Thoughts About Children Dear America…We Can Do This…For Our Precious Children First Posted on September 18, 2024…
This post, from last year before the election, gave us hope as a possibility… Despite this opportunity, and perhaps because of the divisive political climate, we did not heed the message…
Now, we must take charge to open the hearts and minds of those who may not heed the consequences we are facing and their impact on our children’s future…
#FloridaTeacher♥️🍎 We can do this… September Awakening Hope Autumn Magic ✨ Our precious children…
Barack Obama… Faith… That is the true genius of America…
A Faith in simple Dreams… An insistence of small Miracles… #WeThePeople #FaithOverFear #BidenHarrisAdministration #HarrisWalzForThePeople ♥️🤍💙🇺🇲🕊️
Dear America 🙏🏼🇺🇲 If a political party does not have its foundation in the determination to advance a cause that is right and that is moral, then it is not a political party; it is merely a conspiracy to seize power. DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER, speech, March 6, 1956
I am quite proud to have been a teacher for thirty-eight years…
I came to teaching quite by accident… I always had an interest in the arts; perhaps becoming a fashiondesigner…
Happy Life Moment…Dream Maker…My family together at Aunt’s wedding… I was the flower girl…
However, overcoming my own challenging childhood… Parents divorcing early in my life…I was called upon to take care of myself…Due to my mother’s work… I had to get myself to school each morning…I was a latchkey child…In addition to that responsibility, I had a sister whowas six years older, with mental health issues… Ifelt my mother was relying on meto look after her…
My early life, definitely lead me to the realization….I had a tremendous need to helping others….
So, in my senior year of high school, I made the decision to become a social worker, and attend Florida State University, in Tallahassee…In sharing my decision with an uncle…It was he who suggested, becoming a teacher, because it would better suit me…Hebelieved it was….
A more stable career for a young woman...
Following this insight; One particular day that I will never forget, in my senior English class at Miami High School…My favorite, pretty, young teacher, Ms. Kempler, commented that she likedmydress!… She said that it reminded her of the University of Florida… It was the University’s colors of “orange and blue“…
Wow, I so appreciated her comment!.. Back then because of my personal life, I never felt noticed … Ms. Kempler did notice me!
Ms. Kempler had gone to the University of Florida; in a town called Gainesville… I had never even heard of, until this very moment…Well… my decision becoming a teacher, was made that day in 1966 my senior year, and go to the University of Florida, just like Ms. Kemper!
Thank you,
Dear Ms Kempler
Soon after, that February in 1967…my mother died unexpectedly, but before she passed…
I shared with her the news, in the hospital, that I was just accepted to the University of Florida, and made her a promise that day, I would go to college!
The road was definitely not easy…Living with friends until this challenging high school year ended… Graduation, and then working that summer in New York where my father was living…Monies earned would help with college expenses… College funds were minimal…
I would be beginning my college career alone … My best friend’s mother saw me off at the Miami Seaboard Train Station August,1967…I Arrived on campus in a taxi… alone … Watching everyone with their families , and I by myself and determination…
My early college school years were quite difficult… I was even told by a college advisor…I did not belong because of my test scores…Yet, I was determined to prove them wrong …And I feel so blessed…I was determined…I succeeded… Even getting married young, while attending college; and having my daughter,…
March of 1972 I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education…
Doing it with self- determination and blessed with college grants and loans, and food stamps…
Then immediately, getting my first teaching job…April 1, 1972…Traveling 90 miles a day just to teach…
Now as I reflect on my thirty-eight years; I am quite proud of all accomplished…
I have taught so many children from grades ranging from kindergarten to fifth grade; dating back from “1972”, up to my last year, retiring in “2015” …And spending more than twenty-five years in first grade…
I also went on to get a Masters of Science in Administration from an accelerated program from Nova University…an opportunity I felt would enrich my teaching journey …
And then later, I even had a wonderful opportunity teaching a college seminar for beginning teachers back at the University of Florida, while on a paid sabbatical working on an advanced course work in counseling education…I felt like I was living dream my mother had for me…
And I have never looked back… Becoming a teacher was the most important decision I made to channel my passion for helping…
Thanks to my mother, and those that believed in my determination...I was teaching our young precious children!!…
“How I hope my students can still remember back to the time they spent in my class so many years ago, and remember that love I have for them, smile warmly at some of the memories, and definitely have the confidence in themselves that they can amount to everything they put their minds”…
And…now more than ever…I will always advocate for our children…
Retired now 10 years…2014 was my last year…Had concerns, never believing we would be here…
Chaotic start for 2025…
Trump administration shouldn’t get credit for giving back money they illegally withheld from our public school kids and teachers…Senator Elizabeth Warren
Mark Lieberman Reporter, Education Week..
