Meet Dr. Simon, Bellflower Unified School District's Newest Superintendent!

Introducing the new superintendent, Dr. Erin Simon! I had the honor of interviewing her here at Mayfair, and I think we are in the hands of an amazing leader. Dr. Simon was born in South Central Los Angeles and raised by a single, college-educated mother and her two maternal grandparents, all of which shaped her to be the very person she is today. They have taught her that being excellent is not just a word; it's a way of life. 

Dr. Simon has new ideas for the Bellflower Unified School District in hopes to make the students more engaged in their education. One such change is the adoption of the Capturing Kids' Hearts curriculum, which resulted in the student body ratifying social contracts for each class. These contracts established classroom rules created by students and teachers, which I feel has made a big difference in student life. 

To the point of Capturing Kids' Hearts, its purpose is to make school a more positive environment where kids want to be by building relationships between staff and students. Furthermore, she wants the students and our parents to be well-informed about the events or updates in the school district. She sends out the weekly newsletter to the whole BUSD family. Moreover, she wants families to know that if they are ever having any problems, the district would like to be given ideas or commentary on how to better the school environment for students. She has an open door policy and is ready to hear everyone's point of view. Additionally, she mentioned that she is going to create more focus groups and polls to see what everyone needs and wants. 

One of her other main focuses are on staff, more specifically the teachers. She would like the teachers to learn new ways to teach. She was saying that when teachers get on board, their interest is piqued and it motivates them to want to try new things. Dr. Simon hopes in the future that national spotlights for the best academic programs can be provided to students. 

Her final message to students is: “I want students to know zip code does not determine the future and anything is possible when students believe in themselves.”

Image Courtesy of Bellflower Unified School District.