TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Summer is coming to an end for students nationwide and right here in the Tampa Bay area.
It is August, which means its Back-to-School season. There are many changes on campuses all across the Sunshine State, from cellphone policies, to banned books, and in the curriculum.
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Tampa City Councilwoman Gwen Henderson serves our local area in numerous ways. Besides sitting on the board, she has been a teacher for over 30 years and owns a local book shop.
She talks with hosts Deanne King and Terrance Middlebrooks about how she got involved in education and how teaching methods have changed over time.
Henderson answers quite possibly the most dubious subject: How schools teach Black history and why books aren’t used anymore.
“[Governor DeSantis] does not reflect in any way, in a lot of teachers’ classrooms,” Henderson said. “The direct connection to students IS the teacher and how they present themselves to any type of curriculum. As a classroom teacher, when you don’t see yourself— even in the textbooks, and you’re talking to children, any example that I will give, will be a Black person. If I’m talking about a CEO and what that means, that’s what’s going to be on the PowerPoint to reflect representation, especially in the predominantly brown/Black schools.”