Letter Of Endorsement

To the Editor:

As a product of the Newtown educational system, I am ashamed to admit I cannot remember where Vasco de Gama plied his exploratory might, let alone when. And though I know I took trigonometry in high school, I could not tell you exactly what that is. Math. I know it is some sort of math.

What I can tell you, beyond a shadow of a doubt, is that having John Vouros as a teacher changed the course of my life.

“Is this the best way to do this?” This was the persistent question. “And if not, how else might we solve this problem?” In a high school environment in which most of us would rather never speak aloud again than be publicly and demonstrably wrong, it was extraordinarily difficult to cultivate an environment in which students were comfortable enough to speak up, early and often, with answers that were not verifiable and rote.

John Vouros accomplished this with a relentless enthusiasm and unconditional encouragement I have not seen in any leadership position, educational, professional, or otherwise, since I was in his classroom 20 years ago (I moved to Newtown as a fifth grader, and was involved in the Discovery Program from that point until I graduated from high school).

Teenagers are not stupid. They are not easily won over, either. But they do have a massive respect for the authentic: for the teacher and human being who is unafraid to roll up their sleeves and show them, in word and deed: “I believe in you. I can’t wait to hear what you think. I take you seriously, respect your opinion and want you to hear from that best version of yourself I know is in there.”

John Vouros listened to me. He heard me. I remember feeling like I was living in a world that swirled wildly around me, full of adults who were only too sure what my problem was and what should be done about it. Adults who were only too eager to discuss this with other, equally certain adults, often within earshot. My takeaway, as a teenager, was that a lot of peoples’ lives would be improved if I simply wasn’t around. No child should ever feel that way and John Vouros understood that fundamentally.

I am 37 years old now. My first child, Finn, is one month old. When I think of the educational stewards who will shape his view of the world, I don’t dare hope he’ll be so lucky as to have John Vouros on his school district’s Board of Education. That Newtown has a chance to make this a reality, today, is the chance to give its children a clear and unequivocal champion and a man who will always, and I mean always, put the best interests of the students first.

Residents of Newtown, I envy you, and I encourage you to give your children the gift of a leader and an educator the likes of which come along once, if you’re lucky, in a lifetime. Elect John Vouros to your Board of Education.

Sincerely,

Alexander Trigaux

Westfield, NJ                                                                    August 3, 2011