It seems that yelling at children to unmask and forcing trans students to be outed to their parents aren’t enough for this mess of a governor.
Three years after signing a bill allowed public school teachers to be armed, DeSantis is putting forth a new push to militarize the classroom.
He now wants to instate any and all underqualified veterans as full-time teachers:
.@GovDeSantis on recruiting veterans to the teaching field: “Our veterans have a wealth of knowledge and experience they can bring to bear in the classroom. […] For too long, the requirements to be a teacher have been too rigid.” https://t.co/qgM3g485JT pic.twitter.com/iuXi4ZCZu3
— The Hill (@thehill) August 14, 2022
The governor proposed that any veteran with half a bachelor’s degree worth of credits and a single subject area test should be able to teach–certification be damned!
How about we take this to the next level?
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It’s clear that he’s decided that for Florida, this answer to the teachers’ shortage is not better conditions and salary for educators, but less qualified educators in the classroom.
Related: Florida students are getting screwed over “Don’t Say Gay” law — now they’re fighting back
According to DeSantis, the problem with educators in his state (you know, the state with the third lowest literacy rate in the country) is that “the requirements to be a teacher have been too rigid.”
He also cites that veterans have “a wealth of knowledge and experience they can bring to bear in the classroom.” While there are undoubtedly areas of knowledge specific to service members, the idea that military training prepares one to teach general studies is a wild one.
All of this is especially remarkable coming from a loudly outspoken member of the party that just last month attempted to block the PACT Act, a veteran healthcare bill, before caving to intense public backlash.
This governor is no stranger to getting his ideas (and general character) torn up on social media for short-sightedness, hypocrisy, and general lack of awareness.
This latest proposal is no different:
in STARSHIP TROOPERS (1997) the use of combat veterans as school teachers is how the movie signals its society has become irredeemably broken and cartoonishly fascist https://t.co/6QUnxpBnbJ
— Anthony Oliveira (@meakoopa) August 15, 2022
The requirements to be a Governor have clearly not been rigid enough.
— Reshma Gopaldas (@reshingbull) August 14, 2022
When DeSantis says teacher requirements are too rigid, what he’s actually saying is it needs to be easier to install unqualified teachers who can indoctrinate children using conservative ideology and revisionist history. https://t.co/mUXsD3XhI9
— Adam Best (@adamcbest) August 14, 2022
I am a retired teacher and a veteran. I was professional at both. Everybody went to school, so everybody thinks they can teach. They can’t. Teaching takes specific training and expertise, most importantly, content knowledge. I taught History with a degree in History.
— Carl Bingman (@CarlBingman) August 14, 2022
I’m imagining Lee Ermy from “Full Metal Jacket” teaching a bunch of 2nd graders.
Look, military people are usually great folks. I’m a veteran too. But that doesn’t make vets remotely qualified to be teachers. Totally different skill sets
This is just wallpapering over shortages https://t.co/2f4owBw3Kc
— Brynn Tannehill (@BrynnTannehill) August 14, 2022
There’s already a teacher’s shortage, I’m not sure, “Hey! Anyone can do it!” is the answer when they’re already undervalued.
— 3 Calls A Day (@3callsaday) August 14, 2022
— Jonathan Burke (@Darth_Burkie) August 14, 2022
I guess if you don’t give a shit about kids getting shot up in schools, it’s not too much of a stretch to not care if teachers have standards. https://t.co/fyA1OYb0g1
— Markos Moulitsas (@markos) August 15, 2022
My son is a 23 year old veteran. Marine. Sorry, but the Marines taught him nothing that would be of value in a classroom. We are a family of appropriately trained public school teachers and our Marine does not measure up to be a teacher.
— Joe&Kamala🛹 (@Resurrected33) August 14, 2022
I guess if you don’t give a shit about kids getting shot up in schools, it’s not too much of a stretch to not care if teachers have standards. https://t.co/fyA1OYb0g1
— Markos Moulitsas (@markos) August 15, 2022
Drag Race icon Trixie Mattel might have the most politically informed and analytical take of all:
are you people on crack
— Trixie Mattel™ (@trixiemattel) August 15, 2022
Related: Watch Ron DeSantis’ brain malfunction as he rails against “woke math”
dbmcvey
It’s bad when politicians get involved in education.
My2CentsWorth
It is very bad when people like DeSantis get involved in politics. Very dangerous too.
Den
“dbmcvey
It’s bad when politicians get involved in education.”
No, it’s not.
It is bad when politicians like DeSantis, who have neither the intellectual capacity nor the ethics to actually study and respond to the problems in a productive fashion, get involved in education.
Jeremiah
This is a deliberate part of their plan. The more poorly educated the voter the more likely they’ll vote GOP.
My2CentsWorth
In 30 years – if there are no disasters such as WW III – the U. S. will be on par with the most backward Islamic theocracy that exist.
dgizzle
? ? California has the lowest literacy rate.. and this article is wrong.. Florida is not in the bottom 3..not even bottom 5 like most like to say.
You all should try reading the entire bill and plan before immediately chiming in.. but what should I expect from a completely biased pro alphabet community page. DeSantis isn’t going anywhere but up.. so continue hurling insults and lies because your feelings are hurt… because you listen to pages like this that completely twist words and facts to fit their commie agenda.
jt1990
@Jeremiah I know plenty of educated professionals who voted for Trump last election. Also, teaching at a high school level is not all that difficult. I once inquired to one of my teacher relatives if the job is worth it. Her advice was to always pick the upper income, mostly white schools. The kids are well behaved and for the most part manage themselves! (And to avoid middle schools altogether!)
