Author: Janis Sexton

Retired elementary public school teacher; all thirty-eight years in Florida... Now spending my time advocating for our children, and their right to strong public school education...With an appreciation for the arts, and the magic in each day✨...
Posted in Reflections

We Value Working Hard…

Posted on by Janis Sexton

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I have learned over the many years that I have taught, children who come from challenging homes, do have the same potential and capabilities as those of my students who are blessed with parents that have the time to support their child’s education…

Yet…this value of working hard must be taught and appreciated… As a teacher, I would have hoped to have all my children ready to learn and work hard….

However, many of today’s children living in these challenging homes, I have found, have a difficult time accepting and achieving this value…I believe it is because they have learned early in life from their role models, to give up when challenged or not even to try…

This is where my role as their advocate, teacher is there to love and understand their lives….The difference is, I will not enable their “learned helplessness”….I provide a safe, strong, hardworking classroom… I will be a strong role model….that values who they are…We will always try… “Never Giving Up”!

Posted in Reflections

Second Chances…

Posted on by Janis Sexton

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Many of my children come from homes without structure…Some may even come from neglect and chaos…I have always believed children are precious and innocent, hearts filled with love…

Yet, because of dire circumstance, some can exhibit instability and anger…
So much of my day is teaching my children how to operate safely, hoping to enable empowerment and inspiration….

What makes our teaching more challenging is the lack of funds in Public Education and Title I schools; our resources are fewer, however expectations are more demanding,

Now more than ever, funding is critical!!!

We must be able to teach with a smaller class size, to be able to provide more one to one help for our children from these unstructured home situations ….

And moreover, the benefit of having a well trained paraprofessional assigned to aid in those special demands of children who are in need of extra attention …

Our school does have a guidance counselor however, he or she is so tied up with RTI data and coordinating meetings….Because of this lack of funds, there is a need for more counselors who can give all those special children the benefit from a strong guidance counseling program…

However, they may fall through the cracks!…It is our hope to give each child their opportunity…to be a success…

Even as many teachers try with all their efforts, in spite of these challenges…

It is so heartbreaking that because of fewer resources and funding…We may not able to provide some of our children their chance… deserving that chance to become their best!!!

Posted in Thoughts About Children

“We are a Team…Children…Parents”

Posted on by Janis Sexton

How I appreciate my parents… Parent involvement is essential…

Teaching at a school with a diverse community…I do not always get the support and involvement of my parents…

Our school community works hard trying to get our parents involved….We have many school activities that include children and refreshments to encourage… This year especially, with all the new curriculum and expectations of our children, I must continue reaching for the support of our parents…..

Communication and involvement make the difference…

Our Fall Festival this month… will be a time to conference with parents…Any chance I can get is an opportunity…

Other opportunities help bridge our communication; Having lunch at school with your child… Volunteering at school…

We so appreciate our parents…We are a team…

Posted in Thoughts About Children

Schedules… Demands, and Teaching…

Posted on by Janis Sexton

What can I say…I have held a passion for teaching and children since 1972…Today with such unrelenting demands that sabotage teaching and the requirements teachers must follow…Knowing how it impacts my children…I do feel sad and frustrated…. I look at my precious children, with their willingness to do their best and do all that is asked…My love and passion, still holding dear not to disappoint…I do try to inspire, and make all this fun and rewarding…

My little first graders must sit all day…recess at the end of the day…Taking tests where they must have computer skills, and I will be evaluated how effective my teaching is….I can only hope that one day…We will once again do the right thing…

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Posted in Thoughts About Children

A New Year…Love to Teach…

Posted on by Janis Sexton

 

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Posted in Reflections

Teaching Reading….

Posted on by Janis Sexton

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I have loved the joy of teaching young children to read…. It has been such a delight in seeing them for the first time realize they can read….There is such a look on their precious faces of surprise …

This year for me has been a quite challenging…Our school is a diverse school in a progressive district…We do have a majority of children from poverty…Our school does have a reputation, even with the challenges… Always striving to maintain the status quo… With all the demands of Common Core Curriculum, and the rigors of Testing…. These challenges, added to the many other teaching responsibilities…

We struggle with the problem our children face who live in such impoverished conditions…

I will always inspire my children to love to read, even with all these demands… I do feel though, no one is listening to our children…They are our future...

Posted in Thoughts About Children

Feeding Hungry Children…

Posted on by Janis Sexton

As a teacher of young children, I do find some of my students come to school hungry…They have a hard time concentrating and have even shared with me…they are hungry!…

Our school is prepared to handle this challenge…

We have a federal program called SNAP; Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, in place providing the necessary funds that enable us to provide all our children a free breakfast; For those who qualify, a free lunch; And for those who may not qualify for free lunch, the necessary steps in place, that if for any child is without lunch money, our school will let it go for a while, reaching out to the home, and provide a mini meal; sandwich with milk…

We never want our children hungry for any reason…

In addition, our school, has a “Backpack Food Program” filled with food items from donations, from a caring church in our community… Those children who are in such need, take home their backpacks weekly to share with their families…In addition to all this support, it is not unusual for me, as well as many other teachers to do our part with food drives for our children…

I also provide a nutritional daily snack; in addition, keeping food items in our classroom …just in case…

Food is essential for our children to be able to learn….No child can be motivated and eager when they are deprived of food…