By BILL MAXWELL, St. Petersburg Times

I read Jodi Kantor's new book, "The Obamas." First lady Michelle Obama is described as a strong-willed, highly intelligent spouse who works behind the scenes to protect the president's agenda. It shows a loving mother trying to ensure that her two daughters remain as normal as possible while living in Washington's harsh spotlight.

Florida Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson wants to raise the minimum scores on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test for grades 3-10. Without evidence, he claims the tougher test will help our high school graduates become college-ready.

As a teacher, I am always pleased to hear positive news about my colleagues during this bitter period of blaming teachers for all the wrongs and perceived wrongs in our public schools.

Spike Lee's 1988 film "School Daze" is filled with violent hazing scenes involving the Gammites, pledges for the Gamma Phi Gamma Fraternity at Mission College. The Gammites struggle to please their Big Brothers.

It was August 1963, and I can see Fred T. "Pop" Long pacing the practice field. That bass voice still booms in my ears: "What the hell's wrong with you, Florida? Get your butt moving, boy." He called me Florida because I hailed from Florida. Your home state or hometown was your name if you were not a Texan. The Texans were called by their given names.

As one who always has earned his income with words and by teaching others how to use words, I am not intimidated by words. For me, words are not diseases or weapons unless we permit them to be so. They are mere linguistic constructions to which we choose to assign value -- good, bad, neutral.

BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss. - On Aug. 28, 2005, Donna Horstmann heeded the nonstop warnings issued by Hancock County emergency officials: All residents should leave all low-lying Gulf Coast towns in the county immediately. Hurricane Katrina is coming. It is a Category 5 storm, packing winds of 125 mph. When it makes landfall, it will bring a storm surge of 30 feet or more.

Despite deep budget cuts and a slow economy, Florida's libraries continue to be resilient and essential community treasures.

One of the benefits of living in Florida is being within easy driving distance of beautiful, wild places. But some of these places may be getting too much attention and love, and human activity has to be carefully controlled.

When Barack Obama was elected president, millions of Americans believed that the United States finally was entering a post-racial period when race no longer mattered in any serious way. But the Obama presidency has, ironically, heightened racial tensions, and we are seeing old divisions return.