By Isa CoxApril 4, 2022 at 6:37am
LGBT teachers in Florida are lamenting the passage of the Parental Rights in Education Act — disingenuously described by its opponents as the “Don’t Say Gay” law — banning sexuality education for early elementary schoolers.
In case you’ve been living under a rock over the last few weeks (in which case I envy you), the left is now fully committed to the policy platform that public school teachers must be allowed to teach your first-graders about sex.
Like, they’re really going with this right now.
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And, of course, as politicians representing millions of parents who, you know, don’t think that teachers should be teaching someone else’s young children about sex seek to restrict the practice in the classroom, the left is hysterically characterizing this legislation as an attack on the personhood of LGBT people everywhere.
Because of course they are.
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The Parental Rights in Education Act, which Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed last week, bans instruction on “sexual orientation or gender identity” for children in kindergarten through third grade or to older students “in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.”
Robert Thollander, a sixth-grade teacher in Orlando, said he plans to make the career change to real estate after a group of parents took issue with his discussing his gay marriage. He told NBC News that he thought the parents had been empowered by the bill.
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“A lot of trust is given to teachers, and it made it seem like I wasn’t trusted because there’s something wrong with me for being gay,” Thollander said. “It makes it seem like being gay is something vile or disturbing or disgusting when it’s described as making children uncomfortable knowing that I’m married to a man. It hurt.”
Interestingly, he seems to fail to accept the no doubt uncomfortable yet nevertheless valid point that millions of Americans do, in fact, have every right to believe that homosexuality is immoral, no matter who it upsets. Those people are taxpayers, and many of them want the public school system to teach young kids how to, you know, read and write, rather than discussions about gender and sexuality.
Will the Florida law stop LGBT indoctrination in schools?
Nicolette Solomon, 28, told NBC News she is quitting her position as a fourth-grade teacher at a Miami-Dade elementary school over the legislation, which she says would “erase” her “as an LGBTQ teacher.”
“Nobody would be able to know, which then puts me in the closet, and I’m there seven hours a day, if not more, five days a week. I wouldn’t be able to be who I am,” she lamented.
“And I don’t think I can bear to see the students struggle and want to ask me about these things and then have to deny them that knowledge,” Solomon said. “That’s not who I am as a teacher.”
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Opponents of the law, like Solomon, cite concerns that limiting how teachers can address LGBT issues will prevent confused LGBT students from confiding in them, potentially putting these kids at an even higher risk of suicide and bullying.
Yet the general population of American youth is struggling with crippling mental health issues, and it is a very dangerous assumption to make that a public servant qualified to teach children phonics or long division will serve as the best confidant and counselor for a child — the assumption being, of course, that all parents who might have something different to say about the child’s sexual desires or gender confusion than his or her LGBT teacher are abusive, and children must be protected from them.
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It’s easy for those sympathetic to these teachers to feel as though they are being personally attacked and marginalized, but if you scratch below the surface, this is really just a disturbingly self-centered response to a piece of legislation that is aimed at preventing young children from being taught about sexuality by public school teachers.
So, if this law is a dealbreaker for certain teachers — if they won’t be able to infuse their sexual morals into the way they teach your children the three R’s, they’re quitting — well, then, the law is doing its job, isn’t it?
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Florida lawmakers have made it clear that teachers won’t be restricted from “being who they are” at schools, they are merely banned from teaching children their values-based views on sexuality, a controversial, personal and, most importantly, highly adult topic that parents have every right to decide how they want to be taught to their children and would prefer it not happen within the confines of the public school system.
This is why, to conservatives, the issue boils down to parental rights, because as much as these teachers try to convince us this will “erase” who they are or what have you, the truth is that this law is protecting parents and families who simply want the right to their own personal convictions about sexual morals.
Let that sink in.
These are the people who have scoffed at the notion that they’re grooming our kids, and they’re falling over themselves to defend teachers’ rights to teach your children a certain set of values about sexuality.
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They are openly defending the rights of public school teachers to instruct your children that it is a moral positive to have alternative sexual desires; the “sexuality” education that the left is emphatically defending is based on the “sex positive” ideology that posits that all sexual urges are natural and normal.
This contradicts the deeply held moral convictions of a great many Americans of conscience, American parents who pay into the school system, and they have every right to characterize the open desire to teach children it is morally positive to have sexual desires when they are in early elementary school as “grooming.”
Ideologically, at the very least, that’s exactly what it is: grooming children into a philosophy that has quite literally slippery sloped its way right down to seeking to destigmatize pedophilia; arguments to this effect have been made from the “sex positive” perspective, from activists who have opposed banning child pornography and child sex dolls.
