February 12, 2024 - JAiME for SCHOOLS

Four Governing Bodies

November 4, 2024

I think many people have this glamorous idea of what it means to run for and hold a position of public office. They see the official looking campaign websites and flyers, the well-dressed candidates lined up behind official looking microphones sitting in places where important decisions take place by our city councils, school boards, state reps, governors, presidents, etc. , and many in the voting public forget that these are simply people just like you and me. Being in the public eye takes a lot of time … time that could have been spent around the dinner table or sporting event with family. Being in the public eye takes a lot of energy … energy that could have been used helping friends or serving at church. Being in the public eye takes a lot of money … money that could have been donated to improve the life of a stranger through important charity work. Being in the public eye takes a lot of courage and confidence to (knowingly) open yourself up to a public that will HALF love you and HALF hate you. However, when we understand the four mechanisms through which God has chosen to rule, we realize that taking our place in civil government is not only one of the most selfless acts of service we can offer to our neighbor, but it is also part of God’s great plan. Running for and holding a place of public office takes patience in yourself and in the process because your personal message will take on a public life of its own, and only through humility will you learn that self-control is the ONLY control left to claim.

THE BIBLE IS: Thy Kingdom Com(ing)

October 9, 2024

If the Bible is a message for us, then what IS that message? The Gospels of Jesus Christ are placed at the CENTER of the Bible, and they reveal how the Son of God became the new Adam and the new Israel to fulfill what Adam and Israel could not. The Gospels tell us WHEN and HOW Christ came, and right away Matthew introduces us to the King. This King does not look like any other king the world has ever seen. Why do you think that is? … There can only be one male lion in a kingdom. King Jesus first came to redeem us as a ransom for many from the counterfeit king. The Good News is that the REAL King paid off our debt to the FAKE king. It has been done! Our sins of indebtedness are forgiven. This is WHY Jesus came as a servant the first time SO THAT when He comes as King of His heavenly kingdom the second time we are not denied entry, but we are ushered in with all our sins washed clean by the blood of Jesus. The time is NOW to choose life with King Jesus or death with a counterfeit.

THE BIBLE IS: A Message for us

September 10, 2024

The Bible is a story from beginning to end that is so masterfully organized in its literary structure that no other story can compare – in depth, in metrical precision, in mathematical genius, in profound impact, and in communicating FUNCTION (purpose) simply through the Creator’s FORM (vessel). FORM TENDS TO NATURALLY FOLLOW FUNCTION in this way. There are three main aspects to every story – character, plot and setting. The first sentence of the Bible contains 7 Hebrew words, and the second sentence contains 14, and yet in just two simple sentences the Author establishes TIME, CHARACTER, ACTION, and PROBLEM. From there, we read about the SOLUTION to this problem, and it repeats in every book like the beat of a metronome to the end. Learn how to read the language of your child’s school by first learning the language of the Bible. The Good News may have more to teach us about our world than the news of man.

Game of Complimentary Opposites

July 3, 2024

Sometimes words just look like clutter on a page … Sometimes messages sound like noisy gongs and clanging cymbals (1 Corinthians 13:1) … especially with so many words being thrown at us day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute, second… by… second. The Director of Teaching and Learning for Secondary education in South Washington County Schools says, “Literacy is Everywhere.” … To that I say, “Yes! Like most district communication, this is a message that SEEMS easy to understand.

In the same way as playing catch is about giving and receiving the ball, so too is literacy about messages given and received. Literacy is supposed to be a relationship of two after all … as in listening AND speaking … reading AND writing.

Not only is literacy everywhere, but so is the Bible, a book whose words miraculously harmonize with the Word of the world. As I turn my attention toward the Bible as Literature, the two-sided nature of literacy becomes very REAL. It cannot be a one-sided act or a single sensory experience alone.

Literacy and The WORD

June 7, 2024

A person who can read and write is considered “literate”, but what IS literacy if not for language, and what is language if not for words? In the conclusion of the JOURNEY series, I add a fourth Book Review to the mix. THE HOLY BIBLE is the language of God’s word. Your child’s school may not focus on teaching them biblical literacy directly, but the scholars they hire to create school curriculum are VERY well versed in Biblical knowledge. Here I explain how the Bible is a valuable resource of educational literacy for all children – historically, culturally, and (for some) spiritually. Who is the HERO of the Bible and who is the VILLAIN? We all know that decades ago, our nation systematically removed Bible education from the public school day. That in effect has conditioned Christian families into believing that the truth of their spiritual teacher is not compatible with the truth of their secular life. This is wrong, and I think the three books reviewed in this last series are proof that secular is not spiritually neutral.

