As determined mothers, Moms on a Mission stands at the forefront of advocating for educational freedom, fueled by our personal struggles to secure higher quality learning environments for our children.
We seek to empower and rally parents nationwide, standing alongside other moms and dads as they fight for the right to select the best educational opportunities for their kids and ensuring our collective voice is a force in the education debate.
Intersections animate the life of Omaha native Clarice Jackson, a warrior in the fight to raise awareness about a leading cause of illiteracy – dyslexia. Inspired by her late father, Alonzo “Lonnie” Littlejohn, a career Omaha Public Schools teacher, she grew up wanting to be an educator.
In 2000, while only 19, she worked as an orthopedically handicapped paraprofessional at Hartman Elementary School. The experience gave her intimate knowledge of the challenges special needs kids face in obtaining an equitable education. That same year she became a Title I reading and math paraprofessional at Mount View Elementary. It’s then that Latecia Fox, a sweet young girl struggling to read and write, came into her life. Upon learning Latecia’s mother was incarcerated and her strapped grandma was raising her, Jackson realized the girl lacked the help she needed at home.
Jackson’s concern turned to frustration when she found that despite Latecia’s learning struggles being well-documented at school, no remedies were forthcoming. At one point, Latecia was misplaced in special education. That’s when Jackson assumed an advocacy role beyond her position and years, spending extra time with Latecia while trying to hold the system accountable for passing her from grade to grade minus successful intervention. Such a bond formed that Latecia’s mother asked Jackson to legally adopt her daughter. As “a woman of faith,” Jackson prayed hard about it. Single and 21, she became a full-time mother to Latecia, then age 9. After enrolling her in a private school (Phoenix Academy), Latecia’s learning disability was finally diagnosed as dyslexia. She flourished there.
Tera has over 28 years of experience working with individuals with disabilities. She has advocated for freedom of education choice at the state and federal levels for over 20 years. Her son Samuel is one of the first recipients of Ohio’s Jon Peterson Special Needs Scholarship, which she helped to get passed in 2011. Tera partnered with a local private school to start and direct a special needs functional learning program. In December 2019, she and her son Samuel spoke at the White House for a Roundtable discussion on Education Freedom with the President of the United States. Tera was a 2020 Republican National Convention speaker highlighting her work for Education Freedom. Tera has shared her story with legislators and parent groups across the nation. She is featured in several documentaries sharing her son’s story. Tera is Lewis’s wife and, in addition to Samuel, the mother of Lynsey and Maggie. Tera’s passion is to help ensure all students have access to an education that best meets their learning needs and helps give parents a voice.
Holly Terei resides near Atlanta, Georgia and has four children. She is part of Moms on a Mission, a group of mothers who aim to teach, train, and equip other parents desiring a better education option for their children. Holly rose to a position of community leadership following the parent “awakening” that followed COVID’s devastating impact on schools. At the time, she organized and led protests of local school boards insisting on greater parent involvement in education. She is a frequent guest on Fox News’ Fox and Friends discussing school choice and parental rights.
As a mom of 4 children, 2 of which have special learning needs, and a former “voucher kid” herself, Holly understands and is deeply passionate about the school choice movement. She believes every child in the state of Georgia should have access to a quality education and that every parent knows best as to what that education should look like.
Holly Speaks to Atlanta News First Regarding School Choice Legislation
Becki Uccello is a retired public school teacher who advocates for kids with disabilities. Her daughter, who uses a wheelchair, was excluded from her classmates in public school kindergarten because of her disabilities. She enrolled in a private school, where she is included with her classmates in all classes, all day. This has led Becki to working with school choice legislation and inclusive/accessible playground efforts. She holds an M.A. in Education Curriculum & Instruction and a B.A. in Spanish Education. Becki is proud to be a 2022 graduate of Partners in Policymaking through the Missouri Developmental Disability Council and the Lay Educational Advocacy Program through the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
Becki lives in Springfield, Missouri, with her husband John, son John Robert, and daughter Izabella.