When I began teaching in 1972…My voice was strong and hopeful…We were making strong strides in educating all children… We were now integrated, making our schools inclusive; federal programs…
I was even traveling 90 miles a day, just to teach at what was once an “all black school”…And even involved in Head Start and an Early Childhood Preventative Curriculum Program…for high risk first graders…We had opportunities and hope …
Then, as years went by, and politics was influencing our public schools with a republican agenda, that by the 90s, there was an emphasis on privatization, developmentally inappropriate curriculum and over testing…
My teacher voice was becoming extremely frustrated… I always did what I was supposed to do…Most of my colleagues, and I being apolitical…
Still trying to teach, and giving my all, in spite of the consequential slow dismantling of our public schools, especially over these years since the millennium…My voice became loud… always doing what was expected…
However, since my retirement…My voice is strong…
I must speak out for our precious children and my dear former colleagues and wonderful support staff…
We must not accept this divisive political agenda as the norm… Our precious children…are definitely not getting the best education and we have a teacher shortage!!
As I do so very often, especially dealing with the educational issues of the day…. Almost ten years have passed since my retirement… Devoting thirty-eight years of my life for our precious children… I must continue advocating for our precious children…
Reflecting, As politics became more intrusive in our public schools…Teaching had become so much more of a challenge… It was never ever about the children…They were our Hope…
Politics interfering…with such blame, because of such a divisive political climate; thus creating schools with less revenue, less regard for educators; being blamed for the wrongs in education….. We were always the scapegoats because children were not learning…
That was and very much still is the rhetoric of the day….Lack of funding and the promoting of vouchers and privatization… And now in this present day of the utmost challenging issues; adding book bans…schools being unsafe, a non inclusive curriculum… child isolation, and a drastic shortage of teachers…
However, even through it all, I so believe …. having always held on to our precious children…that Hope…
Being that teacher of young children those thirty-eight years, My passion for teaching, I believed was my calling…
I felt it was my role to create a safe; loving and accepting classroom… Hoping to instill within my precious children that motivation to do what was needed for their desire for learning…
As I drew upon, from my own challenging, personal life… I was better equipped to empathize with many of my children’s own struggles…Yet, not enabling, nor making excuses…
They could do it….I spent a great deal of effort reaching out to their parents…Many very busy…Even making home visits…
Follow your Dreams…
Empathy, and not enabling … Fostering an independent spirit; ware part of that emotional support…I wanted to equip them with strategies to succeed… that I myself used…I did not want my children to give up…
So here we are today… Teacher shortages, book bans… schools without the necessary resources… etc…
Are we going to accept this as the norm? We are better than this…We must want better for our precious children…
Our public schools are now dealing with the realities of the day…Especially here in Florida…
Teachers do not get the respect they deserve… Inadequacies in pay, and fear of being fired because of book bans and inclusivity issues…
Thus, many of our most creative and talented young people do not become teachers…and many who are, are not staying… creating that critical teacher shortage…
Our precious children may be coming back to such anxieties…
They are so looking forward to meeting their new teacher!!
However…The new realities….They may be coming back to schools where they will not get that special teacher, nor those much needed programs and the support they may need …
New school year starts with teacher vacancies, concerns about enrollment… By Ryan Wyatt Turbeville and WCJB Staff Aug. 10, 2023 at 2:40
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) – Many schools in Florida are starting off the new academic year with a shortage of teachers. The Florida Education Association (FEA), the state teacher’s union, reported 7,000 teacher vacancies in districts across the state.
The Alachua County School District started the year with 69 teaching positions open, down from about a month ago when the district reported 83 classroom teacher vacancies. At that time, Marion County Public Schools needed to fill more than 300 job openings, they now have 150.
According to the FEA, districts in Florida are advertising 6,920 vacancies for teachers, about 900 more than this time last year. Support staff vacancies total 5,072, about 300 more than the year prior…
Following the state’s expansion of the private school voucher program, some are raising concerns about a possible drop in enrollment at public schools in the state. The total enrollment numbers for the public schools will not be released until after the first 10 days of school…
Having such an authoritarian governor, who uses our precious children as pawns for his own greed for power and control…
My heart is filled with worry and frustration for our precious children, teachers, and staff…Yet, I feel many of us, especially here in Florida are willing to speak up and vote!!
