To the editor:
I was very moved by the anonymous letter written by one of our Marblehead teachers, and I wanted to applaud them for being so brave and honest. As a resident and a retired public educator (31 years in the Marblehead Public Schools), I certainly hope that our Marblehead community will read that letter with some understanding and deep reflection. The letter is a wake-up call for our Marblehead community.
I know our world is struggling, and I assure you, I am struggling, too — although I am very curious as to what is happening to the Marblehead community where I worked, raised my family and have lived for over 30 years.
I landed in Marblehead in 1987, sort of on a whim. I was born in North Carolina, raised in Pennsylvania, went to college in Vermont, taught in Vermont and New Hampshire, and decided I wanted to live closer to a city. A friend recommended I check out Marblehead. I landed a job — and the rest is history.
Marblehead is my home. I love Marblehead. I loved working as a teacher in Marblehead. I love the community I raised my children in. I should add that my husband and I became parents through the adoption of two South Korean infants — who were lovingly embraced by our community. I always felt respected and valued as a teacher and as a parent. I retired from the Marblehead Public Schools in 2019. A lot has happened since that time.
My hope is that we can come together as a community. I hope that all our town boards, committees, employees and residents will make it a priority to work together in respectful and collaborative ways. I hope we can begin to problem solve and share our opinions without anger and disrespect. I hope we can also be open to hearing different viewpoints and perspectives.
Perhaps we all can begin to hold back on impulses to share our opinion at a meeting, or in an email, or on social media, when we realize our opinion may be more emotional than well thought through — perhaps using the “24-hour rule” to process the intention of our thoughts and opinions for 24 hours before we share them with others. (I promise, this can be a helpful strategy.)
It is a given that we will not always agree — we are human beings. My hope is that we all take a step back, reflect, and think about what are the most effective ways we can raise our town up and let all of our lights shine! Bottom line, I love this town. Marblehead Proud.
Ann Davis-Allan
Garfield Street
