Meredith Greco Bailey – a lifelong Swampscott resident who is raising her family here, and who teaches here. Her perspective as a teacher, a mother and a former student says it all . . .
My name is Meredith Greco Bailey. I attended Machon School, graduated from Swampscott High School (Class of ’98), and my parents, Fred and Evelyn Greco, still live in town in my childhood home. I am both a teacher and a parent in the Swampscott school system.
I have been teaching in Swampscott for 17 years – currently teaching 2nd grade at Hadley School. I have 3 children – a freshman at SHS, a 7th grader at SMS and a 4-year-old who will be attending kindergarten next year. I also have a niece and 2 nephews in the Swampscott school system as well.
I love this town! I love my students and colleagues. I work with some of the best! However, the need for a new school is very clear, especially after these last few years. It has become more dire. Since the Covid pandemic, technology has become extremely important. I am thrilled that we now have an iPad for every child in K-2, it saved both the teachers and students during remote learning! Now they are readily available in our classroom to use at any time. However, I only have 2 outlets in my room. Two. This means they cannot always be charged and ready for use. Just the other day I had to leave my classroom to charge my own laptop across the hall because I had no place to charge it.
The ventilation in our outdated classrooms left us freezing in this past winter as we had to keep windows open – even in freezing temperatures. Then when the season changes and the warm weather arrives, the classrooms reach in the high 80s making it very unsafe. Even the BEST teachers will have difficulty keeping their students engaged when they are so cold or so hot.
We need your help !! My students, my colleagues and ALL of our children deserve more.
Please join me and my family in VOTING YES for the new elementary school on October 19th.