Teachers quit in Florida, citing 'toxic’ conditions and a 'testing nightmare’
Florida has a serious teacher shortage. During this school year, there were more than 2,200 vacancies at one point or another. Why?
In a recent post, Fed Ingram, Miami-Dade County teacher of the year in 2006 and now president of the Florida Education Association cited several reasons, including low pay and little respect from policymakers.
There are, however, other reasons. The words of two teachers who have resigned help explain what is driving some of their compatriots to leave.
On April 30, a teacher in Florida published a post on Facebook explaining why he was giving up teaching after 20 years in private and public schools. Jonathan Carroll, who taught at South Lake High School in Lake County, wrote in part (referring to his wife, Dana):
I am leaving the field of education. I have had so many wonderful memories. But it has become a toxic profession. I think of what I thought I would be doing as teacher. Opening minds, debating history inspiring the next generation to reach higher and learn from the past. But education has become something else. I think of all the things I did not sign up for ... like micromanaging administrators, mental health counseling, blueprints with no freedom or flexibility (even though you can not enforce planning), not being considered an expert in my chosen field even though I have a graduate degree. Students overdosing on drugs and collapsing in my classroom when they get back from the bathroom. Active shooter drills. Teachers being armed. Knowing where it is safe to hide in my classroom. Feeding and clothing my students. Buying my own supplies. Being told I should be thankful I have a job and to get over myself. I am tired of the constant testing. We have testing coordinators at each school. Being told that if a student fails it is my fault not their fault. I am tired. Tired of everyone else knowing better and being chastised if I dare ask questions or challenge leadership. So this May, I am walking away. I am going to stay home for awhile (thank you Dana) and start a new chapter. Honestly, I’ll break even if I become a bankteller with no experience. But the truth is I will not miss what education has become. A soulless industrial education complex where admin cares more about the test scores than their faculty or students. I have loved teaching many of you. But it is time to ride into the sunset. Start enjoying life. And find happiness again.
And there is Shanna Fox, a 20-year veteran public school teacher in Polk County, with 15 of those years in a middle-school English Language Arts classroom. She is a National Board Certified Teacher whose 4-year-old daughter is preparing to enter kindergarten this year at the local public school.
Here is her open letter of resignation:
Stand Up and Fight – An Open Letter of ResignationThere is no business model that can fix education. Students are not products and services that can be quantified. They are living, breathing human beings and their complexity cannot be reduced to cells on a spreadsheet.Each child comes with their own set of needs, strengths, and abilities. Teachers must be provided the freedom to CONTINUE READING: Teachers quit in Florida, citing 'toxic’ conditions and a 'testing nightmare’ - The Washington Post