JOURNEY With Eyes That Don’t See

March 15, 2024

What is a Public School District MADE OF? We have to begin by recognizing that every public school is made up of two sets of metrics – those that are FIXED and those that are VARIABLE. One of the best MEANS by which a school can impact positive change is through the literature it assigns. District 833’s PATHWAY OF LOWEST PROFICIENCY is Pullman Elementary to Oltman Middle to Park High School. The Book Review for this study is Slacker by Gordon Korman. Here children learn lessons in social etiquette, about being “positive and never negative,” and about how a JOURNEY of negligence, addiction, dishonesty, indulgence, selfishness, and sloth can reach a happy ending. Is it true that in sowing seeds of death we reap bountiful harvests? No. Sugary fillers do not nourish hungry minds but rather keep them in a state of starvation. If the END justifies the MEANS in Progressive Education, then what END do these MEANS seek to reach?

When You Vote Fake …

March 5, 2024

… fake becomes you. You take life as your right and then throw it away. When fake is what you manufacture, then fake is what you get … There will come a time when “mother” will be a forgotten word, and “father” a fictional character. In the end you will have helped usher in a new slave generation – kids without parents born of the government, raised into lawlessness, discarded by the counterfeit who sits on God’s throne … You put him there, but the irony is that God allows you your illusions of control … Who is really in control? … not the Man of Lawlessness. – Here I share with you my journal … words written in the dark. The handwriting may be mine, but the thoughts are not my own to claim. I trust that the Lord will do with it what He will.

JOURNEY of Two Mountains

February 20, 2024

Each mountain represents its own pathway, its own quest, its own treasure, its own spiritual end. Education is a gift of FREEDOM. Freedom can take one of TWO paths (and two paths only). Path #1 is the freedom to SERVE, and Path #2 is the freedom to SIN. District 833’s PATHWAY OF HIGHEST PROFICIENCY is Liberty Ridge Elementary to Lake Middle to East Ridge High School. There is a spiritual battle going on for the souls of our children, and parents may not even be aware of it. Which mountain will you climb? Whose yoke will you carry? Don’t be tricked into thinking that ‘secular’ means neutral. Behind the walls of Progressive Education is progressive religion : SEL and DEI Rubrics for Literacy.

JOURNEY TO THE END

February 12, 2024

The Journey is the Means is the Middle to The End. The next three articles will compare three Middle Schools – Trinity School at River Ridge vs Lake Middle School vs Oltman Middle School . One is a Christian Private School. One is District 833’s PATHWAY OF HIGHEST PROFICIENCY. One is District 833’s PATHWAY OF LOWEST PROFICIENCY. As part of the REAL or FAKE Series, Journey to The End focuses on literature as a means to spot a REAL from a FAKE. This piece was inspired by the work of J.R.R. Tolkien’s book The Hobbit and The Letters of Paul to the Corinthians.

Beginning With Real

January 18, 2024

Slowly the natural world has been replaced by shiny new surfaces and plastic replicas reminiscent of the past. At what point though is the past forgotten? Generation after generation passes by, and pretty soon fakeness become so embedded in a culture that reality is forgotten altogether. This article defines the characteristic traits of REAL and calls out FAKE for the counterfeit it is. The key to knowing what is REAL though is not to study the counterfeit, but to study the authentic.

REAL or FAKE

January 16, 2024

Everything that “IS”, has been made, and all things made have a MAKER. Therefore, everything made has a purpose. This series distinguishes between the superficial and the substantive things we choose to surround ourselves with. Is there danger in building a Potemkin Village? The act of covering up unpleasant realities to the onlooker or pretending to be something we are not is done to mask a perceived insufficiency. The eye has a lot of power over the mind. To hide what is REAL is to eventually forget. For the individual and for the state, It is easy to see how FAKE becomes reality.

