Quotes

Thank You… Teachers…

Our World…has virtually changed due to this Coronavirus Pandemic…that began as far back in January…

Since mid March we have shut our communities down… except for essential work…

Our children have not been going to their respective schools… Relying on their learning from computers with parent and teacher support…

And now we are beginning the month of May….After great dissonance from parents, teachers and schools here in Florida, our governor will maintain the stay at home order for children to remain home the rest of this school year… assisted by virtual learning and home schooling…

In addition….although our state will slowly be opening …even though we are still not really flattening the curve….Many of our children’s lives have been impacted greatly…

With less restrictions in place… the challenge of how to control this most catastrophic virus…Will there be some relief?

Parents and teachers trying to meet those most challenging of circumstances…
Balancing life as it is now…

We do have an opportunity to keep this virus under control if we adhere to being socially distanced and staying at home…

My hope for the future is to listen to the scientists along with the medical field…

We as a people must vote by mail for a president that cares…and who will lead… Tuesday November 3…Vote for Joe Biden…He will be that leader with a heart…

Our Children’s future is definitely depending on us doing the right thing!!!


A Better…Tomorrow!!!


Hope…

Quote• Posted on by janisexton

First day of Spring….
Prayers…
Hope and Faith…
Blessings…
Grace…
Gratitude…

SpringTime

🐞☘️🌈🙏🏼💖

Many of our children are now being quarantined because of the coronavirus…

Of these children…there are those that rely on getting breakfast and lunch at school….And now our communities and federal government, hopefully are reaching out to those children and families affected…

There is the unknown as to how long children will be out of schools… Schools and communities are providing resources online and parental support may be providing additional learning…

However, there are definitely those children from challenging home situations who may be at a loss…I do hope that local school communities will be providing support…

Teachers concerned about those children may even drive by their homes just to let them know they are loved..

In addition, here in Florida, standardized test will not be administered this year…And that will take some of the pressure off the lack of classroom learning…

We must do all we can to prevent the spread of this virus… Families… children and those vulnerable especially…are relying on all of us listening and following the necessary protocols…Self distancing especially…

We will come back from this…Our children are depending on their future… better and stronger….

Our Children… Spring Time

Quote• Posted on by janisexton

In my many years of teaching, my main focus was….to reach all of my children…That….along with the rigors of the required curriculum…I believed in order for young children to be successful…they needed to know I cared…

Since this new millennium, especially teaching children from a diverse African American background…

I believed…those children needed to feel pride in their history…not just in February, when Black History is part of the curriculum…

I felt taking those opportunities when I could to fit in to our day..

Talks about how their values of character such as: kindness, working hard, and … never giving up!
Are those qualities that people should be judged…

And not by what they look like…

I would always call upon that memory of

” Dr, Martin Luther King” …

And how much he believed and never giving up on this Dream….

Using myself as an example of when I was a young child I would share that I would watch the news about Dr. King on television… and what a special man…he was…

…My children with eyes wide open felt that he was real , because Ms Sexton saw him!!!

I would also emphasize the story of Rosa Parks, as another real person, I also heard about when I was little, and her bravery in how she spoke out, and took a stand to something that was wrong!

All my personal anecdotes helped convey their history in a very relatable way…Making it relevant and hoping they too would be proud of who the are ; striving for values and achievement…

All our children, whatever their ethnicity… race… religion… would be…

In our classroom…they were loved…And accepted…!!!

Black History all Year…

Quote• Posted on by janisexton

President Trump is definitely not a proponent for children, and those who rely on our public schools for their education…

Just the fact his selection of Betsy DeVos , an unqualified, billionaire who has strong ties to religious, private schools…as secretary of education….
I knew our public schools were in trouble…

With the fewer resources and funding this administration has taken from public education…and putting those funds into privatization…

And Now…this week at the State of the Union, post Impeachment… President Trump had an opportunity to vindicate the past…

 

He most definitely did not… He made his State of the Union Speech…a bid for his reelection….His little regard for our public schools calling them government schools…is absolutely disgraceful!