Trump Abruptly Unfreezes All of the Education Funds He Had Withheld
The Trump administration next week will unfreeze billions of K-12 education dollars it has withheld from states since July 1, the Education Department told states Friday afternoon.
Roughly $5 billion for K-12 schools will flow beginning the week of July 28 to states through four K-12 education grant programs, according to a July 25 Department of Education letter obtained by Education Week….
Another $715 million for two adult education grant programs will also flow to states next week, according to a separate Department of Education letter obtained by Education Week…
Funding will start flowing to states next week The announcement to state education agencies marks an abrupt and dramatic reversal from the Trump administration’s unprecedented decision to withhold, with less than one day’s notice, all funds from seven longstanding grant programs Congress voted in March to fund for the upcoming school year.
That move late last month sparked a firestorm of controversy and chaos nationwide, including lawsuits from two dozen Democratic state officials and, earlier this week, a coalition of school districts, state-level teachers’ unions, and education advocates.
Democrats in Congress condemned the freeze as illegal and unconstitutional.
Roughly a dozen Republicans on Capitol Hill, including 10 senators who represent rural states, called last week for the administration to immediately release the money—the most direct rebuke from federal Republicans to President Donald Trump’s education policies so far during his second term.
The vast majority of Republican lawmakers stayed silent on the funding freeze, even though almost all of them voted to approve the affected funds.
Randi Weingarten, president of the 1.8 million American Federation of Teachers, on Friday afternoon announced the release of the funds to a standing ovation of hundreds of teachers at the union’s professional development conference in Washington.
In an interview with Education Week, Weingarten said she’s optimistic many schools will be able to get planned programming for students back on track.
“School districts plan weeks and months in advance; they don’t plan two minutes in advance,” Weingarten said.
Funding freeze twists have upended school districts’ budget planning The administration began unthawing its funding freeze last week when it sent states $1.4 billion in Title IV-B funds for before- and after-school programs. Some of those programs had already begun dismissing employees and suspending services.
The seven affected grant programs were under review in an effort to root out a “radical leftwing agenda,” the federal Office of Management and Budget said in early July, without detailing the timeline or criteria for the review.
Since then, states and districts have been racing to understand the implications of this decision for the upcoming school year.
Many have already rejiggered budgets, laid off workers, or tapped alternative sources of funds for programs they intend to maintain with or without federal support.
Some of those decisions may be difficult for schools to immediately reverse—especially because Congress hasn’t yet weighed in on Trump’s proposal to eliminate the affected grant programs after the current school year.
Some school districts reported earlier in July that the delay in the funding already affected their ability to purchase materials and hire supplemental staff.
“Celebrate today, but keep organizing and keep advocating and using your voice so we can make sure that our students get the services that they need,” said Montserrat Garibay, who oversaw Title III funding as director of the Education Department’s English-language acquisition office under President Joe Biden.
The Trump administration has thrown federal education funding into chaos since Jan. 20—yanking already-awarded grant funds; changing spending rules and guidelines without warning; asking Congress to consider massive cuts. Its next moves remain unclear.
Politico reported earlier this week that the White House was preparing to send Congress a proposal to rescind education funds lawmakers allocated earlier this year.
It’s not clear whether these now-unfrozen grant funds were among the ones the Trump administration wanted permission to formally claw back-—or whether the administration still plans to attempt to rescind those funds with lawmakers’ approval…
As a retired educator with 38 years of teaching experience in Florida, I believe it is essential to have an inclusive historical curriculum that benefits all of our children… This issue has become highly politically divisive, and I am extremely concerned about its implications…
Currently, I am proud to be a member of the retired educator community… 🙏🏾❤️🍎📚
NEAToday @BeckyPringle @FloridaEA @ADL
#FloridaTeacher❤️🍎 #TeacherLove #ProtectOurKids
I am incredibly proud and relieved that we reached a fair and just decision, allowing us to provide all our Precious Children with a curriculum that respects diversity…🙏🏾💔🍎📚
The National Education Association committee has rejected the proposal to ban materials from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL)…
Young children are so accepting of our differences…. Our children can be taught that value of inclusion at such a young age… 💜🪄✨🌟🌈🍎📚
DeSantis has spoken out in approval of the Trump administration’s decision to get rid of the Department of Education…
Public education in Florida faces significant challenges, grappling with a conservative agenda that often sparks both national and state-level divisions. It’s a complex situation that affects students, teachers, and communities across the state. How can we come together to navigate these turbulent waters and ensure a brighter future for all?
Floridians will vote on a ballot measure this November that would add party labels to local school board races for the first time in decades, potentially supercharging what have already become contentious contests across the state.