The Maker Is

December 15, 2023

You are a gift. There is no one like you. Your talents, your frame and your difference. It Is clear, I can see, you were intentionally made. Complex, set apart, for a purpose. The Maker Is, Has Been, and Always Will Be. The Destroyer Falls, From The Maker, He Fell. The Savor, He Lives! With The Maker, He Rose. Who Made You? By Jaime Kokaisel, A Christmas Gift Poem.

Numbers

November 5, 2023

I have been out talking to business owners this past week about my campaign for school board, and it reminded me of how many children in this district grow up to live here as adults. Not only do many of our district children stick around to establish businesses and build our local economy, but some of those children run for public office in order to shape the future of the community they grew up in. So what does this mean for funding in education? Our local economic future is directly dependent on the SoWashCo School District’s ability to successfully educate it’s own population. A question I receive often is, “Why are you running for school board if you don’t have kids in the district?” This article explains why I think we ALL should be paying attention.

United Parenting Coalition

October 12, 2023

I believe that uniting our community starts in your home, and through you, it grows out into the world. I joined UPC because, while I focus my eyes on the local level, it is important to keep a peripheral view of the BIG PICTURE. Parents need options, and UPC can help by equipping parents with knowledge and resources to bridge the gap between home and the world their kids will grow up in.

Sexual Violence Prevention

July 26, 2023

After filing a data request with District 833 to review the FLASH sexual violence prevention curriculum, I was surprised to discover reality flipped upside down. I expected to find a warning to children about stranger safety, or the grooming tactics of offenders, or the harmful effects of pornography, or the dangers of the $150 billion human trafficking industry. This kind of prevention was simply missing though. Instead, I learned about gender identity, stereotypes and inclusion.

In Death, Do We Part?

July 3, 2023

What do HOME and FAMILY and DEATH have in common? I would not have tied these three subjects together if they had not all come crashing together for me last month. This leads me to ask the question, “Is home in a PERSON? Is home in a PLACE? Is home in an OBJECT?” Sophocles Antigone. The two opposing moral forces we still face to this day are LOYALTY TO THE STATE vs LOYALTY TO THE FAMILY. Unfortunately this play is no longer read by the majority of public school children in District 833. What is read is the FLASH Sexual Violence Prevention curriculum which vilifies the student’s parent, the parent’s religion, and any person who contradicts a gender inclusive base-line of learning.

JUNE at home

June 2, 2023

South Washington County, MN Your CITY and DISTRICT meetings JAiME for SCHOOLS June Feature is Mid-Metro Academy’s Workshop, “Yes, You Can Homeschool through High School!”

Of Masculine Importance

May 19, 2023

Where have all the MEN gone? Modern feminists have spun the tale that men and women are the same, that women don’t need men, and that hypermasculinity is a violent threat to women and children. That is simply not true, yet this is what SoWashCo Schools’ gender inclusive sexual violence prevention curriculum teaches. What we really should be asking is, How many children enrolled in SoWashCo Schools live without a father in the home? I do not believe masculinity is toxic. I believe masculinity is critically important, not only for men but also for women and children.

MAY Flowers

May 5, 2023

South Washington County, MN Your CITY and DISTRICT meetings … Time for endings and NEW beginnings … Securing Our Future … School Safety … MDE Disciplinary Incidents Report … Random HS Detection Sweeps … End of the 2023 Legislative Session … Fill the BOOK SHELF

Fruit of the Tree

April 28, 2023

This article was inspired by SoWashCo Two Fruit Trees of Achievement and Integration. The Tree of Equity and the Tree of Equality. But what if we don’t need a box to make us tall? What if the fruit we reach for is bad? What if being tall doesn’t make us whole? … There are also two fruit trees in the creation story of Genesis. The Tree of Knowledge and The Tree of Life. What if opportunity meets us exactly where we are, knows exactly where we have been, and can see exactly where we are going?

The Subordination of Order

April 17, 2023

Where do you go in the rain? Do you seek shelter? Without order, there is chaos. What happens to the child living in a world of chaos, without an umbrella? The Bible teaches us about family order and the importance of obedience to the Father from the very first Book of Genesis.