With the exception of college professors and AP courses, I would think an associates degree and average intelligence should be sufficient.
Den
“DeSantis isn’t going anywhere but up.”
Perhaps in the case of head up one’s own butt, but not otherwise.
State levels of English literacy reflect a great deal more than school quality, as anyone of intelligence can understand. Especially whan you go through the list and compare other metrics like overall school quality, size and growth of the immigrant population, size of the agricultural businesses in the state, percentage of library users, number of libraries and bookstores per capita…
When comparing reading levels among middle school kids, the lowest achievement is in the classic southern states with only 25% reading at or above grade level. Florida and California come in at 32 and 30% respectively which puts them on a par with a majority of states (national average is 32%). Florida and California are similar in Math proficiency. However the US ranks only 23rd worldwide in terms of math proficiency, as the right has undeniably worked to degrade the effectiveness of education in the US (which is a multifaceted issue).
In terms of Health, Florida enjoys a considerably higher total Covid death rate (367/ 100k) than California (238/100k). In terms of gun deaths Florida racked up 13.7/100k while California had 8.5/100k with only 6 states safer. Comparing budget surpluses, GDP, average income and more, it becomes clear that if DeSantis is in fact “isn’t going anywhere but up”, it is because it would be damn hard for him to go any lower!
Mister P
Thank you Jeremiah. That’s correct.
Kangol2
He’s systematically trying to destroy Florida and turn it into a fascist laboratory. I’m all for trained, qualified veterans teaching but this plan is beyond absurd and endangers the education of young people.
Seriously, Florida voters, he has GOT TO GO and you have the opportunity to send him packing in November!
My2CentsWorth
If he goes he might end up with a high level federal position – including the president.
dgizzle
he has done more good in Florida that the last 5 governers combined.. ? ? You sound really upset. Try reading the entire bill, and not getting your facts from a completely biased smear rag.. that claims they are only partisan on queer issues. DeSantis is the people’s champion in Florida.. the only place he is going is to the white house… You guys don’t want veterans teaching.. why.. they might be conservative leaning?.. what if they were LGBT.. or hispanic, black, Asian ?
Kangol2
@dgizzlegobble, I wrote: “I’m all for trained, qualified veterans teaching but this plan is beyond absurd and endangers the education of young people.”
Perhaps learn to read before you start throwing out comments going after others. And ask all the people who died from Covid-19 under DeSantis’s watch how great a governor he’s been!
CKNJ
Kangol you are right, DeSantis is a blight on decency, and any comments from ‘jizzle’ (yes, purposely misspelled) are a waste of intelligent non-cult peoples’ time. Of course he will comment back and screech about how awful we are, but hey, Jizz… I don’t give a flying f*** what assholes like you say!
bachy
“Something is rotten in the state of Denmark…”
Al
DeSantis uses the word ‘veterans’ for justification. I mean…who is against veterans? And look how it’ll play on the campaign trail!
Substitute the word ‘college dropouts’ for ‘veterans’ and see how it changes
Cam
The word “veterans” masks the truth.
So some 55 year old who’s never been able to hold a steady job, who happened to be in the military from the age of 18 to 22 and then dropped out of school, should be able to come back 30 years after the last time they were in a classroom and be allowed to start teaching.
Mister P
We need good intelligent and inspiring teachers not “sufficient” teachers.
SDR94103
this turd is a disgrace to humanity.
ShiningSex
who gives a f*ck about veterans? what war did they last do that REALLY had to do with protecting our freedom???? I’ll wait…..
Also, republicans that support Trump are not patriots/America loving especially when they said “We back the blue”, but don’t support what the FBI are doing? Hmmmm you can’t have it both ways. FBI are our blue too.
Mack
The “dumbing down of America” is intensified in the red states and Texas and Florida is leading the way.
missvamp
the really scary part- this moronic sht pickle plans to run for president.
cartartist
I had to respond here. I am a teacher in Florida. A veteran of 18 years. What Desantis is doing right now is not helpful to the profession. By saying that an unskilled person can come into the classroom and do the same job as my colleagues is absurd. We’ve had years of training, school, evening workshops, summer workshops. I have studied and gained multiple certifications in multiple areas because for many years I feared that my position as a visual arts teacher might get cut. Thankfully, the arts are still valued where I teach. But I worked damn hard to be certified to teach reading, and I have, to students in small groups during my own planning time. Point is, teachers in Florida, at ALL levels work their butts off for one purpose.. to see that our kids succeed. It’s difficult when we are constantly under attack because nuts out there think we are teaching sex education to K-5 students. It’s called human growth and development for 4th and 5th grade. And it’s all about adolescence and puberty. And, we are NOT indoctrinating anyone.. I don’t even understand what we could possibly be indoctrinating because the day is so packed with ELA, Math, Social Studies, Science, and Art, Music, and P.E. Nobody knows what it is like to be a teacher unless they have actually stepped into a teacher’s shoes and taught in the classroom.
JeffBaker
Conservatives have always benefited from ignorance. They have been attacking public education for decades. Remember Trump’s comment: “I love the poorly-educated.”
mz.sam
Bottom Line: Folks, redirect your outrage and vote out all GOP LIARS, election DENIERS and MAGA CROOKS out this November…PERIOD.
johncp56
How far can these scummy tawts get