As I do so very often, especially dealing with the educational issues of the day…. Almost ten years have passed since my retirement… Devoting thirty-eight years of my life for our precious children… I must continue advocating for our precious children…
Reflecting, As politics became more intrusive in our public schools…Teaching had become so much more of a challenge… It was never ever about the children…They were our Hope…
Politics interfering…with such blame, because of such a divisive political climate; thus creating schools with less revenue, less regard for educators; being blamed for the wrongs in education….. We were always the scapegoats because children were not learning…
That was and very much still is the rhetoric of the day….Lack of funding and the promoting of vouchers and privatization… And now in this present day of the utmost challenging issues; adding book bans…schools being unsafe, a non inclusive curriculum… child isolation, and a drastic shortage of teachers…
However, even through it all, I so believe …. having always held on to our precious children…that Hope…
Being that teacher of young children those thirty-eight years, My passion for teaching, I believed was my calling…
I felt it was my role to create a safe; loving and accepting classroom… Hoping to instill within my precious children that motivation to do what was needed for their desire for learning…
As I drew upon, from my own challenging, personal life… I was better equipped to empathize with many of my children’s own struggles…Yet, not enabling, nor making excuses…
They could do it….I spent a great deal of effort reaching out to their parents…Many very busy…Even making home visits…
Empathy, and not enabling … Fostering an independent spirit; ware part of that emotional support…I wanted to equip them with strategies to succeed… that I myself used…I did not want my children to give up…
So here we are today… Teacher shortages, book bans… schools without the necessary resources… etc…
Janis Sexton...Teacher...Advocate 