APRIL calendar

April 1, 2023

time for Spring Showers… JAiME for SCHOOLS’ April Feature is the activity of reading as a family. On April 14th, some students will be participating in The GLSEN Day of Silence. 2023 Washington County Tax Valuations. Where DO our taxes go? Notice of Highest Paid Employees in 2022.

I would like to speak : to my School Board Members

March 26, 2023

I signed up to speak during “Comment to the Board” on March 23rd, 2023 because I wanted to address my school board members about the subject of academic achievement. Do you want to know what they heard?

MARCH calendar

March 3, 2023

South Washington County, MN … time for speaking. March Feature is the opportunity to “Speak Proudly” at the Capitol, An Oratory Competition for High School Girls … As SoWashCo approaches another round of facility planning in 2023, I took some time to tour the schools. I was surprised, and also not surprised, by what I learned.

“Achievement & Integration” RESULTS

February 23, 2023

PART 4 The WORLD’S BEST? Taxpayers of the South Washington County School District have funded Achievement and Integration for 23 years. We should see the fruit by now. In 2011, Woodbury High School was ranked 3rd in the State of Minnesota. Today they are 47th. The World’s Best Workforce, a title that implies our performance shall be measured BEST by comparison, so let’s begin there – The WORLD.

FEBRUARY calendar

February 1, 2023

South Washington County, MN Your CITY and DISTRICT meetings SO YOU WANT TO RUN FOR SCHOOL BOARD and SoWashCo PLANNING : FACILITIES, STRATEGY, and ACHIEVEMENT & INTEGRATION February will be an important month of school board meetings to pay attention to since the completion of resident FEEDBACK means developing the framework around a new facility plan.

EQUITY

January 25, 2023

PART 4 POLITICS and CULTURE The last article looked at the original definition of SOCIAL in that we are “disposed to mix in friendly converse.” By that definition, today’s “social” is actually anti-social. There is no such thing as anti-social justice If equity is the law of reason. There is simply JUSTICE. Imagine if EQUITY were applied to a plant in the same way as a media driven culture applies EQUITY to people. Plant Equity does not acknowledge or address the soil around the root as an integral part of an integrated whole.

Achievement & Integration” SOCIAL

January 23, 2023

PART 3 FORCE against Family The SOCIAL-izing SCHOOLof ISD 833 SOUTH WASHINGTON COUNTY Only in the safety of its native soil is a root system able to stretch its arms out wide, its feet down long, and its head up high. In a strong healthy nutrient rich family, the home is the safest place for a child to grow. But not all soil is healthy just like not all families are safe, stable and nurturing. If we are to consider that a seedling might begin life in harsh soil conditions, then it seems logical that our first priority should be to AMEND THE SOIL … So why does district 833 push for Social learning which is anti-social, anti-family, and anti-Christian?

JANUARY calendar

January 9, 2023

South Washington County, MN Your CITY and DISTRICT meetings time to get organized January Meetings There is something about January that makes us reflect, assess

“Achievement & Integration” SPEECH

December 31, 2022

“A&I” SPEECH PART 2 TRUTH in QUALITY of LIGHT. In the garden GREENHOUSE of The Transparency Series, the quality of light is just as important as the glass house and the plant growing inside it. The light will represent TRUTH here, but the question is: What kind of truth (light) does the public school system use to teach its little seedlings? Government Speech. Examples of SoWashCo’s truth. When the unnatural is taught to BE the natural, who is the wiser? Who thrives? Who suffers? The danger of the unnatural is not so much that it IS, but more so that it is UNKNOWN.

“Achievement & Integration” DEFINED

December 15, 2022

A&I The Cultural Foundation of Excellence Today in South Washington County Schools PART 1 The Districts Pathway to Equity The GREENHOUSE analogy is an illustration of the school district function in its community. In it the SEED is the heart. The SEEDLING is the student. The ROOT is the soul. The SOIL is the family. The WATER is the teacher… Who does the A&I program feed? Does it feed the WHOLE of the child OR the WHOLE of the Govt school system? Let’s look at its foundation to find out.

DECEMBER calendar

December 6, 2022

The long awaited ruling by Administrative Law Judge, Jim Mortenson, over amendments proposed to MN Teacher Licensure and the required pedagogical standards, has finally been released. All but three of the rule changes proposed in the 86-page report were approved. It is sad. Most of the negativity, polarization, sexualization, and racially charged language remains firmly planted in the new licensure standards.

