Covering the teacher sick-out at Tropical Park

Teachers gathered at Tropical Park in Miami this morning, “sicking-out” from school – to protest against Florida State Bill 6, which if Gov Charlie Crist signs into law, mandates that their pay be tied to student performance based on increased standardized testing. Students throughout Miami-Dade County organized their own sit-ins, protests, and walk-outs in support of the teachers. They are urging Gov Crist to Veto the bill.

I am covering these demonstrations throughout the day, moving from school to school, and back to Tropical Park later this afternoon where more teachers will gather after school. Speaking to young people about this issue, and finding out whether this will influence their support for candidates running for U.S. Senate (Charlie Crist is running against Marco Rubio in Republican primary in August).

What do you think about teacher pay being tied to student performance? Is this the best way to ensure we have good teachers? How should teachers’ effectiveness be measured? What do students think? Should this be a political issue? Is this an issue important to you? Are you planning to vote in the midterm elections on November 2, 2010? In the primaries (Florida’s primaries are in August)?

Here’s what it looked like around 10:45 a.m. this morning.
Teachers protest at Tropical Park

We don’t vote for supreme court judges, but the president we elect has the power to appoint them. And the senators we elect confirm them, so our voices are heard indirectly. Not every president has the opportunity to appoint a supreme court justice, but President Obama recently nominated Sonia Sotomayor to take Justice David Souter’s place since he has decided to retire.

Judge Sonia Sotomayor’s confirmation hearings began today. The senate Judiciary committee, called to order by Chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy, met for the first time this morning to discuss the confirmation of the 55 year old judge.

She was born to a Puerto Rican family, and grew up in a public housing project in the South Bronx. Some say that Sonia Sotomayor “lived The American Dream.” If confirmed, she would be the third woman, and first Hispanic to serve on the United States Supreme Court.

The hearings are expected to last no more than a week, with time for an opening statement from the nominee, and possibly two days or more of questioning from senators. The last step in her confirmation is a vote by the full Senate, which has not been scheduled yet.

If you would like to find out more about Judge Sonia Sotomayor, you might find the following link helpful.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/05/01/sonia-sotomayor-supreme-c_n_194470.html

So, if you’re a Virgin Voter, are you following the Sotomayor confirmation hearings? What do you think of Judge Sotomayor? What’s your opinion? Comment here, or send me a message on Twitter.com/virginvoting.

Embedded video from CNN Video

We caught Crist on camera getting out of the car and entering the school. Then we videotaped his speech, which focused strictly on education.  One of the things that baffled me was how he claimed that Florida went from “31st in the nation to 10th in education.”

When I produced my documentary on education for the C-Span Student Cam competition, “Left Behind” (see my April 9, 2009 Post, “Making Education a Priority”) my research showed that we are 50th in funding for public education.  I wonder what statistic Crist was quoting?

Unfortunately, I didn’t get to ask him to clarify that (there is always
a next time) but I did get to ask him some questions as I pushed my way through the crowd of reporters.

Crist only would answer questions about education.  But the local reporters kept pushing him to answer other questions.  How about his RUN FOR U.S. SENATE?

Speaking of that…it’s still early, but lets not forget that Crist has a Republican contender in the race for the seat that Sen. Mel Martinez is vacating, former Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio. And on the Democratic side, U.S. Congressman Kendrick Meek has placed his hat in the ring, as well as former Florida Senator Dan Gelber. I will try to interview all of these candidates as the race unfolds. Stay tuned…

After the 2008 presidential election, the Republican party has been working on redefining itself.  Is Charlie Crist the new generation of the Republican party?  What does our generation think of him?

I’m wondering if any “Virgin Voters” who will be eligible to vote for the first time in 2010 (like me) are following the announcements about who is running for U.S. Senate seats or Governor in their state, if terms are up for these leaders.

Unprecedented numbers of young first time voters registered and turned out to vote in the  2008 Presidential election, and much of the credit for President Obama’s win has gone to young people.  Now that more young people are involved in politics, are they more inclined to follow the 2010 midterm elections?

I didn’t get a ticket to the inauguration, or to any of the inauguration balls, but to be honest, all of the action is really on the National Mall! (And besides, I had to be in CNN’s Washington Bureau this morning for a live interview).

I caught up with some “Virgin Voters” to ask them how they were feeling (besides freezing).