19 Commissioner has immersed herself in Florida’s education system since 1975. NextGen recently sat down with Education Commissioner Pam Stewart at the Early Learning Coalition’s Manatee Conference on Young Children 2017 at Manatee Technical College. Here’s what the head of the Department of Education for the State of Florida had to say about the importance of early childhood literacy - and the plans for her next two years as Commissioner. NextGen: Did you always think you wanted to be an educator? Commissioner Stewart: No, I did not. I didn’t know what I wanted to do. That was an issue. I went to college for two years and decided to take a break between my sophomore and junior years. I got a job in a factory as a timekeeper. My job completely depended on the work in the factory. When the workers went on strike, the only work they had for me was ��ling and I hated it. So, when someone told me about a program at USF for Elementary Education where students got classroom experience starting at the beginning of your Junior year, that appealed to me. I always liked being with children. I loved to babysit and teach at church, so this program seemed quite natural. Apparently, it was natural. Here is a nicely organized ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� the Ocala StarBanner from August 2014: • 1975 – Mrs. Stewart was a teacher in Hillsborough County. • 1983 – She became a school counselor. • 1984 – She was a testing specialist. • 1985 – Students called her “Assistant Principal Stewart.” • 1996 – Mrs. Stewart became an elementary school principal. • 1999 – Mrs. Stewart was promoted to a high school principal. • 2004 – Mrs. Stewart was named Deputy K-12 Chancellor of Education Quality. • 2009 – She served as deputy superintendent in St. Johns County. • 2011 – Mrs. Stewart is named Chancellor at the Dept. of Education. • 2012 – She is named Interim Education Commissioner. • 2013 –Mrs. Stewart becomes Florida’s Education Commissioner. NextGen: Given your experience, how important would you say early education is to a positive outcome in grades K-12? Commissioner Stewart: People say they are “the formative years” and they truly are. We know how important vocabulary is and we know how much of a difference that early vocabulary development can make for a child. The more we can do in early childhood, particularly with literacy, the more successful students can be.
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