The Transparency Series

December 4, 2022

PEOPLE – LANGUAGE – VISION of 833 South Washington County Schools What does it mean to be transparent? I use the illustration of A GARDEN GREENHOUSE. For the purposes of this series, the greenhouse represents a school district’s function in its community, the policy and procedure it establishes to achieve that function, and its ability to communicate that process transparently out to the community.

Tightly Knit

November 24, 2022

A PEOPLE I am Thankful for Over the past year I have immersed myself in city, district, and state matters. I have thrown myself into the middle of political campaigns. Not because I am particularly political, but because I have begun to recognize the importance of regular citizen engagement in politics. What if the goal of an election is not to “win” an election”, but is to bring together our people?

I have HOPE

November 4, 2022

Seven seeds of HOPE. I find HOPE in the space in-between, in God’s natural world, in friendship and fellowship, in the giftedness of children, in

Whose Children Are They? on the NOVEMBER calendar

October 31, 2022

South Washington County, MN JAiME for SCHOOLS Novembers Feature is the screening of WHOSE CHILDREN ARE THEY? “The groundbreaking documentary … featuring empowered parents, brave

2022 Puzzle of a Minnesota Election

October 21, 2022

for ISD#833 residents Putting together the puzzle pieces of quality education is dependent on electing quality candidates. I’m a visual person, so I like to

Dance of Truth

October 7, 2022

He said, She said. They said, We said. ISD#833 Streaming of workshop meetings is approved! So what is true and what is not? How is

OCTOBER calendar

September 30, 2022

South Washington County, MN Your CITY and DISTRICT meetings with website tabs for finding TIME and LOCATION. October Meetings Beginning this month, the school district

“The Power of One”

September 22, 2022

Social Emotional Learning Long Range Facility Planning Bus Driver Shortages Recorded Workshop Meetings The district is currently talking about many of the issues parents care

18 months Awake

September 19, 2022

A Round-up of my thoughts after the Panel Discussion How much can one person change in just 18 months? Consider a newborns growth in it’s

In Matters of Privacy

September 8, 2022

Student Data Privacy A new law that impacts schools and technology providers … and your children … Students are back to school using technology under a new student data privacy law which parents have not been made aware of. If this law is legitimately a life saving tool, then why is the knowledge of harm being withheld from the parent for so long? And why is a school district personnel or a government worker (both of whom are strangers to the family) allowed to track my child’s location and listen in on their conversation without parental notice or consent? Maybe the intention behind this provision is good, but it’s direction could potentially undermine parental rights. You can bet that WHAT CAN BE ABUSED, WILL BE ABUSED.

JAiME on Panel

September 1, 2022

SEPTEMBER CALENDAR I am honored to have been invited by 1st Conservatives to speak on this PANEL DISCUSSION with Rebekah Bradfield, Alfrieda Baldwin, and MN Senator Roger Chamberlain. Moderated by Liz Collin, Alpha News. You are Invited! Seating is limited. Order your tickets here…

Molding the Claymation Teacher

August 18, 2022

The Minnesota Licensing Standards of Governor Tim Walz and his appointed PELSB With resignation after resignation by SoWashCo teachers over the last two years …

Calendar

August 2, 2022

AUGUST CALENDAR Commit to attend a meeting this month around your town. Our elected officials need resident engagement in order to best do their jobs. This is a small list of meetings and events I try to attend around my City of Woodbury, my County of Washington, and my Public School District of #833. Maybe some of these align with your community also? If so, I hope to see you there!

Slave To DEATH

July 21, 2022

THE SOUL Captive in Servitude. If death is inevitable, does that mean death owns us? I want to consider, just for a moment, the possibility that ultimate slavery comes NOT from our fellow human being, but from an internal spiritual enemy. What do we do when DEATH enters school in the form of a school shooting? …or FEAR enters school in the form of a virus? … or SIN enters school in the form of a false teacher? The one who puts their faith in the spiritual world will answer these questions differently than the one who puts their faith in the earthly world.

