'The Jeb Bush Nobody Knows' -- Part 16: A young FL homeschooler's interview with FL's Fabulous Gov

The St Petersburg Times ^ | May 20, 2002 | Intro by summer; Interview by Autumn Siegel

[summer]

Note to FR:

I was so moved by reading "My Adventure in Miami with President Bush" -- the recent essay written by Andrew, FR's own 15 year-old writer who posts as "walrus954" -- that I was inspired to turn over my space here to another talented young writer.

Consequently, Andrew, and everyone else, please say hello to: Autumn Siegel, a FL homeschooler who recently interviewed Gov. Bush.

I hope you all enjoy this interview, below. (I know I did!)

Sincerely,

summer :) -- a former Dem, now an independent and a FL certified teacher


FL homeschool student and budding journalist, Autumn Siegel, left, along
with a FL newspaper staff member, at a journalism conference --
as explained HERE.

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Monday, May 20, 2002
St. Petersburg Times



An online interview with Governor Bush

By Autumn Siegel

As a homeschooled student enrolled in the Florida Virtual School, the online high school that has served students across the state for the past four years, I got the chance to interview Gov. Jeb Bush online for the Virtual School's newspaper, News in a Click. (Darn it, no photo op when you interview by computer!)

We talked about lots of issues that affect young people in Florida, from education to teenage smoking to politics. Here is an edited version of our conversation:

AUTUMN: Growing up in a political family, when did you decide that this would be the area that you would go into? What other fields had you considered?

GOV. BUSH: I first got involved in politics to help my dad, whom I truly love. I overcame my fears of speaking in public and began to understand the joys of service by watching my dad in his public service. In 1993 I decided to make the leap. I had been in the private sector until then.

AUTUMN: Has it been difficult to maintain your own identity instead of just being one of "the Bush boys?"

GOV. BUSH: I stopped worrying about what people think a while back and now focus on how I can serve and help others.

AUTUMN: Integrity is an important quality for all of humanity, but especially those who have achieved celebrity status as political figures. What suggestions do you have for the next generation of voters who are exposed to negative campaigning and apparent lack of morality on the part of some elected officials?

GOV. BUSH: Say what you are going to do and do what you said you would do. Don't veer from principle. Be honest with yourself. Show humility. Fight hard but fight fair.

AUTUMN: What do you think of such government-based shows as NBC's The West Wing? Do you feel that these give an accurate portrayal of political life?

GOV. BUSH: I don't watch The West Wing.

AUTUMN: The SWAT (Students Working Against Tobacco) program, which was founded under the Chiles administration, received a considerable budget cut in October, with a large portion of that money being redistributed to enhance road development. Do you think that it will be important to restore the funds for this program?

GOV. BUSH: The tobacco program is doing fine. We are spending $39-million. That was what was being spent last year. That is a lot of dough!

AUTUMN: If funding is not able to be replaced, what are some of the initiatives that can be taken to continue efforts to decrease youth smoking?

GOV. BUSH: Teen smoking is down in our state, which is a good thing.

AUTUMN: There has been a considerable amount of media coverage on the recent cell-phone controversy facing school districts across America. Some believe that students should be allowed to keep these devices on campus as long as they are not turned on; others protest that the phones are too much of a distraction. Where do you stand and why?

GOV. BUSH: I have not followed the issue, but now I will!

AUTUMN: Due to increased security after Sept. 11, do you think that there has been a decrease in youth involvement in the government, such as the TeenPact program for Christian homeschoolers, or the Senate page program?

GOV. BUSH: I have not noticed a decline in youth involvement. In fact, I think there has been more civic involvement than before that I hope can be sustained.

AUTUMN: Why do you think it is important to support the Florida Virtual School?

GOV. BUSH: It has the potential of helping to redefine education. It is student-centered and can be used in so many ways . . . remediation, honors-AP (advanced placement) classes for students who can't access them, etc.

AUTUMN: Do you think online learning would have been beneficial when you were growing up, or perhaps would have benefited your children?

GOV. BUSH: Gosh, I am so old I can remember black-and-white televisions! Online learning would have been very useful to me.

AUTUMN: Do you think the Virtual School will be able to issue diplomas to its students in the near future?

GOV. BUSH: I hope so.

AUTUMN: Many critics argue that Florida Virtual School is not an effective educational medium because of the lack of interaction among students and faculty. However, AP scores among Virtual School students exceed the national average by nearly 9 percent. What is your comment about this apparent contradiction?

GOV. BUSH: The Virtual School is not for everyone. But it is a good means to accelerate learning for kids who don't need as much attention.

AUTUMN: I am sure that you are aware of the teacher shortage facing Florida. What would you say to high schoolers or college students to encourage them to pursue a career in education?

