Children – Page 4 – Janis Sexton…Teacher…Advocate

“New Direction”…

Posted on March 21, 2015November 22, 2022 by Janis Sexton

Google Email:

New Direction

From: Janis S Sexton
To: Christopher Lake… teacher representative, Karen L. McCann… President of Alachua County Education Association

Details:

Dear ACEA:
I have appreciated being a teacher in Alachua County since 1972…On a personal level, for me, our district gave me that wonderful opportunity…
I am retiring this year and for these last 10 years, I have been quite concerned with the direction our public education of children from poverty have experienced…

It is my belief and experience, these precious children have been so neglected…We have crowded classrooms with fewer resources…Yet demands are extremely unrealistic..
I feel our school district does not address the real issues…We are now going to close schools, shuffling our children, taking more resources away…And I question how will that help these children?…
Young, strong teachers are so micromanaged…Will they make teaching a lifetime career?…And will those in charge want to acknowledge their dedication…with such unrelenting demands?…

Sadly I have kept quiet…however,once I do retire, I want to actively get involved…I can and do share my concerns on social media…
Thank you for representing us,
Janis Sexton🍎

From: Karen L McCann…President ACEA.. To: Janis S. Sexton

Details:

Thank you for your words of wisdom. I am happy to hear that as a retiree you want to make your voice louder and will now have more time to become more active. I will see you at the ACEA retirement dinner in May, at least I hope.
You can join our union retiree group TRACE and start coming here for events .

Thank you for your love and caring of our most precious lives, our children.

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Reflections

New Year…New Beginnings 2015

Posted on January 1, 2015January 3, 2015 by Janis Sexton

It is my belief that each new year can be a chance to start fresh; an opportunity to reflect on what is working or what needs to be modified to help better achieve the the goals set for my students…

This New Year…2015…my final year of teaching, gives me my chance to give my students this opportunity to give it my all…

This New Year…with all the challenges and demands, my students deserve no less than the best…I can only advocate that those with the power felt the same…

Our class and school makeup, represent a “Rainbow of Diversity”…

We are fortunate to be part of a school district that is within a university community… Because of this population, many of our parents come from other countries to attend the University of Florida;
Our school characterizes a rich blending of cultures and ethnicity… We have had many children from such countries as : Asia, Central and South America, and Africa…
In addition, to such cultural diversity, many of our children come from biracial homes… I have come to the realization, because of this colorful “rainbow” of diversity; our children have a better understanding;

Moreover an appreciation of our similarities, and acceptance of our differences…

This time of the year,“Winter, a Season of Love and New Beginnings”, is the perfect time to facilitate and model through a variety of activities blended into the curriculum; Those important values of love, acceptance and an appreciation of our differences… My first graders, are so very willing to accept and appreciate our diversity…

What an opportunity this makes!…

Through my teaching experiences, I utilize so many creative activities through literature, poetry, music and the arts to help teach these essential values…We learn how we and other cultures celebrate this time of the year… We even take our children on a field trip to experience a ballet… the “Nutcracker”…Our children are dazzled by this experience…

My children write poetry as a winter project to share with their family utilizing recycled Holiday Cards …They write thank you letters to teachers and helpers at our school… We even put on a play to share with our book buddies…All showing our love and appreciation…

Through our creativity and the arts… Love and Acceptance of our differences is valued, appreciated, and accepted…

Related articles

South Africans Reflect On Mandela’s ‘Rainbow Nation’ (npr.org)

Over The Rainbow (beliefhope.wordpress.com)

“Season of Love and Acceptance of Cultural Diversity…”

Reflections, Thoughts About Children

“Thanksgiving…Everyday…”

Posted on November 1, 2014November 3, 2023 by Janis Sexton

Being at a school with a diverse population, I have found this time of year is quite a stressful time for the children…In addition,with more expectations from such a demanding curriculum than ever before…So many of my children came to me struggling because their lives are so difficult..

