My son is arguably smarter than most of his teachers. Yet they won't move him ahead in grade level. In essence, they're sucking his incentive to improve his knowledge. I have consistently been promised they will challenge him and have failed...............

Under the current mayor the focus has been on blaming teachers as characterized by his administration's obsession with the development of an "I gotcha" teacher evaluation system; rather than recognizing that effective teaching is an art form not a student testing taking, consultant profit making, data driven and teacher paper pushing - corporation. Using our children as guinea pigs by closing schools rather than supporting them and pitting public schools against charter schools resulting in overcrowded school building and classrooms - children are human beings not tools or corporate things. Education is the enterprise of caring about student learning; it is meant to be led by an educator who understands the various needs of all children not a dictating privitization, means to an end, legacy for ambitious politicians. Our schools must be governed by community and parental input which includes the responsibilities and idealogy indicated by our president during the recent election: "Teachers must inspire, Principals must lead, Parents must urge and children must do the work." by the President of the United States of America Barack Obama. We deserve better give our schools back to our parents, teachers, students, and community by mandating parental and community input in the governance and/or leadership of our schools.

Oklahoma schools are being starved for funds and made to submit to draconian cuts in budgets and support. Barresi wants to send public money to private and religious schools while also starting and paying 'for profit' charter schools for her campaign friends.

We do not want our teachers carrying guns in our Schools. Tell the NRA no way and under no circumstances will our teacher take on that task.

There are hundreds, if not thousands of veterans with average student debt of $42,000. They have fallen through administrative cracks and have large student debts because of this. They have honorably served their country and now are burdened with large student debts that affect their ability to support their families.

I do not want guns in my Grandson;s school.

My friend recently graduated from college with a degree in Chemical Engineering with an impressive GPA. However, he now works a minimum wage job to pay his bills temporarily during his remaining time in the US before he is forced to leave. This economy is tough on us all but I hate seeing my friend having to be ashamed of the choices his parents made by employers. He like many other STEM (Science, Technology and Engineering Major) students should be judged on their achievements and not their nationality. Tell our government to help these kids stay in the US and grant them legal work status.

When I was going to college, students had little experience, and even fewer options than to borrow excessively in order to fund their education. This created a slippery slope, as many feel that regardless of their major they are guaranteed jobs on the basis of having an undergraduate degree. With the present state of the economy, many are now leaving their passions behind and instead choosing in-demand professions, or working in sales or retail. History will look at America's decline much the same way it saw the decline of Ancient Rome, Medieval Italian city-states such as Venice and Florence, and even enlightenment France and Germany. It first arises with a decline of the artist class, where financial constraints of the state cause many to abandon the profession. After this follows morality, Faith, and general progress leading to decadence.

One short week after the Sandy Hook tragedy, NRA leadership called for ‘guns in schools’ as the antidote to future incidents. We know this is not the answer—more guns means more shootings, more accidents, more tragedy. Putting loaded guns into the hands of school personnel is simply unacceptable. But eighteen states (including California, Connecticut and Hawaii) already permit teachers to carry guns. The details for these permissions vary, but the result is the same—children can end up in harms way. Currently, several other states have already proposed bills to arm our teachers. At the same time, teachers, administrators and parents are speaking out overwhelmingly against guns in civilian hands at school. This includes the teaching community of Sandy Hook. The NRA has really only one motive in wanting to arm our teachers and school staff—more guns sales, and hence more profits. We need national legislation so that these politicized dramas, and their potentially disastrous consequences, do not get played out one state at a time. Like regulations for our food and drugs, keeping guns out of schools is a matter of national health. For more information on proposed legislation, local decisions and responses from teachers and parents, please visit our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/TeachersAgainstGunsInSchools Please sign this petition today. And encourage others to sign as well. Let’s work together to put as much distance as possible between children and guns.

Who was Toussaint Louverture? Would the United States of America have become the greatest power in the world without…? Toussaint Louverture was first this young, skinny, and shy slave, but with a dream to free his people; and he did! He would become the general-in-chief then the Governor General of the most important French colony in the Caribbean. He would say, NO to Napoleon's grandiose project to expand his empire to the American continent after being ceded the vast Louisiana Territories in October 1800. He defeated Napoleon who took the matter to the force of arms, forcing the latter to sell the Louisiana territory in 1803. Toussaint was viewed here as the indirect means of expansion of the United States 16 colonies to the West with the acquisition of the vast Louisiana Territory for only 15 million dollars, or four (4) cents an acre. It was the greatest land bargain in history. With the Louisiana Purchase deal, the United States had doubled its size. “Thus, all of Indian Territory, all of Kansas and Nebraska and Iowa and Wyoming and Montana and the Dakotas and most of Colorado and Minnesota and all of Washington and Oregon States, came to us as the indirect work of a despised negro. Praise, if you will, the work of a Robert Livingston or a Jefferson, but today let us not forget our debt to Toussaint Louverture...” Rev. Talmage De Witt wrote (Christian Herald, New York City, November 28, 1908.) More importantly, between 1796 and 1797, at Toussaint’s invitation the government of John Adams had joined Toussaint in a trade agreement with the British that would authorize the latter to trade in all Haiti’s ports and would also safeguard the US goods to reach Europe through Haiti (then the most important colony of France) thereby would help the American merchants to by-pass trade embargo by European powers against the United States. Such trade treaties were indeed vital to the American economy. To facilitate the trade with the French colony Haiti, the US treasury department had passed a law that allowed the use of the French currency in the United States. The late French President Francois Mitterrand said: “Toussaint Louverture was the symbol of freedom for not only blacks but for us all.” Despite all the glories Toussaint had remained a very humble man. In his speech dated August 1797, just a month before his nomination as the general-in-chief of the army, Toussaint Louverture declared: “I was born slave but nature gave me the soul of a free man. Every day I raised my hands in prayer to God to implore him to come to the aid of my brethren and to shed the light of mercy upon them.” In analyzing Toussaint’s remarkable character a certain psychic elevation to spirituality can also be noted, which in turn elevated him above all blacks, whites, or mulattos. This was the origin of his unconquerable power. "Toussaint Louverture, in the words of Dr Wesley- Smith, was one of the truest and noblest of his or any race. He was pure, when to be otherwise was no discredit; grateful when ingratitude was the rule, and self-sacrificing when individual aspiration seldom extended beyond self-interest. More than any other man he contributed to the honor and reputation of that division of mankind with which he was allied by blood and birth." The success of this petition will make the world a better place where people could live in greater harmony, love, and peace. PS: Please support this petition by clicking on the link above and purchasing a copy of this book, titled: “Toussaint Louverture: A Missing Hero from American History” written by Jacques A. Dorcely. Please contact Imperial Book Company at (631) 929-8424

The time to Enact a federal and state-mandated sexual abuse and assault education to all elementary, middle, and high schools is now. Let us work together to create and implement nationwide the very best age appropriate curriculum for children, how to best educate all adults including parents, teachers, and administrators on sexual abuse prevention, warning signs, and how to proceed when a child reports sexual abuse!

I have three kids, they are 22, 20 and 14 years old. By the time my oldest graduates from college I'll have $160 thousand dollars debt just for her and she would have a debt of $30 thousand dollars. The higher education cost is outrageous, our kids should be able to get a free or affordable college education.