Kirsten Prinn, Nashua Board Of Education Candidate

Kirsten Prinn

Age (as of Election Day)

53

Position sought (including district number if applicable)

Board of Education

Party Affiliation

Family

Husband: Doug, 53; Daughter: Kacie, 25; son: Jack, 10

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

Both of my parents served in the US Navy, but otherwise, none.

Education

BA in English/Minor in Children’s Literature (University of Pittsburgh) ; M. Ed in Elementary education (University of Pittsburgh); M. Ed in Early Childhood Education /students with and without disabilities/ (Fitchburg State University)

Occupation

Elementary School teacher-26 years experience

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

None

Campaign website

Kirsten Prinn for BoE

Why are you seeking elective office?

I want to work to support teachers and families. I am passionate about education, and I want to help make the schools in the city of Nashua be the best. My hope is to make the city a place people want to move to because of the schools.
Teachers need to have the tools to teach. They need access to quality materials to help support all students. This is not always easy what with all the changing research on best practices lately.
As both a parent and an educator, I know what it’s like navigating the educational landscape. We all need to come together as a community to foster learning for all students.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

I believe that teachers and students need access to high quality curriculum that aligns with the state standards. I have experience in piloting curriculum, and I want teachers to have a say in the process of using what works best in the classroom.
There has been much going on in the world of education recently in the light of changing research on how to best teach reading for example. I want teachers to have access to materials that will support literacy, and also will reflect and meet the needs of our diverse population.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

The main difference I can see is that I am a current educator. I work every day in the classroom. I have experience working with a variety of student and family populations. My student teaching experience was in inner city Pittsburgh. My teaching career began in East Los Angeles, California. I have worked with children of military families (Naval Air Station Brunswick) ; I have worked with young children at the Jewish Community Center in Pittsburgh, PA, and for the last 20 years, I have worked in Andover Massachusetts.
I have dedicated my entire life to education, and it is so very important to me. Education is what brought me out of poverty as a child. It was my safe space in a turbulent upbringing. I absolutely loved school as a child, and I try my best to bring that love of learning to my classroom every day. I hope in some small way that I can do the same for the city of Nashua.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

I don’t think they have failed at all, but I still want to help contribute.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

As a teacher myself, I’ve gotten tired of seeing all the bashing of teachers these last few years. The world of education really feels like it has changed so much since the pandemic. Teachers have changed and students have changed. Kids are still struggling emotionally, and many people feel like we need to ‘get back to business’. It’s still going to take some time to get schools back to the way they were, and we need to support those who spend so much time with them every day.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I’ve made a point to seek out training to make myself a better educator through my career. In the last two years, I have been working in MA to help bring tech to all students in the state. Last May, I was able to fly to Washington DC to talk to policy makers to help encourage funding for schools for technology. I’d really like to help support more tech initiatives here in Nashua as well.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Do the right thing even when you think no one is looking.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I am a self proclaimed nerd. I really love learning all things. It’s hard to express how much I care about education, but I can say this: I was one of those kids who knew they were going to teach from the time I was 7 or 8 years old. For about 2-3 years in college I really wanted to be a journalist for Rolling Stone Magazine (so I could interview all my favorite rock stars), but as soon as I got my first pre-school teaching job, I was hooked, and I never looked back.