- Title: Many concerned by Florida governor's teacher shortage 'solution'
- Date: 13th September 2022
- Summary: NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (FILE - MAY 16, 2016) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF STUDENTS IN CLASSROOM (FILE MAY 16, 2016)
- Embargoed: 27th September 2022 11:04
- Keywords: DESANTIS LEGISLATION MIAMI SCHOOLS TEACHER SHORTAGE TEACHING
- Location: MIAMI, FLORIDA, UNITED STATES
- City: MIAMI, FLORIDA, UNITED STATES
- Country: USA
- Topics: Education,Society/Social Issues,United States
- Reuters ID: LVA005376108092022RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: So many Florida teachers have abandoned their profession the state is inviting military veterans to lead classrooms while they work toward earning education credentials.
Elsewhere across the country as school resumed this year, districts beamed virtual teachers into classrooms from several states away and offered bonuses to lure back retirees.
Education experts say teacher shortages they have been warning about for years grew worse during the coronavirus pandemic when teachers who did not die or become gravely ill faced new stresses such as remote learning or exposure to potentially sick students.
In Florida, which according to the National Education Association has about 195,000 public schools instructional staff, the state said 282 veterans applied to the Military Veterans Certification Pathway as of Aug. 24.
The bill approving the program had sailed through both houses of the Florida legislature without any opposing votes. Governor Ron DeSantis signed it into law on June 9. The measure has since generated both enthusiastic support and sharp criticism, typical in a time of deep division in the United States around education and other issues.
The Florida Education Association teachers' union has said Florida and other states, instead of launching programs such as the Military Veterans Certification Pathway, should stop insulting teachers and threatening their careers with legislation that penalizes those who stray from conservative views on race or LGBTQ issues.
Marlon Greig, a teacher at Earlington Heights Elementary School in Miami, said he had one sibling in the U.S. Army and another in the Air Force "but I would not entrust them with my children" as teachers.
"It's just not fair for someone to come into a classroom unqualified, unprepared to teach and shape young minds," Greig said.
U.S. Army Reserve Brigadier General Vincent Buggs said he was confident veterans could immediately become valuable in the classroom.
"Absolutely. There are teachers that come right out of college and make an immediate impact in the classroom," Buggs said.
He had a college degree, and through Florida's 'Educator Certification Pathways for Veterans' program, Buggs earned a temporary teaching certificate.
Antonio White is the vice president of United Teachers of Dade, a union for educators in the Miami area. He says children know when someone isn't ready to be at the helm in a classroom.
"They can sense and feel those that are unprepared for the job. And when they do, they have a way of manipulating the situations to the best of their ability. And along with the pedagogy, right, you also have to learn classroom management," he said.
"You also have to understand that you're going to be dealing with, especially in a place like Miami, people from all over the world. We probably have more than 300 different nationalities within a district of this nature. We're probably one of the most diverse school districts in the country," he added.
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