Hi,
My name is Desiree Marek and I have thrown my hat into the ring for the College Station School Board. I am a life long resident of College Station and am a product of the College Station Independent School District. My father was Dr. Thomas Allen, a professor and research scientist at Texas A&M in the Range Science Department and my mother, Billye was a stay at home mom. I am 54 years old and you can contact me at the numbers and addresses listed below.
I graduated in 1972 from A&M Consolidated High School and married my high school sweetheart, Patrick G. Marek the same year. He is a Tiger too; class of 1970. We raised three children here and they all graduated from A&M Consolidated High School. Laetatia is class of 1991, Summer is class of 1995 and Patrick is class of 1997.
After all three of our children were in school, I too went back to school and received a B.S. from Texas A&M in 1988 in Elementary Education. I substituted for several years at all grade levels. After my youngest graduated from school, I began to look for other things to do. In 2003, my husband, Pat, and I developed a storage facility in College Station and opened it in January 2004.
Our family has had a vested interest in this community all our lives, as we have had a small construction business, Marek Brothers Construction, for more than twenty-five years. Literally, we have helped to build this community over the years with residences, churches and businesses for our neighbors.
I have served as a volunteer in several organizations over the years. I served as a Girl Scout Leader for six years, a girl's softball coach for several years, on the College Station Little League as a league officer and later as President of the National League. I also served as a club manager and project leader for the Southwood Valley 4-H Club for 7 years and as a volunteer at College Station schools as well as served on the PTO board at College Hills Elementary.
I now am a proud grandparent of soon-to-be eight grandchildren. Three of my grandchildren are now enrolled in College Station Schools. Hallie is a seventh grader at AMCMS, Ty is a third grader and Zoey is a first grader at Forest Ridge Elementary.
My husband, Pat, and I are members of Central Baptist Church where I have been involved as an AWANA leader.
contact me: Desiree Marek
Address: 4573 Sandpiper Cove
College Station, Tx. 77845
E mail: marekd@suddenlink.net
Telephone: 979.690.8264
The Basics of Education
My greatest cause in this election endeavor is to reiterate where I believe our focus should be--
The Focus is four-fold:
1. Reading and Writing the English Language
We live in a nation rich in cultures and heritages. However, we need to focus on the commonality that has made this country great. E Pluribus Unum - from many -ONE. This is our national motto and it specifically points to the common language of communication that we all share. Without a common language this country as we know it would not nor could not stay together. The common language we share from sea to shining sea is one of the main reasons for our rise to power and prosperity.
We can ship goods and provide services that span great distances. This commonality has given America the ability to expand and develop beyond the limits of cultures, ethnicities and races. We all speak and read and write a common language.
Census studies prove that an immigrant's income grows about one-third as a result of learning English. Learning this common language gives way to the idea of achieving the "American Dream"; increases economic opportunity and the end result is a benefit to the individual and to the society and the community. In other words, everyone benefits!
2. Mathematics
Simply based on what I've been hearing on the news and reading in the newspaper, we as a society need to go back to school to learn some basic math information. We cannot spend what we do not have or else we will wind up broke and be in debt for the rest of our days. We need to educate our students in economics! We need to focus on understanding what the word "interest" means and how it applies to our futures.
The wonderful gift of education helps you grasp the concepts of interest and how it compounds for you over time; rather than you spending more than you can afford and then spending years getting out of debt because of over-extended credit and interest payments.
Interest is something you can EARN instead of PAY! So, what I'm saying is, we need to teach a solid understanding and application of life skills and knowledge so that young people know how to budget and save and accrue interest. These are precious and priceless gifts of education that every student needs to understand.
3. Science
We live in an age of incredible and awesome changes due to scientific research.
Innovations and discoveries seem to be the norm rather than the exception. It is imperative to teach the love of science and the beauty that lies within the natural sciences. It is important to understand the laws of nature because through understanding our environment we can use and protect the earth's resources and all the natural wealth this world provides to us.
