LOWELL JOINT SCHOOL DISTRICT, Trustee Area 4

When UCSD starts accepting students who don’t know how to do 6th grade math, that means to me that the public school system rewards underperformance. No public school student should have graduated high school without knowing pre-calculus. Don’t give me the argument that pre-calculus is not used in daily life. It’s not about whether you can use math to count how many eggs are in your basket. Math is about empowering with skills that give you confidence. Period. What I see in the public school system is confidence theft. This kind of theft satisfies rich voters, and therefore, rich politicians. I am against confidence theft. From my experience, raising expectations of our students is key to garnering the self-respect they deserve. My goal is to equip our district to graduate our students out of Lowell Joint with a minimum mastery of pre-calculus. My niece in South Korea is studying calculus at 14 years old. It can be done. Let’s do away with the scientifically-unproven methods of teaching literacy, now that a phonics approach has been backed by evidence. Let’s put a priority on teaching writing within the context of peer engagement: letter-writing, pen pals, essay contests, student-led journalism. Let’s take back the confidence that has been stolen from us. Vote for me, Yoony Takeuchi, and I will be a watchdog for our community of geniuses!

Yoony Takeuchi has served on the Student Site Council at Olita Elementary School from 2023 through 2025. As an esthetician and notary public, Yoony cares for others’ needs personally and publicly. She and her husband Brian have a child attending Olita Elementary. She has observed and felt the vibrancy of participating in the school. Yoony is a practicing artist, with a master’s degree in fine art from Claremont Graduate University and a bachelor’s degree in fine art from Cornell University.