Who is Barry Sneed?

With July 4th over and Mentor's Cityfest rapidly approaching, Summer is fleeting, and the Nov. 4th Election doesn't seem that far away. I 've been thinking about how I can give you all a glimpse of myself and my character, and what better way than to share some of the Challenges I encountered in my 33 years Teaching in Perry Schools, and one from my Summer Recreation Children's work with the City of Mentor that I did 2 years in a row.

1). I loved my teaching career but in my 33 years at the same district, there were things that I faced that were either established rules, traditions, or situations that I found to be wrong, unjust, or inadequately supported, and I took each one on and changed them for the better. The 1st thing I encountered was at my interview, when asked if I were married or owned a home. I respectfully stated that I did not think that those were questions they were allowed to ask me, (these were two older gentlemen at the top of the district, but definitely old school and not up on current laws regarding such questions, or simply didn't worry about such things..."old school"), but since I had nothing to hide I would gladly answer them, (as I did..."No", to the Married part and, "Yes", to owning a home). I was informed that no one else had stated to them in previous interviews that those two questions were a problem, which made me nervous about whether I'd blown my chances, but they must have been okay with it, because they hired me, and I remained for 34 years!

2). Years later, the year I won my National Milken Educator Award, (2 Teachers chosen from each State and Awarded in November), goatees (and facial hair in general) were becoming very popular among young men, and being in my early 30's I decided I'd grow a goatee, but I was then warned by my colleagues that there was an "Unspoken Rule" against facial hair in the district and people in the past had literally been called into the Central Office and told to shave it off! I thought that it was a ridiculous policy and being that I had just become a Nationally Awarded Educator, I thought that it was the perfect time to take advantage of my current moment in the spotlight to challenge and defeat it. So, after the Christmas Holiday Break, I returned with a very neat, but noticeable goatee. I got no kickback from anyone, so I let it ride. About a week later, during a staff meeting, in the middle of talking to the staff, my Superintendent looked over at me and said with a chuckle, "We'll see how much he likes it when it starts coming in gray someday", and that was that...policy gone! Soon afterward many of the district's male teachers sprouted facial hair and so it goes to this day.

3). Finally, one of my biggest challenges was when the district decided to build a playground for the new elementary school we'd just opened, since that didn't seem to be included in the design of the complex. The Superintendent and his wife, (who was very active in Community activities), elected to put the playground across the street, (within the school's complex) in an empty, grassy area, (which later became a much-needed blacktopped parking lot, as adequate parking wasn't accurately figured in the building's plan, either). At the time I was doing my Administrative Internship to complete my Degree in Elementary Administration, so the Principal put me in charge of the entire project, (from coordinating delivery of materials, to gathering community members and staff to volunteer to build the thing in one week's time, to planning the meals for such volunteers, and more, (at one point I even received a bill for the lumber in the amount of $28,000 dollars in my own name, which I quickly had to get corrected by our Central Office personnel)! Back to the location challenge...I, (with my own idea that also echoed the Teacher's concerns and perspective), brought up an opposing concept of placing the playground right outside the building in the "L" shaped area created from the exterior walls of the office wing and main hallway. Logically, it was safer (and much closer) than going across a street, and it had multiple door access, including one to the clinic for those cuts and scrapes that inevitably occur with children playing. There was also a bathroom issue, as sending little kids across a road to go into the building to go to the bathroom during recess, (which is a frequent occurrence), was a safety issue. I had to go into a large meeting, led by the Superintendent's wife and several community members all sitting around a big conference table, (many of whom had already made up their minds to put the playground at the location across the street), and lay out my reasons why the location across the street was far inferior than the one I was proposing. The main argument they had going in was the aesthetics of the new complex would be compromised by putting the playground within confines of the building's exterior walls, (which was a rather ridiculous argument, considering we were an elementary school and playgrounds are a common sight and necessity). To make a long story short, I came out of that meeting with 100% agreement that the playground should be put where I, (and my colleagues), proposed it to be. The staff was very pleased (and surprised) that I'd won the argument, as was I, but sometimes you can't be afraid to go up against the establishment if you know you have a solid argument and alternative to address a situation!

4). I decided to earn some extra money over the summer in my early years of teaching, so I got hired by the City of Mentor's Recreation Department to work with their Summer Camp Program. I started a couple of weeks into the summer as I was replacing someone who had left their position. I worked with the upper elementary age students (4th -6th graders) daily for 2 summers, but almost immediately encountered something I found very inappropriate and disturbing going on during their daily game time. The kids liked playing a game similar to dodge ball, with two teams battling it out to eliminate the other. Dodge ball wasn't my favorite choice of activities to begin with, but the other adults in charge, (who had been there for several years), seemed to make it a daily event. The problem wasn't as much the game itself, but the names that were assigned to each team in the game. One team was always named the "MORONS" and the other, the "RETARDS". I was appalled that this had been standard game protocol, and the adults found it funny, relaying that message to the kids in their actions and words. I immediately addressed it with the two adults, but they laughed it off and ignored my concerns. Maybe it was the teacher in me, (though the person in charge was also a teacher and from a Christian School), but I did not find the use of these names to be appropriate or acceptable. I had to take it to the Recreation Department Supervisor at the time, who totally agreed with me and put an immediate STOP to it. Needless to say, my colleagues weren't thrilled, but they came to realize it wasn't something they'd given much thought to before, and that it wasn't funny or okay to use such terms with the kids. I was pleased they came to that realization, and we worked together seamlessly for the remainder of that summer and the next. Again, you have to stand up for what you believe to be right, even if it isn't seen as wrong in the eyes of the few! So, there you have it, when I see something is ridiculous, unnecessary, inappropriate, or in need of change, I am not afraid to stand up and take on any challenge if it is the right thing to do! Sometimes you have to stand up for what you believe and what is right for yourself and your constituents, and I will certainly bring that mentality and energy to the Mentor City Council if Elected.