4. Social Studies
It has often been said we need to study history so we don't make the same mistakes in the future. The only way to avoid future errors is to understand the events that have taken place in the past and how those events have shaped our world today. We need teachers to instill in students an interest for asking how and why things are as they are. We are going to need future leaders to be able to relate the past to the future and know how to get where we need to be tomorrow.
These are the basics in education.. They will give a solid foundation upon which students can go out and be successful in this ever-changing world.
The Focus is four-fold:
1. Reading and Writing the English Language
We live in a nation rich in cultures and heritages. However, we need to focus on the commonality that has made this country great. E Pluribus Unum - from many -ONE. This is our national motto and it specifically points to the common language of communication that we all share. Without a common language this country as we know it would not nor could not stay together. The common language we share from sea to shining sea is one of the main reasons for our rise to power and prosperity.
We can ship goods and provide services that span great distances. This commonality has given America the ability to expand and develop beyond the limits of cultures, ethnicities and races. We all speak and read and write a common language.
Census studies prove that an immigrant's income grows about one-third as a result of learning English. Learning this common language gives way to the idea of achieving the "American Dream"; increases economic opportunity and the end result is a benefit to the individual and to the society and the community. In other words, everyone benefits!
2. Mathematics
Simply based on what I've been hearing on the news and reading in the newspaper, we as a society need to go back to school to learn some basic math information. We cannot spend what we do not have or else we will wind up broke and be in debt for the rest of our days. We need to educate our students in economics! We need to focus on understanding what the word "interest" means and how it applies to our futures.
The wonderful gift of education helps you grasp the concepts of interest and how it compounds for you over time; rather than you spending more than you can afford and then spending years getting out of debt because of over-extended credit and interest payments.
Interest is something you can EARN instead of PAY! So, what I'm saying is, we need to teach a solid understanding and application of life skills and knowledge so that young people know how to budget and save and accrue interest. These are precious and priceless gifts of education that every student needs to understand.
3. Science
We live in an age of incredible and awesome changes due to scientific research.
Innovations and discoveries seem to be the norm rather than the exception. It is imperative to teach the love of science and the beauty that lies within the natural sciences. It is important to understand the laws of nature because through understanding our environment we can use and protect the earth's resources and all the natural wealth this world provides to us.
4. Social Studies
It has often been said we need to study history so we don't make the same mistakes in the future. The only way to avoid future errors is to understand the events that have taken place in the past and how those events have shaped our world today. We need teachers to instill in students an interest for asking how and why things are as they are. We are going to need future leaders to be able to relate the past to the future and know how to get where we need to be tomorrow.
These are the basics in education.. They will give a solid foundation upon which students can go out and be successful in this ever-changing world.
points to ponder
I believe in our community and I trust in our future,
therefore we must provide the means to success
through education, involvement and dedication.
Our future leaders deserve the finest education we can provide; however that is not strictly based on how much money we can throw at it. As we have seen over and over again, especially in the last few months, we live in a society that spends more than it earns. The question I beg to ask, " Are we, as a society, a culture and a community to the better for all the monies we have poured into all the programs and agencies and quick fixes?" For all the billions of dollars that have been spent on education, have we bought a better future? I fear the answer is NO!
We have more problems today in the classroom than we had when we were pioneers in one room school houses, where a teacher taught multi-level grades with little or no curriculum materials. What has happened to education? We bought into the "appearance" that money can buy an education! The bottom line is -- QUANTITY DOES NOT PRODUCE QUALITY!
A school district is only as productive and successful as the community's involvement and commitment !! Education is NOT something money can buy!
Because I love this community and care about its future, I challenge myself and you to make a difference here and now. WE cannot let our schools and students fall prey to this kind of mentality and apathy! We can make a difference for the future of College Station I.S.D. students! Are we willing to take a stand and make that commitment?
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