Taking this momentous occasion as an opportunity to stage a young student, who he said attended a public school,  to be a recipient of the Education Freedom Scholarship…so  she would be able to attend a private school…(Which is reportedly false)
…She is already  attending a prominent private school!He then revealed that he
for wanted Congress to fund 1 million dollars to that Education Freedom Scholarships and Opportunity Act- for those worthy students….Adding:

“Because no parent should be forced to send their child to a failing government schools!
 
 
He also urged Congress to pass legislation,
creating a 5 billion federal tax credit program that would fund scholarships to private and religious schools… benefitting individuals and donors…
The scholarships would be funded by individuals and businesses who want to privately donate but who would then receive a federal tax credit…

 

The President did call for more vocational and technical education at the high school level…And  the importance of the constitutional right for prayer in schools...

 

Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, the second-largest teachers union, said in a statement: “Donald Trump and Betsy DeVos have made no secret of their antipathy for public education. Rather than strengthen the cornerstone of our democracy and the chief enabler of pluralism and opportunity, they choose to defund and destabilize it. No amount of rebranding vouchers and privatization as ‘choice’ and ‘freedom’ changes that...

 
 
 
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In State of the Union, Trump makes clear his aversion to public schools – Article by Valerie Strauss…from The Washington Post..

Quote• Posted on by janisexton

2c3d19e6946923cbac75990147e20316This time of year, back in the day…My classroom was the place for fun that inhanced our  learning….We had time to incorporate into the  curriculum,  learning through special art  and  creative poetry projects that were made for our parents, as holiday gifts…

We truly enjoyed taking  two special  field trips to  magical places that our  children got to experience first hand: visiting a pumpkin patch farm and  the viewing of the Nutcracker Ballet…Some of our children would never have had those opportunities…What learning!

We spent a great deal of time learning and appreciating different cultures and how they celebrated the season…And finally,  the children couldn’t wait for the culmination of the celebration of the season with our holiday cookie exchange…Then off for winter break!!!

It is my hope that  our public school teachers continue these beautiful traditions for our children…As we know, there are those children who especially need to know the Beauty of the Season…

This could be a Season of Miracles…

Our Season of Thanks….

Quote• Posted on by janisexton

I am now in the final weeks of my career as a public school teacher…🍎

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Reflecting on my thirty-eight years; I have taught so many children from grades ranging from kindergarten to fifth grade; dating back from 1972, up to the present.. I even had a wonderful opportunity teaching a college seminar for beginning teachers at the University of Florida, while on a sabbatical working on an advanced course work in counseling education…

I feel so blessed…touching the lives of so many children….

I did have to retire briefly for five years due to my health…However, I still was able to advocate for children in the court system during that time as a Guardian ad Litem…

Teaching, being an advocate for children has been my lifetime passion…

I have such mixed feelings about my retirement…

It is my strong belief that I am leaving at a time our bright intelligent children, especially those from poverty, who souly rely on our public education system are not being adequately represented…Our priorities for children are hindered by an emphasis on testing and collection of data…Our schools that teach children from challenging homes have fewer resources making teachers such as myself overwhelmed and devalued by being micromanaged…And making all this even more difficult;
fewer strong, young, professional teachers will no longer commit to such a rewarding career...

For this I have such regret…

As for myself…I will always feel the need to advocate for our children, and their right to a strong free public education…
And know that I really did make a difference!

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“Letting Go”…

Quote• Posted on by janisexton

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Being a teacher has been my mission on my life’s journey;   It is my passion… From my very beginning in 1972, I had no idea what an impact it would have on my life…  

There were other roads I could have taken, administration; guidance counseling, teaching at the college level…. All these I  opportunities to leave the classroom, but I did not choose those paths… I am a teacher…

I felt my need was to teach  and inspire  all  children, especially those children who needed my love and  safety…How that makes me feel with this choice, as a teacher and an individual… impacting children’s lives for me has been a gift…

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Quote• Posted on by janisexton