Heart Broken

My heart broke today.

We had a meeting to discuss Senate Bill 4 & 6 at school today. If you don't know what they are you should go NOW to http://feaweb.org/florida-teachers-express-opposition-to-senate-bill-6 and check it out!

This legislation is possibly the most damaging and demeaning bill to ever be brought to our attention. I DO NOT understand how people can really think the best thing to do in order to help our states education system is to completely undermine it! The bill will have the following effects:

• Decrease the ability of local school boards and school districts to make a wide array of decisions having an impact on local schools and replacing them with a one-size-fits-all approach mandated from Tallahassee.

Have you ever tried on a one-size-fits-all shirt? There is no way that shirt can fit a 90 pound woman and a 300 pound man. It just isn't going to work!

• Require that all teachers be retained, certified and compensated based on student test scores on standardized tests -- not years of experience or degrees held.

Masters Degree in Teaching Reading? Sorry, your 5 year olds marked outside the bubbles on their standardized test-YOUR FIRED!

• Penalize school districts that even consider length of service or degrees held when determining compensation or reductions in force.

We don't care what you want-it's all about us, the Big Shot Politicians!

• Order that teachers be issued probationary contracts for up to five years; then an annual contract every year after that … eliminating due process.

Job Security? Don't plan on planning your life!

• Mandate more standardized testing for students (end of course exams for all subjects) and for teachers (additional certification requirements).

Kindergarten Students-You will now have 3 hours to complete the test. Just pee in your pants if you have to go!

• Exclude the salary schedule as a subject of collective bargaining. The state will decide what categories of differentiated pay will be provided for.

Complete Government Control!

I am a teacher who loves her job and is passionate about teaching my students, I purposefully went back to school to get her Masters Degree because I know that teaching students to read and write is the most important academic lesson they can learn and because I know I have to do everything I can to plan for my future, I work long hours, donate $100's of dollars to my students and classroom every year, wipe noses, tie shoes, ruin perfectly good manicures getting all kinds of dirty to get kids excited about learning and engaged in lessons, encourage kids with no one to do it at home, try to instill some sort of discipline into children with NONE, pray for my kids EVERY SINGLE DAY, and leave every students (no matter what they may have done that day) with a hug and I love you.

Apparently that means nothing. Apparently I'm not worth it. My job just isn't that important-which in turn means that our children just aren't important to the government.

If you are a parent of a child in Florida Public Schools or just a supporter of education PLEASE contact our Representatives-Durell Peaden and Don Gaetz and Senator Greg Evers and tell them NOT to pass Bill 6 and 4!

If you want to have any say in your child's public education we have to stop this! If you want good teachers to stay in Florida to teach your children we have to stop this!

If you know me and believe that the job I do, the years I've put into children, and the purposeful education I have worked for is worth it, WE HAVE TO STOP THIS!