoughts and ideas and I want to bring those voices into collaboration with the other members of the school committee. So I really, really love that interaction I am an extrovert, I get, I get charged from talking to people that I was really shy as a kid. And I think that that can be surprising, but I know what it's like to not fit in or to not. not feel entirely comfortable somewhere. And I always remember that when I'm working with students.
[Danielle Balocca]: Yeah, I mean, that's hopeful to hear too that kids can kind of shift that throughout their lives, but also, it sounds like it's a good It's a helpful experience to have when working with kids and understanding that experience.
[Erika Reinfeld]: I will say it shaped who I became as an educator as well. Because my parents looked at me when I was eight and said, yeah, you're pretty shy. We're going to throw you into theater camp. We're sending you to theater class. I went there and I ended up majoring in theater in college, theater and astronomy. I'm a scientist and an artist by training. So I am a huge advocate for access to the arts and for interdisciplinary learning and seeing connections and how things, how things connect so I would love to see more interdisciplinary learning, I know I'm heading into platform again and we're. That's my thing. It's amazing what skills you learn from doing these activities. You know, I think we need kids, we need to eliminate barriers to access to these activities. You know, sports teaches teamwork and resilience and all kinds of skills that you can get in the classroom, but also beyond. And the arts is creativity. I always say, look, I've directed plays and I use my project management experience just as much as I used any of my astronomy knowledge when I was teaching astronomy. All of these things contribute to who we are as people. And I think kids just really need the opportunity to develop themselves as whole people and to learn from each other because the people that I have met doing these diverse activities and jobs, and it shapes who I am and how I interact with the world. And that is what I would love to see in Medford schools.
[Danielle Balocca]: Yeah, great. I mean, that sounds, that sounds great. I think that, yeah, I think we have this idea sort of of like what students are exposed to and sort of, you know, like the athletes and the drama kids, but that like there's a real importance to being able to be exposed to all of that and like that kind of being de-stigmatized, right? Yeah, for sure.
[Erika Reinfeld]: Cool, so- And to not pigeonhole people and to say, I am a math person or I am a writer. I like both those things. And I think kids can too. And I think trying things out and failing or succeeding or discovering something you do or don't like is a really powerful way to grow. And our schools have to be a safe place for people to experiment with those experiences, with those identities. Sure.
[Danielle Balocca]: Which kind of brings us back to your sort of first point about meeting kids where they're at and that culture piece, right? Like how can the school support kids being those more like well-rounded people, right? Yeah.
[Erika Reinfeld]: Yeah, because ultimately it's the kids who are going to make the decision. These kids are going to become adults and they are becoming adults. They become people and real whole people. And so they're the ones who are going to be determining who they are and what they do. It's not the teacher saying, you will be this when you grow up. It is, I will become this kind of person. I will make these choices. And so giving them the information they need to make the choices and understanding how those choices have an impact on themselves, on each other, on their futures, all of that. Thank you.
[Danielle Balocca]: Well put. So my last question is just, is there anything that you want to mention any like events coming up or any ways that we can learn more about your campaign?
[Erika Reinfeld]: Yeah, so I'm doing a couple of meet and greets coming up. So I have a meet and greet up in Fulton Heights on the 18th of September. I don't know if this will air before then. And then Colleen's, speaking of wonderful local food businesses, has so generously invited all the candidates to do meet and greets there. So I'm gonna be with a few of the other school committee candidates. On, I think it's Thursday the 28th and of September and Thursday, October 5 we've got a couple of the school committee candidates coming to talk about their experience and we've paired up some incumbents with with challengers or with with new folks to the race. So you can kind of get a sense of how we how we interact, how we bring different and diverse perspectives to the same questions and what it might look like for people to be collaborating on these issues. Because there's a reason it's a school committee and not one person making decisions. We need all of these perspectives. So I'm really excited to talk with people in the community.
[Danielle Balocca]: I need some ice cream.
[Erika Reinfeld]: Yes, absolutely. All right, Erica. Well, thank you so much.
[Danielle Balocca]: Anything else that you want to mention before we wrap up?
[Erika Reinfeld]: Oh, there are so many things to talk about with Medford schools, but I think I would rather just have people come to my website, reach out to me, ereinfeld4, number four, medfordsc at gmail.com. And I'd love to talk to people and I'd love to have people involved because I'm not doing this for me. Like I said, I'm not in it for the politics. I'm in it for the education and the experience that our students, our teachers, our staff, our families, our community is having in Medford schools.
[Danielle Balocca]: Thank you, and I'll be sure to put all that info in our show notes so people can check it out there.
[Erika Reinfeld]: Yeah, my website is erica02155.com. Try to keep it simple so people can find me.
[Danielle Balocca]: Well, thank you. Thanks so much for listening to today's episode. The Medford Bites podcast is produced and moderated by Danielle Balacca and Shelly Kisherman. Music is made by Hendrik Irenys. We'd love to hear what you think about the podcast. You can reach out to us by email at medfordpod at gmail.com, or you can rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Thanks so much for listening. Guys, what's the name of the podcast? Never Bites. Never Bites. Good job.
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total time: 15.17 minutes total words: 1468 |
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