December 7 2019, 15.18
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A Wimbledon primary school teacher has swapped her classroom for doorsteps to prepare for her first General Election.
Jackie Schneider, a primary school teacher of 29 years, is Labour’s parliamentary candidate in Wimbledon for the General Election.
Ms Schneider said: “I’m just feeling really excited, it’s wonderful being able to spend my days talking to people about big stuff, big politics.
“It’s been great and it’s really exciting now we’re heading into the home straight.
“I’ve been a teacher for 29 years and this is the first year I’ve not done a Christmas production or worked for a Christmas show, so it does feel strange this time of year not to be getting ready for nativities.”
Ms Schneider has enjoyed every moment of the campaign so far and urges others to take part.
She said: “It has been such a privilege banging on doors to complete strangers and they open to tell you about what they want from life, where they see this country going and what they think we should be doing and having taught here for such a long time I’m having lots of reunions with kids I used to teach and ex-staff.
“I would genuinely say this has been a fantastic experience and I would encourage other people to get involved, these are the most extraordinary and unusual times.
“It’s been a real privilege to do it and I think we need more people taking part in democracy because you don’t always value it and I fear that without more people taking part people get a bit cynical.
“Who knows what will happen [on December 12] but it is amazing to feel that sense of momentum behind me and having lots of people turn up.
“It has been amazing, and I highly recommend it.”
Ms Schneider has spent most of her life in Merton having completed her own education in the area before beginning her teaching career in 1990 and her three sons also completed their education up to A level in Wimbledon schools.
A huge part of Ms Schneider’s campaign is to make changes in affordability and accessibility to the education system.
Ms Schneider said: “It’s a public good as well as something every economy needs to have a good education system in order to get young people to be the best of the next generation, which does have an economic benefit, but it has a social benefit as well.”
Read more about what’s important to south west London constituencies in our 24-page General Election preview special.
