Regardless of our rank in the
Quality Counts School rankings it has always said two things our teachers do a
good job and Florida invests poorly in our schools.
That is apparently okay with Education
Commissioner Pam Stewart who said: “As a
result of Florida’s hard-working teachers, Florida students are once again
being recognized for their outstanding performance, Today’s news is evidence that the state’s focus on student achievement is
working and Florida has a good return on its investment in education.”
Well what about teachers return on investment?
What about all the teachers who have to get second jobs or have crippling student
debt? What about all the hundreds and hundreds of unpaid hours teachers work
too? I would say Florida teachers who are some of the worst paid in the nation are
not getting a very good return in what they have invested in their education or
how they spend their time.
I have been teaching for 14 years
now and I am fifteen thousand dollars below the national average. Florida’s
teachers are also some of the most put upon teachers in the nation too. New
teachers don’t have work protections, they can be let go at the end of the year
for any reason or none, they all took a three a percent pay, are subjected to a
ridiculous evaluation formula, VAM, which the DOE says is inaccurate more than
a third of the time and doesn’t factor in things like absenteeism and poverty
and are stripped of creativity and innovation as they are forced to teach to
the test.
But I guess none of that matters
because Florida is getting a good return on their investment but you should ask
yourself, if we leave things the way they currently are how long is that going to
last.
I found out since we returned from winter break that 6 of our TFA's are at the end of their 3-year commitment, and they will not be returning next year. Talk about a return on your investment. Neither will our school's Teacher of the Year be returning. And this week I was asked by 2 seasoned teachers how much longer would I stay. I told them another 20 years, till I retire. They said they would give it 3 more years, unless they see major changes. So, which school board members are supposed to be working on teacher morale? Do you know? I just do not think they are doing their jobs. What does their CAST evaluation say?
ReplyDeleteIt's not just teachers. Good administrators that I know are also questioning their commitment to education. Let's tell it like it is: The current superintendency has no respect for school-based personnel. None.
ReplyDelete