Jill reminds me all the time that teaching is not just what you do, it’s who you are.
So as educators head back into schools and classrooms across the country, I wanted to say: Thank you.
Thank goodness for our Educational Unions for Support!!!
Ron DeSantis is a disgrace. It's not shocking that his extreme, hateful, and unpopular policies have made him a failure not just as a governor, but as a politician at the national level.
I do not recognize our state anymore… Florida’s children are being targeted by such fascism…We must keep speaking out…for our children…
And #VoteBlue for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris…in 2024…
Shekinah Hall reviews a students presentation on black change makers in history during her AP African American History class on Tuesday, March 29, at the McLain High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma…
Florida Board of Education approves new Black history standards that critics call ‘a big step backward’
By Nicole Chavez, CNN Updated 5:22 PM EDT, Thu July 20, 2023
The Florida Board of Education approved a new set of standards for how Black history should be taught in the state’s public schools, sparking criticism from education and civil rights advocates who said students should be allowed to learn the “full truth” of American history.
The curriculum was approved at the board’s meeting Wednesday in Orlando.
It is the latest development in the state’s ongoing debate over African American history, including the education department’s rejection of a preliminary pilot version of an Advanced Placement African American Studies course for high school students, which it claimed lacked educational value…
The new standards come after the state passed new legislation under Gov. Ron DeSantis that bars instruction in schools that suggests anyone is privileged or oppressed based on their race or skin color. DeSantis has used his fight against “wokeness” to boost his national profile amid a national discussion of how racism and history should be taught in schools…
The new standards require instruction for middle school students to include “how slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit,” a document listing the standards and posted in the Florida Department of Education website said…
When high school students learn about events such as the 1920 Ocoee massacre, the new rules require that instruction include “acts of violence perpetrated against and by African Americans.” The massacre is considered the deadliest Election Day violence in US history and, according to several histories of the incident, it started when Moses Norman, a prominent Black landowner in the Ocoee, Florida, community, attempted to cast his ballot and was turned away by White poll workers.
“Our children deserve nothing less than truth, justice, and the equity our ancestors shed blood, sweat, and tears for,” Derrick Johnson, president and CEO of the NAACP, said in a statement condemning the new standards. “It is imperative that we understand that the horrors of slavery and Jim Crow were a violation of human rights and represent the darkest period in American history.”
We are proud of the rigorous process that the Department took to develop these standards,” Alex Lanfranconi, director of communications for the Florida Department of Education, said in a statement, noting the standards were created by a group of 13 educators and academics.
It’s sad to see critics attempt to discredit what any unbiased observer would conclude to be in-depth and comprehensive African American History standards. They incorporate all components of African American History: the good, the bad and the ugly. These standards will further cement Florida as a national leader in education, as we continue to provide true and accurate instruction in African American History,” Lanfranconi said..
The Florida Education Association, a statewide teachers union, called the new standards a disservice to students and “a big step backward for a state that has required teaching African American history since 1994.”
“How can our students ever be equipped for the future if they don’t have a full, honest picture of where we’ve come from? Florida’s students deserve a world-class education that equips them to be successful adults who can help heal our nation’s divisions rather than deepen them,” Andrew Spar, the association’s president, said in a statement. “Gov. DeSantis is pursuing a political agenda guaranteed to set good people against one another, and in the process he’s cheating our kids. They deserve the full truth of American history, the good and the bad,” Spar added.
How do we expect our precious children to do better than we, when they are the focus of such divisive rhetoric from our governor, Ron DeSantis, manifesting into such critical ramifications impacting their school experience…
Book bans, negative labels on those that are considered different, over testing, and no real restrictions on gun safety…
What happened to having fun at school, learning,art,creativity, music and play…
Our governor, Ron DeSantis describes Florida as the “education state”…We definitely are not…Our schools are in crisis…
He will be putting more money in our schools, however because of his book bans, lack of inclusion and gun reform…We have a shortage of teachers…Our precious children are scared to come to school..
DeSantis called Florida’s budget the “capstone” of a highly successful legislative session as he signed the appropriations into law.
