Let the late night backstabbery begin!
Efforts to get his way and leave what he perceives as a "legacy" were foiled as our Mini Me version of the Doofball in Charge, Jeb, was voted down and turned on by members of his own party!
I graduated from UF with a degree in Early Childhood Education. I put in many frustrating hours at prairie View Elementary in a kindergarten classroom of 24 children. So frustrating that when my internship was over, I immediately decided that college was a great experience and I learned an immeasurable amount, but there was no way I would teach. I very quietly put the chalk back in the box and handed in my planning book. 24 children in a classroom, even for a veteran educator, is insane! At the time only 5 of my students had behavior problems (now diagnosed as ADHD, the Dx de jour) which is small compared to nowadays.
Enter the class size initiative that would help teachers better maintain order and instruct our youth. The initiative would cap the number of kindergarteners to 18. 18 is a way more respectable number. 18, for a teacher, is a dream. Especially when you have been in the trenches with 24 or more.
*REALITY CHECK*
Ever offered to watch your 5 or 6 yr old niece or nephew for an afternoon? Was it nonstop activity riddled mayhem? Were you exhausted when you happily returned them to their parent? Okay, now think of that multiplied by 24, without TV or video games, oh and most of them did not get enough sleep last night, 7 did not get bathed yet this week, 4 were sent to school with shoes on the wrong feet, 1 has no shoes, 10 got no breakfast or were too late to get the free breakfast before school therefore the brain is basically eating itself,...oh and it's only Wednesday. Should I go on?
I know what you are saying. I can hear it now. "Well, that teacher chose her profession. She knew what she was getting into. Not getting any sympathy from me."
Yep...we all had grand ideas of one day getting our very own classroom of ill-mannered, dirty, abused, emotionally detached, 5 yr olds whose hope for a little stability and true affection lies in the six hours he/she gets to come to school everyday.
For most, the only structure and stability in their lives is found in their teacher. Why shouldn't we AT LEAST help the teachers out by giving them a smaller class to instruct? It ultimately benefits all involved, most importantly the children.
So, thanks for letting me rant. Thanks to the Florida Democrats and six Republicans who voted against Jeb and actually (gasp) did the bidding of the people. Remember? We voted in the class-size initiative in 2002! It has taken this long to actually see some movement toward our request because Jeb has been trying to block it with bribes and threats.
Efforts to get his way and leave what he perceives as a "legacy" were foiled as our Mini Me version of the Doofball in Charge, Jeb, was voted down and turned on by members of his own party!
I graduated from UF with a degree in Early Childhood Education. I put in many frustrating hours at prairie View Elementary in a kindergarten classroom of 24 children. So frustrating that when my internship was over, I immediately decided that college was a great experience and I learned an immeasurable amount, but there was no way I would teach. I very quietly put the chalk back in the box and handed in my planning book. 24 children in a classroom, even for a veteran educator, is insane! At the time only 5 of my students had behavior problems (now diagnosed as ADHD, the Dx de jour) which is small compared to nowadays.
Enter the class size initiative that would help teachers better maintain order and instruct our youth. The initiative would cap the number of kindergarteners to 18. 18 is a way more respectable number. 18, for a teacher, is a dream. Especially when you have been in the trenches with 24 or more.
*REALITY CHECK*
Ever offered to watch your 5 or 6 yr old niece or nephew for an afternoon? Was it nonstop activity riddled mayhem? Were you exhausted when you happily returned them to their parent? Okay, now think of that multiplied by 24, without TV or video games, oh and most of them did not get enough sleep last night, 7 did not get bathed yet this week, 4 were sent to school with shoes on the wrong feet, 1 has no shoes, 10 got no breakfast or were too late to get the free breakfast before school therefore the brain is basically eating itself,...oh and it's only Wednesday. Should I go on?
I know what you are saying. I can hear it now. "Well, that teacher chose her profession. She knew what she was getting into. Not getting any sympathy from me."
Yep...we all had grand ideas of one day getting our very own classroom of ill-mannered, dirty, abused, emotionally detached, 5 yr olds whose hope for a little stability and true affection lies in the six hours he/she gets to come to school everyday.
For most, the only structure and stability in their lives is found in their teacher. Why shouldn't we AT LEAST help the teachers out by giving them a smaller class to instruct? It ultimately benefits all involved, most importantly the children.
So, thanks for letting me rant. Thanks to the Florida Democrats and six Republicans who voted against Jeb and actually (gasp) did the bidding of the people. Remember? We voted in the class-size initiative in 2002! It has taken this long to actually see some movement toward our request because Jeb has been trying to block it with bribes and threats.
Thanks to the teachers who stand strong even though society disprects them and their governer thinks their unification is dangerous. Thanks for being strong enough to continue to do the job that I could not.
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