2025 Candidate for Lincoln-Sudbury Regional School District Committee
the candidate
You care about our kids, our schools, and our community. Thanks for taking the time to learn about how my perspective and expertise would benefit the L-S School Committee.
I am a career teacher, coach, tutor, and mentor with a quarter century of experience helping young people achieve their goals. Since 2016 I've been teaching in the Chemistry Department at Brown University. Before that I was a tutor at Signet Education after completing my doctorate in MIT's Biological Engineering Department and a post-doctoral fellowship in cancer systems biology at Tufts University School of Medicine. I was also an assistant coach for the Women's and Men's Varsity Volleyball teams at MIT from 1999-2017, where my work guiding numerous All-American student-athletes was recognized in 2010 with the National Assistant Coach of the Year award from the American Volleyball Coaches Association.
Soon I'll have the privilege of being an L-S parent for a full decade. If you've met me through Sudbury Soccer or Sudbury Youth Volleyball, you know that I'm competitive, organized, and passionate. I prioritize kids' experiences and growth in an atmosphere of positivity and encouragement while demanding maximum effort so that kids prove for themselves that they are capable of more than they had ever imagined.
Teaching organic and general chemistry to 17—22-year-old aspiring scientists, physicians, entrepreneurs, and engineers from around the world has revealed to me the importance of soft skills like self-advocacy, humility, initiative, and persistence—traits that are just as important as rigorous high school course offerings.
Since COVID I have observed significant differences within and across each incoming class of first-years, likely attributable to their having gone through hybrid/remote schooling during a different formative year. Solving the puzzle of adapting and updating my teaching style to their specific needs each semester is exciting and invigorating.
In my career as a tutor, I helped students ages 8–18 needing specialized curriculum plans to address everything from learning challenges that prevented them from connecting with their school work to enrichment programs that gave kids working well above grade level something to occupy their minds and help them rediscover their joy of learning.
Whether I'm in a 300-person lecture hall, working 1-on-1 in office hours, or mentoring advisees, I create a learning environment that welcomes every student and inspires them to pursue their own intellectual and professional growth.
We moved to Sudbury specifically for the schools and have been impressed with not just the quality of the education but the culture and values instilled by our great teachers and engaged parents. In fact, in our elaborate spreadsheets full of town-by-town data, our top two destinations were Sudbury and Lincoln! The Committee has a critical job of hearing parent concerns, supporting teachers, and allocating resources so that our graduates are maximally prepared for their next chapter in life.
At Brown, my colleagues and I continuously evolve our strategies to address students’ needs. Each term, we reevaluate our course offerings to offer students the greatest flexibility. Faculty members collaborate across departments to offer guidance on advising students. And within departments, we allocate teaching responsibilities within the constraints of ever-increasing budget uncertainty. My experience as a teacher, coach, and parent uniquely prepares me to serve as a liaison between community members and L-S leadership.
My favorite part of this town is that despite holding a wide range of views on critical topics, we treat each other like neighbors first. I welcome ALL of your questions and opinions and invite you to attend an upcoming event or reach out with the form below.
Contact charles
