My Family
Ray Ward has been married for over 26 years to his wonderful wife Gena.
They have been blessed with a beautiful daughter Alyssa who is recently married. Both his daughter and his son-in-law are graduates of the San Juan Unified School District
Even though they graduated from the San Juan Unified School District, their experiences were different. His son-in-law went to his neighborhood schools whereas his daughter went to Pershing Elementary Rapid Learner Program, then moved to Winston Churchill Middle School, and finally to Mira Loma High School taking advantage of the International Baccalaureate Program.
Each program was probably best for them. Ray Ward believes the school district should be able to provide the best programs so the student can be a successful and future productive members of our community.
My Time With My Daughter
Ray Ward was lucky to be able to participate in many activities during his daughter's time attending school. He was able to attend 3 science camps and many field trips with his daughter's classes.
During those times he learned from the students and parents the differences in the students and their expectations.
In addition, as Rotary Youth Leadership Awakening (RYLA) Camp counselor and board member, he got to learn from students not only in the San Juan Unified School District but from high schools throughout northern CA and northern NV.
This experience gives him a unique idea of the differences in students and parents.
Schooling Growing Up
When Ray Ward was growing up, his father was a career, US Marine. This caused him to attend 9 different schools between Kindergarten through 10th grade.
He always felt fortunate for these experiences. He was able to meet and learn to get along with other kids of various backgrounds. He understands why communication is so powerful in dealing with differences between students.
One thing that was difficult for Ray was when there were different teaching styles. One time he came from a California school to one in North Carolina, at the time he was learning division, and when he was asked to solve a problem on the board, the teacher did not understand how he got the answer but since it was right, she said to keep doing it that way. Because of this and other experiences, he understands how changing the way teachers teach can be beneficial but at the same time difficult for a parent who is trying to help their children as well as the student.