Let’s just say that I’m a teacher in the great state of Florida, as an example. Each and every day I enter the school, I’m faced with a slew of state rules and regulations as to what I can teach and which non-banned books my students can read. By not adhering to these new requirements, I could be taken to court by parents with a complaint, suggesting that I’m now “grooming” my students — whatever that means? Or I’d simply lose my job.
Let’s not talk about teaching sex education classes, especially given the severe restrictions imposed by the state with respect to any discussion of things like sexual orientation and gender identity. Instead, I’m forced to tread very carefully in order to adhere to guidance on topics when considered “developmentally appropriate”, which in the context of the new law has yet to defined by the state’s Department of Education as to what it actually means. This despite the fact that public opinion surveys show significant support for sexual education in the state. According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), such support is particularly the result of reports which show that Florida has the third-highest rate of new HIV infections in the country and is ranked 23rd for teen pregnancies.
Unfortunately, there is also a teacher shortage in most schools, including the availability of substitute teachers. According to the Florida Education Association, the state is already facing a dire teacher shortage, with 9,000 open teaching and staff positions unfilled as the new school year begins. The shortage is severe enough that Governor Ron DeSantis recently signed a law that allows military veterans to teach without the required teaching certificate or a four-year college degree. Maybe, we should be saluting each other in the hallways? After years of college and teaching courses, I’m beginning to feel a little overqualified. On top of which, Florida’s new laws have made the profession less attractive for experienced teachers and new college graduates alike.
Oh, and now I may be expected to carry a gun. After a gunman tragically killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida in 2018, a program was started to train school staff members to serve as armed guardians. According to state officials, there are more than 1,300 such armed guardians in 45 school districts in Florida, out of 74 in the state. As far as I know, studies on school employees carrying guns have been limited, and research so far has found little evidence that it is effective. However, arming teachers is obviously an approach that aligns closely with an argument that has become a hall mark of the National Rifle Association (NRA) and the gun lobby: “The only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.” I guess that a good guy in this case is a teacher. I just hope that no one gets accidentally shot, especially one of our students or a colleague.
Needless-to-say, the vast majority of teachers are dissatisfied with the current situation. In addition, a teacher’s current pay is nothing to brag about. According to the Florida Education Association, as of 2022, Florida ranks in the bottom five nationally for teacher salaries and many of its education staff professionals are deemed to be earning poverty wages. On top of which, there is little in the way of employment security given that most teaching contracts are only for one year and there are few provisions for tenure. The so-called “culture wars” have led to teacher firings with qualified, experienced educators getting a “pink slip” every year. It’s hard not to consider resigning given the lack of respect, overcrowded classrooms, poor pay and the constant villainizing of teachers by state officials and radicalized parent groups.
As a reference, I would refer one to the Web site of the Florida Education Association (Teacher and Staff Shortage | Florida Education Association (feaweb.org), and to excellent articles by Lori Rozsa of The Washington Post (July 31, 2022) entitled Florida teachers race to remake lessons as DeSantis laws take effect and by Serah Mervosh of The New York Times entitled Trained, armed and ready to teach.
FROLITICKS 
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