Slave To SCHOOL

July 10, 2022

PART 3 The MIND Captive in Servitude. Today, it can feel like the minds of our children are being compromised in American public school education. The very system which was said to represent all, seems to represent very few. Those who claim to unite us are dividing us. Even DEI policy, which was written and passed by the school board to promote inclusion, 6 months later, has quietly excluded an entire town of diverse students from their plan. The systems who claim to represent our children, are merely representing their own pocket books. Federal and State Governments … Teachers’ Unions and School Districts … Public Libraries … Dictionaries … Activists.

Slave To MAN

July 6, 2022

The BODY Captive in Servitude To read The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas is to learn of the evils mankind both endures and inflicts upon it’s own. The idea that so many nations contributed to the organized capture of one race – turning free men, women and children into property – is heartless and barbaric. It ‘s not just a systemic AMERICAN problem though. It’s a worldwide HUMAN problem. Mankind has enslaved itself as far back as we have records to prove, and yet modern American culture is fixated on a mere 300 years, with itself at the center.

Slave To

July 3, 2022

INTRODUCTION What does it mean to be a slave? with references to Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass an American Slave. As I reflect on Douglass’ Narrative, I think about the many things we are “Slave To”, not just in BODY but also in MIND and SPIRIT. “Slave to MAN” is about human bondage, captivity and servitude of the BODY. “Slave To SCHOOL” looks at the MIND and the suppression of knowledge. “Slave to DEATH” is a matter of our SPIRIT and the chains of Fear, Sin and Death.

Vote for A Better Plan

June 22, 2022

IN YOUR STATE PRIMARY August 9th, 2022 Early voting begins June 24th and ends August 8th. Vote by mail or in person. The Demand a

Books in School

June 16, 2022

NEW WEBSITE CONTENT ADDED See how your school compares to surrounding models in the South Washington County School area. And PLEASE PARTICIPATE by helping complete

Q&A Largest Referendum in State History

June 2, 2022

PART 2 QUESTION ANSWER & COMMENT Ten audience members participate in discussion with Marvin. Senate District 47 Republicans Meeting from May 24th, 2022 Guest Speaker,

Largest Referendum in State History

May 30, 2022

PART 1 LET’S TALK ABOUT THAT WITH Marvin Taylor, from Newport’s City Council If voters approve SoWashCo’s 10-year facility plan and the coinciding bond referendum

Ever changing Comment

May 18, 2022

MAY POLICY CHANGES On May 5th, the School Board discussed their reasoning for the changes made to public comment over the course of this past

A School’s Vision to Serve

May 10, 2022

VISION 4 LIFE School Highlight : Concordia Academy High School Author, Jaime Kokaisel published, May 10th 2022 Each one of us holds a profound superpower:

Public Comment: April

April 27, 2022

SoWashCo School Board Meeting Video On April 21st, 2022 the School Board voted 6 to 1 to approve the $462 million Facility Plan, which will close Newport Elementary School. I think Public Comment is the most revealing part of a School Board Meeting. Policy might appear perfect written on a page and graphed out in fancy charts, but it’s imperfections are revealed in the voice of a community gathering together to oppose it. Getting up in front of a large room of people can be VERY difficult. Speaking about an issue that is near to your heart, welcomed by some and unwelcomed by others, takes courage! I wish all voices could be heard on the official livestream, but since the district does not make Public Comment available to the actual “Public”, please take a moment to listen to them here…

Building on Optimism: QUILT OF QUOTES

April 21, 2022

PART 2 Meet some of the teachers, parents and business owners of NEWPORT Author, Jaime Kokaisel published, April 21st, 2022 A TWO PART SERIES CLICK

Building on Optimism: FACILITIES

April 20, 2022

The plan is large. The plan is expensive. The plan meets district goals. It is about “Building Our Future” says the headline. “Community. Growth. Student Success.” For everyone, you ask? Yes, for everyone … except for students currently attending Newport Elementary and 3,800 residents living in the City of Newport. For them, the plan represents just the opposite.

School Highlight: Laurel Community School

April 10, 2022

WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO OPEN A SCHOOL? Time, Money, Support … This is the question Woodbury resident, Alfrieda Baldwin, asked herself several years ago.

A Call to Connect

April 8, 2022

!!! PLEASE PARTICIPATE !!! City of Newport Community and all members of School District 833 Do you support the current Long-Range Facility Plan and the

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