DeSantis teacher shortage plan: 'Shortcutting the process' won't work, Florida union president says

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Tens of thousands of teacher openings are going unfilled as students head back to the classroom across the country, prompting school districts to do everything they can to address the dire teacher shortage.

Florida, which has about 8,000 open teaching positions, is taking an unusual approach to fill the vacancies. The state is allowing military veterans without a bachelor’s degree and no prior experience to apply for a temporary five-year teaching certificate while they finish their bachelor's degrees.

Not everyone is on board with the new plan, though. Teachers' unions across the state are against the idea, warning it will not help solve the long-term staffing issue.

“This doesn't really get at the root of the problem,” Florida Education Association President Andrew Spar told Yahoo Finance Live (video above). “We want to make sure that we have fully trained, fully credentialed teachers in our classroom with the experience and support they need to teach every child. This idea of shortcutting that process doesn't work. It never has."

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/desantis-teacher-shortage-plan-shortcutting-the-process-won-t-work-florida-union-president-says/ar-AA10QAvQ

[no_hypocrisy]

1. Teaching is one of the hardest professions.

Not only do you have to be able to effectively communicate with children and know your subjects well, you have to be prepared to be switched to another grade level at the whim of your administrator. You could be teaching Kindergarten one year and fourth grade the next. BIG difference in child psychology and communication for 5 year olds and 9 year olds.

Not to mention the scores of your students may make your career a little precarious if you don't deliver the goods.

[GPV]

2. Add in in-house fighting, parent and community harassment. Yeah, the high pay and all these extra

perks will have people signing up in droves. (The turnover on our own staff this past year much be approaching the 50% mark. Very scary knowing that it's going to be as hard to fill classroom positions as it is signing up subs.)

[no_hypocrisy]

3. I'm a sub.

Teachers and administrators thank me for showing up.

[BigmanPigman]

6. I hated that so much!!!

Half the time the grade changes were made AFTER school started making teaching virtually impossible. I went through a zillion classes, meetings, tons of my own money spent on retraining and supplies and worked 40 hour weeks often and all for low, low pay and no respect from the district, the administrators and often the parents. There are no art, music, science classes or librarians, nurses, support staff, tech assistance, etc. Classroom teachers are now expected to do those jobs on top of our already impossible amount of work. We would buy whole series of books only to be told to trash them after 6 months. School districts are all about money. Schools are a business and when I realized that it all made sense. They don't care about teachers and even the kids. My fellow teacher friends have no pity on these districts who over worked and underpaid us throughout our careers. Their priorities are even more fucked up now than even a few years ago. People should never blame teachers for anything. Teachers are given strict limits and requirements by the district and state for problems like kids not learning Civics. I have written to the state and it did no good, our hands are tied and believe me when I say that teachers are well aware of the problems and are so frustrated we are leaving the profession in droves. What else would you expect?

[Irish_Dem]

4. People with just a high school education can now be employed as teachers.

The GOP can pay them minimum wage and supply them with the daily "lesson plan."

[OldBaldy1701E]

5. Right on schedule, eh DeSantis?

“We want to make sure that we have fully trained, fully credentialed teachers in our classroom with the experience and support they need to teach every child."

Yes, but DeSantis does not want that. Not one bit. Teachers who know what they are doing are not going to toe the line created by the insane rethugs. This is why they are offering this to the military. Statistically, they will be more conservative and therefore more on board with what is going on down there.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

7. This makes me smile

Link to tweet