These offices have been under increasing scrutiny since the pandemic, when the lessons and content taught to students became a front-and-center issue that grabbed the attention of parents and policymakers. Gov. Ron DeSantis and his allies view winning control of school boards as key to reshaping the state’s education system, something GOP leaders have been chipping away over the last few years. And it isn’t just in Florida — there have been increasingly fierce fights over school board seats across the country, from swing counties in Pennsylvania to Republicans trying to gain a toehold in blue California.
Anastasios “Stasi” Kamoutsas reacts to being named Florida commissioner of education during a State Board of Education in June. Gov. Ron DeSantis and his allies are working to remake Florida’s education system. [ D.A. VARELA | TNS ]
By Jeffrey S. SolochekTimes staff
The big story: Gov. Ron DeSantis continues his effort to mold Florida’s education system to fit his agenda.
For the second time in a year, DeSantis on Friday appointed to the State Board of Education a supporter who lost a bid for local school board. The same day, the state advanced its plan to create an alternate higher education accrediting agency that DeSantis has touted as a way to eliminate left-wing ideology from university campuses.
On the K-12 front, Layla Collins — whom DeSantis endorsed for her failed run for the Hillsborough board in 2024 — is poised to replace term-limited Ben Gibson on the panel that oversees statewide education policy for schools and community colleges.
Collins, a retired Army veteran and social conservative, has strongly backed DeSantis on a variety of issues. So, too, has her husband, state Sen. Jay Collins, who is considered a contender to fill Florida’s lieutenant governor vacancy created by Jeanette Nuñez’s move to Florida International University as president.
Collins took to social media to thank DeSantis for the appointment: “After a career dedicated to serving our nation and as the mom of two wonderful children that attend public school, I can assure you that I don’t take this responsibility lightly,” she wrote on X. She is scheduled to take her post on Aug. 1, about two weeks after DeSantis aide Anastasios Koumatsas takes the helm as Florida’s new education commissioner. Read more here.
On the higher ed side, the DeSantis overhaul includes an initiative to change the way the state’s universities are accredited — a system that can affect what schools teach and whether their students can gain access to financial aid, among other things…
To that end, the Florida Board of Governors approved $4 million for the creation of the Commission for Public Higher Education. Florida and five other university systems intend to join when it’s up and running. The focus on accreditation to remake higher ed is part of the Trump playbook, the Washington Post reports…
DeSantis also appointed former Osceola County school board member Tim Weisheyer to the Florida State University board of trustees, Florida Politics reports…
Our precious children… Christmas in July ✨ 🌲 ✨ SummerPeaceandLove…
4th of July… Congress sending Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ to his desk after dramatic all-night House vote…🙏🏽💔🇺🇲
There is nothing as rewarding as making someone realise that they are worthwhile in this World, That their presence makes a difference…
#AmericaDream #4thOfJuly ✨️🙏🏾❤️🇺🇲
July’sWish… This 4th of July… Time for our reflection…
Our Independence Day Commemorates the passage of the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776…
AMERICA WILL NEVER BE DESTROYED FROM THE OUTSIDE IF WE FALTER AND LOSE OUR FREEDOMS IT WILL BE BECAUSE WE DESTROYED OURSELVES
Abraham Lincoln
Former President Barack Obama warned about a “weak commitment” to democracy by President Donald Trump’s administration and the U.S. “drifting” into autocracy during a speech in Connecticut, according to media reports.bit.ly
A 2-year-old American girl has been left stateless after the Trump administration deported her alongside her family.
Emanuelly Borges Santos, known to her family as Manu, was born in a Florida hospital in 2022. She has an American passport and a Social Security card. Nevertheless, Manu and her parents, who are both undocumented, were packed onto a plane with 94 others and shipped to Brazil in February, according to a report from The Washington Post.
When they arrived, Brazilian officials were shocked to find the American toddler among the deportees.
Our funding for a strong public education here in Florida is being attacked consistently…It truly is critical that we not accept this fate…
Many of Florida’s precious children suffer through this extremely divisive political climate…
Investigation…
Why Florida school vouchers can pay for Disney tickets, TVs while draining billions from public schools…
WESH 2 Investigates uncovers how many families paid for theme park tickets with state-funded vouchers…
Justin Schecker Investigative Reporter News Team
With billions of Florida taxpayer dollars flowing into the state’s pricy private schools and the pockets of families opting to homeschool their children, WESH 2 Investigates is taking a closer look at the guidelines for how that scholarship money can be spent.
Families of students receiving school choice scholarships – regardless of their income – can purchase TVs up to 55 inches, the Nintendo Wii and in-home internet.
