Voices of the District: Meredith Schecter
Meredith Schecter is a first grade teacher at the Charles W. Henry School in Mt. Airy. While it is her third year at Henry, she’s been a teacher in the School District of Philadelphia for thirteen years. After school, she volunteers her time as the Secretary for Henry’s School Advisory Council (SAC). Along with being a committed teacher, Ms. Schecter is a positive force on Henry’s SAC. She ensures every voice is heard and validated on the SAC, that every comment and project has a place, and that everyone feels like they have an ally in the room.
Every SAC has their own struggles, and for many, parent and family engagement is particularly challenging. Ms. Schecter has learned many lessons about family engagement as an educator in the District, and she shares the overwhelming positives of getting families involved in strategic conversations at our schools.
“There’s a lot of pressure for parents to be pitted against schools," Ms. Schecter says, "and when we come together as a SAC, we all realize that we’re all in this for the same reason: we all care about children, we all want to educate children."
"And so," Ms. Schecter says, "when people are part of the conversations around decisions, they have more buy-in, because they understand the decisions and the data that drives the decisions we make as educators. It forms this sense of community, and it forms this more supportive environment.”