JOSH MILLER June 15, 2023 . 2:00 PM
FORT PIERCE, FLORIDA — Today, Governor Ron DeSantis signed Florida’s “Framework for Freedom” budget for the 2023-24 fiscal year at a news conference in Fort Pierce.
“We’ve done more in the last six to eight months since the election than any – I think – state has done in our lifetime to move the ball forward and be bold and take on these issues, and that’s one of the reasons why people, you know, keep flooding down here,” DeSantis said, referring to people leaving other states to move to Florida…
But he also line-item vetoed more than half a billion in spending. The budget passed by the Legislature was $117 billion. In comparison, the original proposed budget by DeSantis was $114.8 billion.
On tax relief, DeSantis reminded Floridians of the “Freedom Summer” sales tax holiday that began in May. He also emphasized sales tax exemptions on baby and toddler items which start July 1, toll rebates and two hurricane-preparedness sales tax holidays that he says will save Floridians $144 million…
“We also in the budget include $130 million for targeted pay increases for people in state law enforcement and public safety agencies,” DeSantis said. “Different parts of the country have slashed police spending, attacked law enforcement – we’ve consistently in Florida stood by people in law enforcement, not only with good policy but also with good compensation.”
Lawmakers set K-12 funding at a record $26.8 billion, allocated $635 million toward workforce education programs and provided $1.1 billion in raises for teachers – money DeSantis said he didn’t want “going to bureaucracy or to unions.”
Mitigation response and recovery efforts total $2.3 billion in the budget, which includes funding to continue to cover costs associated with Hurricane Ian. But the governor also said the state had set aside $500 million for the state’s Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund to allow the state to respond quickly and cut through red tape as he did last year.
See the final veto list and the Governor’s transmittal letter below:
After holding the state budget hostage for weeks and failing to immediately disclose line-item vetoes, the governor finally took a break from running for president to do his actual job.
We must put our precious children first …This next presidential election is absolutely crucial for their advocacy…
Because of all this divisive, political rhetoric manifesting from our Governor Ron Desantis ,here in Florida…thus causing such an educational and emotional crisis on our precious children…
Ron Desantis is going national…
He is a contender in the 2024 presidential race…With his “woke” restrictive political rhetoric !
The governor revamped school curriculum in Florida amid battles with Democrats and civil rights groups…
“As president, I’m going to make sure woke ideology ends up in the dustbin of history,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said. | Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP
By BIANCA QUILANTAN 05/26/2023 02:43 PM EDT
Ron DeSantis paved his political brand — and wound his way into conservative hearts — through Florida’s classrooms.
Get ready to hear about it on the campaign trail. A lot.
The presidential hopeful isn’t the first Republican governor to embrace “parental rights” or limit how race and gender are discussed in schools. But DeSantis has built a long legislative record as an “education governor” amid battles with Democrats and civil rights groups that endeared him to rank-and-file GOP voters. Now he’s planning to pitch that record across the nation in a bid to become the new leader of the Republican Party.
Since becoming governor in 2019, DeSantis earned the nickname among conservatives by codifying a “Parents Bill of Rights,” vastly expanding school choice, allowing for armed teachers, and advocating for new workforce education. He has also rolled back higher education diversity programs, engaged in a high-profile feud with the College Board over its African American studies course and worked with other Republicans to reshape higher education in Florida by installing key allies in statewide posts.
“Because it’s a war on truth, I think we have no choice but to wage a war on woke,”
DeSantis said on Fox News Wednesday when discussing what role the president should play in education-related culture war issue…
“In Florida, we say we’re the state where woke goes to die,” he later added. “As president, I’m going to make sure woke ideology ends up in the dustbin of history.”
DeSantis’ moves are similar to Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-Va.), who won election in a battleground state by emphasizing parental rights in education as Covid-driven school closures frustrated families across the political spectrum.
But Florida now has the most sweeping set of restrictions on classroom discussions about race and gender in the nation. It’s also inspired conservatives in dozens of states, including Texas, Tennessee, Alabama and Arkansas, to duplicate these laws…
Here are several key DeSantis-backed Florida laws or efforts that have caught the attention of other red states…
Pushing Parent’s Bill of Rights
The Florida Parental Rights in Education Act that took effect last year and was billed as an effort to give parents more control over what their children learn at school after the pandemic increased scrutiny of K-12 education.
