Judge Memorial graduate elected president of Utah Education Association

IC photo by Christine Young

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Sharon Gallagher-Fishbaugh began her two-year term as president of the UEA on July 15.

SALT LAKE CITY – Sharon Gallagher-Fishbaugh took office as president of the Utah Education Association (UEA) July 15 for a two-year term. She has taught in the Salt Lake City School District for 31 years.

“I took a leave of absence from teaching to take this position,” said Gallagher-Fishbaugh, a member of Saint Ambrose Parish. “I’ve been very blessed. The Lord has been good to me. I truly feel that my ability to be the teacher I am is in large part to my colleagues, my family, but also to God.”

Gallagher-Fishbaugh was the Teacher of the Year for the State of Utah in 2009, is one of 166 National Board Certified teachers in the state and I was recently presented with the National Education Association Member Benefits National Teaching Excellence Award.

“What I came to realize throughout all of these experiences was that our public education is at a critical juncture in our country,” she said. “I believe, heart and soul, that a good public education is the foundation of a strong society. I see it eroding in terms of some of the rhetoric that we hear, and teachers are not valued for the incredible work that they do. It’s not a job you enter because you want to be rich; it’s a job you go into because you love children and you care about making a difference.”

She ran for the UEA position because she wanted to put some of her 31 years of classroom experience into stronger efforts to affect the educational system, she said, “but saying good-by to my kids that last day was very difficult.”

Gallager-Fishbaugh taught special education her first five years and second grade for the last 26 years at Dilworth Elementary School in Salt Lake City. She graduated from Judge Memorial Catholic High School in 1975, and wanted to go into education from a very young age. Her family moved to Salt Lake City when she was in the 5th grade. Her neighbor, Kecia, who was significantly younger than she, had Down’s syndrome, and “from the moment we moved in, she would come across the back gate, knock on the door and we became very dear friends,” she said. “That relationship progressed for about seven years. She was always my inspiration for going into special education and education in general because she looked at the world with such joy, wonder and innocence. She was eager to know all she could know.”

Gallagher-Fishbaugh received a bachelor’s degree from Loretto Heights in Denver, Colo., and a master’s degree from National University in LaJolla, Calif., in education with a Teacher Leadership certificate. She has been a member of the Utah Education Association (UEA) for 31 years.

“The UEA has a mission statement of providing a great public school for every child advocate, and everything we do surrounds that mission in advocating for children and teachers,” said Gallager-Fishbaugh. “There are certain things we know will make a difference such as early childhood learning, a broad, rich curriculum that focuses on 21st century learning skills and collaborative professional development opportunities for teachers to engage in strong leadership. Everything we do surrounds that goal.

Gallager-Fishbaugh said it’s important to have conversations at all levels – with policy makers, teachers, with the association and all of the stake holders in public education. “The conversations should be directed toward the goal of a great public school for every child and that requires looking systemically at what we are doing, both in terms of what we want to see for our public schools and how we are going to get there,” she said.