GOV. BUSH: The laws of supply and demand apply to the teaching profession. There will be great opportunities in teaching in the next decade. Teaching is a very noble profession.

AUTUMN: What factors influenced your decision to attend the college that you did?

GOV. BUSH: I went to high school in the northeast U.S. and wanted to go back home, so I attended the University of Texas.

AUTUMN: What is something that you now know that you wish you would have known while in school?

GOV. BUSH: I know now not to be in quite the rush I was in back then. I graduated in 21/2 years.

AUTUMN: Your mother seems to be a pretty amazing woman. What is the most important piece of advice that she gave you, and have you shared this with your own children?

GOV. BUSH: Love my wife and children more than life itself. That is easy to do.

AUTUMN: What advice would you give to the siblings of particularly high achievers?

GOV. BUSH: Work hard.

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FL's hard working governor, Jeb Bush, online in the
interview above -- and working at Orlando's Dr. Phillips High School,
where he answered questions from Florida students.

[summer]

Our future is certainly in good hands with young journalists like Andrew and Autumn!

BTW - Autumn is an editor of News-in-a-Click, the online student newspaper of the Florida Virtual High School. This online school provides instruction to many homeschoolers throughout FL, in addition to other students located both in and outside of FL.


And, needless to say -- I also admire Gov. Jeb Bush for always setting aside time to listen and talk to students, teachers and parents.

Gov. Bush calls himself the "Education Governor." I believe people in this state who genuinely care about education know he's truly earned that moniker. I can not think of any Dem leader who has consistently spent as much time as Gov. Bush communicating with those on the front lines of education.

Finally, if you'd like to visit Gov. Bush's official campaign web site, click HERE!

[summer]

For index.

[summer]

FYI! :)

PS Andrew, Note all this extra press I gave you! :)

[summer]

FYI. :)

[homeschool mama]

thanks for the ping, summer! glad to see you pinged spookie...here's another ping for her!

[summer]

FYI. Please bump this thread if you have a moment. Thanks! :)

[summer]

Thanks for the bump, homeschool mama! I still have a lot more people to ping on this one, but right now I have to run! :)

[LarryLied]

Good post. How come you've been hiding the Florida Virtual School from me?

[summer]

A ping to people who (a) enjoyed "My Adventures in Miami with President Bush" and (b) support young writers! :)

[summer]

Funny you should say that, LarryLied. It actually came up on another thread, but I have thinking about devoting more space to it. And, now, because of your comment -- I think I will in the future. Gov. Bush has a lot to do with this school's continued existence, and it is such a cool idea. Thanks for your post. I appreciate your input here. :)!

[walrus954]

Great post! Just book marked it for the profile. I think it's pretty cool that the Governor is willing to take time to talk with a regular kid like that. I will read more about the FLVS program on their website. Who exactly is it geared towards? Why is someone selected to take courses there? It sounds like an interesting idea...

Thanks, summer, for the publicity... I'll keep this in mind for next time I write something... ;)

Andrew

[summer]

A ping for those who (a) enjoyed reading "My Adventures in Miami with President Bush"; and (b) support young writers! :)

[summer]

Andrew, Thank you so much for your post #11. BTW, I thought your book idea was wonderful, although I did not get a chance yet to go back and reread your entire LONG thread! Also, I see I really WILL have to do a post on FL's Virtual High School, as all your questions above can be answered there. Hang on! Thanks again for your post, Andrew. :)

[summer]

In the meantime, you can find out more about FL's Virtual High School by clicking HERE. (It's free to any student in FL.)

[summer]

Also, check out Jeb's letter to FL students re: FL Virtual HS.

[shaggy eel]

BUMP

[coloradomom]

Thanks for another great post! Autumn seems like an exceptionally mature young woman - and a very talented writer.

Governor Bush wasn't joking when he said he had to overcome his fear of public speaking! Have any of the rest of you seen the video of him campaigning for his dad in Puerto Rico during the 1980 campaign? His legs were actually shaking as he addressed a very large crowd in Spanish. I was so impressed by the love for his father that must have enabled him to take on such a difficult task at such a young age!

[SpookBrat]

AUTUMN: Your mother seems to be a pretty amazing woman. What is the most important piece of advice that she gave you, and have you shared this with your own children?

GOV. BUSH: Love my wife and children more than life itself. That is easy to do.

What a good mother he had. Thanks for the ping.

[SpookBrat]

Seeing her talk about Barbara Bush like that reminds of something President George Bush Sr. said. He was on TV making a joke about how everyone asks him about George, Jeb or Barbara...he said, "Hell, I was the President of the United States. What about me?". ROFL

[summer]

Re your post #19 - LOL!!!!!!!!! :)