Tickets to Central Florida’s theme parks – Disney World, Universal Studios and Sea World – can also be reimbursed, according to purchasing guides from Step Up For Students, the nonprofit that administers nearly all the scholarships.
For families who already sent their children to private school or they’re making the switch from public school, the roughly $8,000 scholarship will only cover a fraction of the tuition for the more expensive private schools in Central Florida.
Homeschooling families have more flexibility in how to spend the state voucher.
Step Up is sharing new data with WESH 2 Investigates on how many students had theme park tickets reimbursed this school year.
‘You don’t get that in traditional public schools’ “If we do decide to do a theme park or anything, we use our own personal money,” Alli Gladden, a Seminole County mother, said.
Gladden decided to homeschool her 7-year-old daughter, Harper, for first grade.
“With the way kids are, like, aging so quickly, now it’s a good opportunity to spend a lot more time with them and have a lot more control over what they’re learning,” she said.
She showed WESH 2 Investigates how she’s transformed a room in her family’s Longwood home into Harper’s classroom for math, reading and language arts lessons.
“Describe Christ,” Gladden told her daughter during a vocabulary activity. “So, you don’t get that in traditional public schools.”
Gladden said she’s spent about $6,000 of her daughter’s $8,200 state scholarship on a Christian-based curriculum, books, art supplies and a once-a-week outdoor activity co-op program with other children.
“We’re utilizing those funds ourselves, instead of the public school deciding what to do with that money,” Gladden said. “And to us, it’s just been a better opportunity for her.”
A closer look at the purchasing guides’ rules for Florida theme parks Step Up administered half a million scholarships this school year.
According to Step Up’s purchasing guides, “funds must be used to meet the educational needs of an eligible student. Using a student’s scholarship funds for other purposes may violate Florida Statutes and may be a crime.”
One theme park ticket or pass per student can be reimbursed up to $299, plus tax. However, families must fill out a form with a simple question: What is the Educational Benefit of this item?
“Only the actual cost of the basic admission for the student will be covered,” the Step Up purchasing guides for the 24-25 school year said. “Additional services (such as parking, food and beverage packages, photographs or souvenirs, or premium access) are not eligible expenses.”
WESH 2 Investigates has learned from Step Up more than 8,400 students had theme park ticket reimbursements paid or approved for this school year.
The majority – nearly 6,000 – have Personalized Education Plan (PEP) scholarships for homeschooling.
More than 5,400 reimbursements for Florida theme parks are in another status, Step Up’s Strategic Communications Director Scott Kent said. They’re either submitted, denied or on hold.
“The family did not submit an education benefit form or some other necessary documentation, or they tried to submit a reimbursement for an unapproved theme park, such as a water park,” Kent said in an email.
‘We would not allow that to occur’ in public school The Florida Policy Institute is tracking the financial impact on Florida’s 67 public school districts since the passage of HB1 in 2023.
“I really feel as if schools were spending their money on some of the things that are allowable under these guidelines, furniture, TVs, Park passes, we would not allow that to occur,” Dr. Norín Dollard told WESH 2 Investigates.
Dollard said Florida’s universal school choice scholarships are draining billions of dollars away from traditional public schools.
“Parents have been homeschooling their children in Florida for a very long time, and managed it without public funding,” she said.
‘If they’re doing marine biology, they go to Sea World’ Last year, Florida lawmakers considered more restrictions on scholarship money spending, but those changes were not approved.
Kent told WESH 2 Investigates many families contacted lawmakers to argue that restrictions on education savings accounts “would limit their ability to provide arts and other enrichment opportunities to their children.”
“In addition, families provided Step Up with numerous examples of how theme parks contribute to their students’ customized learning plans, such as a homeschool family who incorporates all the different history and culture lessons available at Disney World, including art and music festivals,” Kent said in an email to WESH 2 Investigates. “Parents point to how the parks tie directly into curriculum: If they’re doing zoology, they go to Animal Kingdom; if they’re doing marine biology, they go to Sea World, etc.”
Step Up’s 2025-26 purchasing guides will be released on July 1.
While theme park tickets aren’t part of her homeschooling spending plan, Gladden said she will be applying for additional state scholarships in the coming years.
She said she hopes to homeschool all five of her children.
“I’m going to have to upgrade a little bit,” Gladden said. “I mean, I’ve got enough chairs.”
Rivers do not drink their own water; trees do not eat their own fruit; the sun does not shine on itself and flowers do not spread their fragrance for themselves. Living for others is a rule of nature. We are all born to help each other. No matter how difficult it is…Life is good when you are happy; but much better when others are happy because of you…
Janis Sexton...Teacher...Advocate 