As their teacher, I must keep the rigors of the classroom curriculum moving along with understanding and inspiration…I reach out to my young parents providing them with knowledge about providing their child a daily reading and homework time…Encouraging parents to put their child to bed at an early bedtime…I use myself as a role model for my parents and children…Because, I myself have to be ready for school by 6:30AM..I must be in bed by 7:30-8:00PM…I share so much of personal habits of organization with my children and their parents…

It is my hope that I will empower my children and parents to appreciate these values that will foster their child success in school…

Some of my parents will…However many do not… Their child may struggle…

It will always be my responsibility to provide the safety and structure…Through this beautiful season of “Fall Holidays”…Providing Love and Giving Thanks…

Mission

Florida Educators…

Posted on October 5, 2014October 25, 2014 by Janis Sexton

Our future for Children and Public Education…Our leaders must advocate funding for teaching all children…We must not be driven by data and over testing…

Florida Educators Vote Your Job is on Facebook. To connect with Florida Educators Vote Your Job, join Facebook today…

Mission, Reflections

First Week…Back to School…

Posted on August 24, 2014October 26, 2014 by Janis Sexton

I have always enjoyed the Friday before the beginning of the school year to meet my new students and their parents…I rely on just that brief meeting to begin making an assessment, when parent and child come in to meet me…
One important piece of pertinent information gained from this meeting is that I can begin to assess those children that may be outgoing or those that may be quite reserved….

The first week of school is the crucial time when I focus on establishing… “Our Relationship”, one that lets my children know I will love them unconditionally; providing a classroom for structure to inspire learning, and moreover, feel safe to accept and appreciate our differences…No matter what is presented…The foundation for a successful year ahead…

Mission

Ready or Not…

Posted on August 6, 2014September 8, 2014 by Janis Sexton

My Classroom is ready for learning….Hopefully when my new first graders arrive Monday, August 18th…Our class will provide them a place to feel safe and learn to appreciate their love of learning…

This will be my final year…I will be retiring…

Back in 1972 when I first began, there was such hope and idealism…We just survived civil unrest…We just integrated our schools; hopefully providing all our children a strong education with such wonderful programs such as: Head Start and Parenting Programs …We teachers were ready to teach and inspire all our children!

And now, sadly as I embark on retirement, I so very feel we have lost what is truly important..Inspiring and teaching all our children…
However, I am still hopeful that we will not let this continue, allowing powerful businesses taking control of our public schools…

We will find our way back to what is essentially Important…
Teaching all of our children!

Continue reading “Ready or Not…” →

Summer... Time for reflection... — Summer… Time for reflection…

This 2013-2014 school year is over…With each year, the summer gives me that chance to reflect…

My first thought, this year especially, is acknowledging how exhausted I am; All the extra demands of testing and keeping up the pace of a more challenging curriculum…While striving to keep the children motivated and engaged…

I do also worry how my children spend their summer’s free time…

Throughout the school year I spent my teaching time encouraging them the “love of reading”; encouraging parents to take their child to the public library…And now with this extra time, I so do hope my parents “if” they have the time in their challenging lives… to take their child to the public library… to become the owner of their personal library card, that will open up their “World” to all the joys of the Public Library; SummerPrograms..Movies…Reading Books…And free Computer time!

I will most definitely worry about my children; and how regularly they will eat…So many of them come from such chaos, and our classroom providing them that safety net.. At school they would have their breakfast, lunch, and many snacks that I would routinely provide…

Most of all, I too will be able to come back to school in August ready and recharged to be the best I can be… even with all its demands and rigors…Our children deserve no less…

Summer…A Time…to Reflect…

Quote• Posted on June 19, 2014May 16, 2023 by Janis Sexton

Reflections

Spring Break…2014

Posted on March 27, 2014March 30, 2014 by Janis Sexton

A week to rest and recharge… My Children need that time for a break too!

I do have concerns with many of my children… They have a week off to be in very unstructured lives… Many do not eat well, nor sleep well… I do try to instill and empower them with the desire to make safe choices, I try to provide reading and math work to do over this break….But of course they are little ones, and I do worry…