近距离内射合集

Editor鈥檚 note: This begins a series of Journal 鈥渆xit interviews鈥� with outgoing Albuquerque Public Schools board members.

School board member Barbara Petersen never sought out a spotlight.

Before her first term on the panel, which she started close to 9 years ago, she had no political ambitions. She鈥檇 spent half a lifetime as an educator, and when she finally hung up her teaching cap, she became a political outreach coordinator for the local teachers union.

But it didn鈥檛 take long for those around her to begin pushing her 鈥� or, as she tells it, 鈥渢wisted my arm鈥� 鈥� to run for a seat on the Albuquerque Public Schools board.

鈥淚 was always a supportive person 鈥� it wasn鈥檛 something I aspired to,鈥� Petersen told the Journal. 鈥淏ut when I came onto the board, it was interesting just to see how the district works from a completely different point of view. And I learned a lot.鈥�

Ultimately, Petersen stuck with the job, and in 2023 was one of the longest-serving members on the board and was named the school board member of the year by the New Mexico School Boards Association.

Still, Petersen, whose final meeting was on Wednesday, Dec. 20, personally hopes she was able to make a difference for the people in her community.

鈥淚 have really been touched by how many people have talked to me since I decided to step down,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 hope that I also made a tangible difference in their lives and in how they鈥檙e able to do their work.鈥�

Petersen 鈥� who spent some 35 years in the classroom 鈥� still carries herself like a teacher, drawing from a deep well of experience to break down complicated concepts into their most basic parts so those she鈥檚 speaking with can understand.

Her experience as a teacher also helped give her a clear idea of the issues that needed extra focus.

One of the issues Petersen highlighted among her proudest achievements was the expansion of community schools, a strategy that in part leverages out-of-school resources for students, providing them an array of different services tailored to that specific community.

In the 2015-2016 school year, there were roughly 16 community schools in the metro area, according to the Bernalillo County Community School Innovation and Strategic Partnerships Department. Today, there are 76.

Department Director Danette Townsend said Petersen was a 鈥渟taunch supporter of quality implementation鈥� of community schools, and that she helped grow the number of such schools over the last several years.

鈥淪he鈥檚 amazing,鈥� Townsend said. 鈥淏arbara has been one of the constants in the community school development process.鈥�

Another of the issues Petersen highlighted was thrust upon her.

In 2020, the initial thought on the school board was that the shutdowns prompted by the spread of COVID-19 would last just a couple of weeks, Petersen said.

But in late March, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced that schools would remain closed for the rest of the academic year, and those weeks stretched into months. In late August, the school board voted to continue remote learning, and in mid-February of 2021 voted again to keep it going, despite ongoing criticism from the community.

鈥淲e have continued to come under attack for (that) sometimes,鈥� Petersen said about the board鈥檚 efforts to 鈥渒eep the community safe during the pandemic.鈥� 鈥淚 feel like we went about it with the best of intentions, even if on a microscopic level, not every decision may have been perfect. 鈥� I鈥檓 proud of that.鈥�

There are many low points for school board members, who, as with any public official, are scrutinized for each major decision they make. The pandemic, Petersen said, was 鈥減robably the most stressful time of my tenure.鈥�

But Petersen said she never felt the job wasn鈥檛 worth doing. In fact, thinking back on her years in the role, she could count on one hand how many board meetings she missed outright 鈥� every other, she was able to attend in person or remotely.

鈥淚鈥檝e never felt like I don鈥檛 want to do it anymore. I mean, I stepped down for your whole array of personal reasons, and just feeling like there were other ways that I wanted to be able to engage in public (education),鈥� Petersen said.

That may include volunteering with tutoring programs to teach reading and community lobbying in the Roundhouse 鈥� both ways she thinks she can 鈥渃ontinue to support the things I care about.鈥�

But Petersen, who鈥檚 71, said the ability to explore that being semi-retired will afford her 鈥� whether it鈥檚 rediscovering the piano, or traveling 鈥� provides its own sense of relief.

鈥淔rom the time I was 15, until now, I鈥檝e never had real time off,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really bizarre, thinking 鈥業 can say no.鈥� 鈥