As schools and school departments try to find what is ostensibly the best and most effective (or at least efficient) systems for educating their students, many students end up confused and lost in the shuffle of syllabi.
Fortunately, there are education-minded legislators like 4th Middlesex Senator Cindy Friedman who have felt their pain and are dedicated to doing what they can to at least mitigate it.
“Prior to attending college, I never felt fully capable or comfortable in the classroom,” Friedman recalls. “The style of learning that was prevalent when I was growing up was not the learning style that was suitable for my needs. Because of this, I always felt that I wasn’t successful in school.”
Coming into her own in college, Friedman would use her deep love of learning and her desire to help others for whom education was also difficult as inspiration to complete a Master’s degree in special education.
“I began my career as a public school teacher because I wanted children to have an opportunity and education that I feel I didn’t have when I was growing up,” she reasons.
Though Friedman left public service to work in the high-tech industry for 20 years, she never let go of her desire to make learning better.
“I sincerely missed the work I had done in the classroom,” Friedman recalls, “and wanted to do something different that would allow me to give back to the community.”
Seeing opportunities in the political realm, Friedman became involved in the campaigns of others before launching her own.
“I decided to get more involved in political campaigns in order to get good people elected to office who shared the same values as I did,” she explains. “Now, as a legislator, I wake up every day knowing that I’m doing the right thing and am fulfilled by the work that I do for my constituents.”
Having been elected to fill the seat of the late Senator Ken Donnelly’s (for whom she served as Chief of Staff), Friedman has ensconced herself securely in many facets of local government. In addition to serving as Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery, Senator Friedman is also the Vice Chair of both the Special Senate Committee on Addiction Prevention, Treatment and Recovery Options and the Joint Committee on Public Service. She is also a member of the Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development, the Women Legislators Caucus, the MBTA Legislative Caucus, and the Library Legislative Caucus.
With all these responsibilities, however, Friedman is still able to dedicate much of her time to maintaining her support for excellent and equitable education.
“Providing education for kids that meets their needs and learning styles is a very difficult task that takes commitment, resources, patience and time,” she observes. “We need to focus on developing ways that we can provide students with a quality education while also serving their needs beyond the classroom. This requires everyone at the table to be open to new ideas.”
In addition to new ideas, Friedman suggests that true success will also require new perspectives.
“We also need to focus on external issues that may be impacting a student’s learning ability,” she observes, “such as housing, food insecurity, family life, and so on.“
No matter what she does in the legislature, Friedman is dedicated to hearing all voices and considering all ideas so that her opinions and efforts can encourage as many positive outcomes as possible.
“I’m focused on representing ideas and voices that often aren’t at the table in order to ensure that what we do is balanced and represents all interests,” Friedman maintains. “I will continue to work closely with my colleagues and advocates to ensure that our policies serve the interests of all residents of the Commonwealth.” ▪