Opponents of the measure have dubbed it the “Don’t Say Gay” law because it bars educators from teaching lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity. This legislative session, GOP lawmakers bolstered the law by including restrictions on using a student’s pronouns if they “do not correspond” with their sex assigned at birth. Schools are also now required to pull books that are challenged within five days of someone flagging it.
At least 10 states have measures that mention parental rights, and the majority of states have seen proposals to do so in their statehouses.
House Republicans this year also approved a sweeping “Parents Bill of Rights” legislation, which has become the cornerstone of the GOP’s education agenda. It outlines what parents have the right to in their children’s education, including access to teacher-parent meetings, school budget materials, curriculum and books, and the opportunity to testify before a school board.
Endorsing in traditionally nonpartisan school board races
DeSantis wielded his political influence in school board races across the state funneling more than $2 million into school board races in 2022. His campaign helped two dozen conservative candidates win their races, and the governor has said he intends to continue flipping seats in future elections.
DeSantis’ endorsements have become a key pillar of how the governor has reshaped the education landscape in the country’s third-most populous state.
He backed 30 conservative school board candidates and homed in on races in school districts where incumbents opposed GOP policies. DeSantis’ political committee also sent $1,000 to each of his endorsees, and many landed more contributions from GOP lawmakers.
“For too long, these school boards have not reflected the values of the communities that they were supposedly elected to serve,” DeSantis said in December at a training event for school board members dubbed the “Freedom Blueprint.”
Restricting lessons on race
DeSantis pushed the Individual Freedom Act — referred to as the Stop-WOKE Act — in 2022 which limits the way gender and race are discussed in classrooms and workplaces. Under the Individual Freedom Act, teachers are barred from teaching lessons that would make students “feel guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress” due to their race, color, sex or national origin.
Specifically requested by DeSantis, the law prohibits instruction on issues like “white privilege.” Critics of the legislation argued that the policy attempts to reframe or “whitewash” history.
“We are not going to tell some kindergartener that they’re an oppressor based on their race and what may have happened 100 or 200 years ago,” DeSantis said last year. “And we’re not going to tell other kids that they’re oppressed based on their race.”
While the law has been mired with legal challenges, the DeSantis administration has been using its law to reject the College Board’s new AP African American studies course. DeSantis has pushed for the changes in the course after slamming the nonprofit testmaker for including lessons on queer theory and intersectionality.
Florida lawmakers have since been weighing creating state-based courses and exams for college credit…
Bucking diversity, equity and inclusion DeSantis’ latest feat is barring Florida colleges and universities from spending on most diversity, equity and inclusion programs under a slate of higher education reforms.
“Florida has ranked number one in higher education for seven years in a row, and by signing this legislation we are ensuring that Florida’s institutions encourage diversity of thought, civil discourse, and the pursuit of truth for generations to come,” DeSantis said in a statement…
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has also been shepherding legislation to require public universities to shutter their DEI offices and ban diversity training. | Eric Gay/AP Photo
Florida is purging subjects like critical race theory and “DEI-infused” coursework from its schools, and university leaders are primed to take on a wide-scale review of courses and majors offered to students with lessons that assert “systemic racism, sexism, oppression and privilege.”
The legislation has influenced Republican Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick in Texas who have been shepherding legislation to require public universities to shutter their DEI offices and ban diversity training and hiring statements.
Banning school-related Covid mandates
DeSantis’ moves during the pandemic arguably pushed him into the national spotlight and increased his viability for a presidential run.
The governor did not shy away from sparring with schools to get students back into the classroom for in-person instruction after the pandemic shuttered campuses. He tangled in court with the Florida Education Association, the teachers union in the state, over reopening schools and drew criticism for pressuring schools into reopening for in-person instruction by threatening to withhold funding for some…
He sharply rebuked school-related covid mandates, like requiring masks, by issuing an executive order that left mask decisions up to parents. He leaned on parental rights to “make health care decisions for their minor children.”
DeSantis also later made headlines for encouraging students at an event to remove their masks, calling it “ridiculous” and “Covid theater.”
Now that Covid-19 has waned, DeSantis-backed school board members have been purging some educational leaders who enforced pandemic mandates.
