Meet Dr. Stefan Bean: A New Hope For Orange County School Kids
“Four years ago, a loving wife and mother of four wonderful children died of cancer. She’d had numerous conversations with her husband, who would be tasked with raising the children as a single parent, about how to proceed.
A lot of hearts broke the day Janet Bean died, but her survivors had resolved to carry her love and wishes with them forever.
One of those survivors, her husband, Stefan Bean, is the new superintendent of the Orange County Department of Education.
Bean’s appointment to lead the department will benefit every kid (and kid’s family) in the county because one of the promises he made to his wife was to help their kids – and all kids – learn to think critically.
“Unfortunately, our schools are focused on teaching kids what to think, and not how to think,” Bean said in a recent phone interview. In his talks with Janet, “Together we had a vision for our kids to become critical thinkers – to make decisions on their own.
“I care about that for all kids. I have a passion for education.”
Bean’s passion led him to devote his entire career to students in California. For over 25 years he’s served as a teacher, principal, education consultant, and superintendent. He holds a masters degree in education leadership and a doctorate in education, and is “centered on transformational leadership through empathy and emotional intelligence.”
Dr. Bean is loaded with empathy and emotional intelligence, and he can personally relate to the struggles many students face. After he was crippled by polio at the age of 2, he was abandoned in the streets of Vietnam. At age four, he was adopted by Greg and Judy Bean, godly Americans who became “Mom and Dad” and provided his name, Stefan Bean.
Bean grew up with 11 siblings. His father was a sixth-grade teacher, and his mother taught the children to be full of compassion and care for others.
With the help of a wonderful teacher, and his parents, Bean overcame challenges as an English language learner and a student with a disability, and fell in love with his new home country, America.
As an educational leader, good teachers need to know Dr. Bean holds dedicated educators in highest respect and that he has an intimate understanding of their profession.
“I empathize with teachers’ workload and stand alongside them. Teachers should be able to focus on what they were hired to do in the first place – teach our kids to be critical thinkers. Teachers should not be under pressure to push politics.”
Speaking of politics, Dr. Bean is deeply concerned about the intrusion of partisan politics into our classrooms. He’s dedicated to removing the politics and replacing it with educational excellence. He’s disturbed by the attacks on parental rights, too. As a single dad raising four children, he understands why parents are frustrated with the attempts to shut them out of their children’s education — because he’s faced the same frustration.
“It’s challenging for any parent in today’s culture. Our families do not need to have to wrestle with the school system. They should be able to walk side by side with our educational system and good teachers.”
Bean thinks today’s education environment is too focused on division, and he doesn’t believe the idea that kids can’t learn if they’re poor, or disabled, or culturally different, or second-language learners, etc. To him, every child deserves high hopes and high standards. It’s the job of educators to empower children to reach them.
“My dad was a teacher; he raised 12 kids. I had 3 black sisters; a Hispanic brother; I was the only Asian. Education transcends ethnicity and culture, it should bring us all together.”
Dr. Bean believes bringing parents and educators together is the hope and beacon for our students. And that when we put students at the center of the work, and support the adults who help the students, then the students can thrive.
We’re excited about this new dawn in education for the children and families of Orange County. Welcome, Dr. Bean, to your new position as Superintendent of Orange County Schools. We’ll be watching with great anticipation and hope.”
Rebecca Friedrichs is the founder of For Kids and Country , the author of Standing Up to Goliath: Battling State and National Teachers’ Unions for the Heart and Soul of Our Kids and Country , and a 28-year public school teacher who was lead plaintiff in Friedrichs v. CTA. Roger Ruvolo is a longtime newspaper editor and a new contributor to For Kids and Country.
