Having worked in schools for nearly twenty years, and having worked in collaboration with school committee members as part of her work, Megan Fidler-Carey has decided it is time to invest that knowledge on the other side of the policy-making table. Fidler-Carey submitted signatures for one of the two three-year seats for Reading School Committee on the ballot on March 3.
Megan says her professional and civic experience has led her to serving in this role. “I am an educator,” she says, “My career in education began when I signed up to be a substitute teacher the year after graduating from University of Colorado at Boulder. After some time spent backpacking and living abroad in Europe, I went back for my Masters in Education from UMass Boston. While in graduate school, I began working as the Partnership Coordinator at Noonan Business Academy in Dorchester, during the Gates Foundation-supported small schools movement in Boston Public Schools (BPS). I also worked at TechBoston Academy in BPS and coordinated partnerships with universities, health institutions, and businesses providing opportunities for students. As part of my postgraduate studies at UMass, where my research focused on the importance of partnerships and collaboration in education, I took a Comparative Education course and presented at a conference in Changzhou, China. In Revere, I was District Director of Partnerships and AfterSchool programs, which, in addition to continuing to facilitate partnerships at the high school level, gave me an opportunity to learn about curriculum and practices at the elementary level. Currently, as Head of Before and AfterSchool for Medford Public Schools, I have been focusing on constructing professional development for my staff to address Social-Emotional Learning, Responsive Classroom strategies, Diversity and Inclusion, and the Importance of Play as part of development.”
Megan has worked in schools at all levels, including teaching teachers. She has served on several boards including as current president of the New England Alliance for Concurrent Enrollment Programs; current Co-Chair of the Network for Extended Day Directors; on the Commonwealth Dual Enrollment Advisory Board; Boston’s Full Service Round Table (for wrap-around services and practice); coalition task-forces; curriculum alignment committees; health/wellness committees; community service committees; and more.
But Megan’s experience in education is not the only thing that brings her to this role. She is the parent of a 7th grader at Walter S. Parker Middle School. Megan says her daughter, Marlie, “was very supported at J. W. Killam for elementary school and now at Parker for middle school. The opportunities to participate in the school musical, band, chorus, after school art and other clubs, take Spanish, take advanced math, and more have been invaluable. She is (and we are) excited for the many opportunities that await her at RMHS as well.”
Megan has served on Town Meeting since 2017, on the Reading Cultural Council since 2017, on Reading Education Foundation since 2018, and has been part of the Reading Embraces Diversity leadership team since 2017. She also volunteered to work on the Yes for Reading campaign and events for the Killam PTO. “Additionally, I was excited to participate in the Reading 375 celebrations by hosting performers for PorchFest and by learning how to research my historical home as part of the ‘If This House Could Talk’ project.” To learn more about Megan, visit https://fidlercareycommitt.wixsite.com/2020.