Sound familiar?
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The woman who is likely to become the next Supreme Court justice, Judge Ketanje Brown Jackson, has a history of letting child porn offenders off the hook as well as arguing for such treatment in a very similar vein.
Yeah.
This is the same woman who couldn’t define “woman,” by the way — how long before these ideologues are arguing that “child” is similarly difficult to define, particularly in the vein of a child’s sexual urges?
So, yeah.
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For all the teachers’ sob stories about feeling erased as human beings in their classroom, if they stopped navel-gazing long enough to examine the merits of the argument and the rights of those who believe very, very differently than they do about the advisability of letting public school teachers instruct young children on radical notions about sexual morality and ethics, they’d probably realize what this bill is all about.
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Tags:
child abuse, children, Culture, education, Florida, homosexual agenda, homosexuality, LGBT, Miami, Orlando, politics, public schools, Ron DeSantis, teacher
Isa Cox
Contributor, Commentary
Isa grew up in San Francisco, where she was briefly a far-left socialist before finding Jesus and her husband in Hawaii. She now homeschools their two boys and freelances in the Ozarks.
Isa grew up in San Francisco, where she was briefly a far-left socialist before finding Jesus and her husband in Hawaii. She now homeschools their two boys and freelances in the Ozarks.
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FAQs
Why are all of the teachers resigning? ›
This data also suggests that spiking stress levels, student behavior challenges, and a harsh political spotlight have all taken their toll on many American teachers. “Education had changed so dramatically since COVID.
What is the Florida bill about teachers? ›The bill, SB 244 has a list that includes protections for educators following state law but violating district policy. There's a shield for teachers trying to control a rowdy classroom. Plus, the provisions incorporate a way for teachers to report violations of their rights to the state ed department.
Why is there a teacher shortage in FL? ›Florida has 5,294 teacher vacancies, the state education association says, compared with 2,217 vacancies in January 2019 when Gov. Ron DeSantis took office. Teachers say they are leaving because of low pay and DeSantis' education policies, dubbed the "war on woke."
Are Florida teachers getting a raise in 2023? ›As a result, the average starting teacher's salary in Florida is $48,000 for the 2022-2023 school year. “This is a huge package to increase teacher pay, support teacher empowerment and protect teachers' paychecks by ensuring they have control over their hard-earned salary,” said DeSantis.
Why are teachers quitting Canada? ›After two years of weathering pandemic disruptions, safety concerns and tense public scrutiny, burned-out teachers have quit the profession in droves.
Why teachers are quitting 2023? ›Clip: 04/10/2023 | 17m 51s | Staffing shortages, burnout, funding cuts, and debates over the curriculum are adding to the pressures on America's educators. In her new book, bestselling author Alexandra Robbins followed three teachers to see how these issues are changing the way they work.
What is the teachers Bill of Rights in Florida 2023? ›On Jan. 23, 2023, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis proposed a new education package that would be implemented in an attempt to combat the shortage of teachers throughout the state of Florida. Proposed in Jacksonville, the new Teacher's Bill of Rights would set aside $1 billion to be invested into teacher pay.
Can I teach in Florida without a teaching degree? ›Florida Teaching Requirements
Florida lets workers with non-teaching bachelor's degrees enter the profession with temporary licenses. The state gives these teachers three years to complete a teacher-preparation program and apply for a professional license.
Florida for each dollar invested by Florida taxpayers in FRS. Employees contribute 3% of salary out of each paycheck to the pension fund. The average retirement benefit is $18,625 per year, or $1,552 per month. FRS covers 623,011 active school employees and 334,682 retirees and beneficiaries.
How much is a teachers salary in Florida? ›| Years of experience | Per hour |
|---|---|
| 1 to 2 years | $29.16 |
| 3 to 5 years | - |
| 6 to 9 years | $34.00 |
| More than 10 years | $39.05 |
Are Florida teachers the lowest paid in the country? ›
Florida ranks better when it comes to average starting salaries for teachers at 15th in the nation at about $45,337.
What state has the highest teacher shortage? ›Georgia had the highest number of vacancies (3,112) for the 2019-2020 school year. More recently, during the 2021-2022 school year, Florida had the most vacancies with 3,911 positions unfulfilled. That same school year, Mississippi and Alabama had over 3,000 vacancies.
What is Florida ranked in teacher salary? ›NEA data shows that in the 2018-2019 school year, when DeSantis entered office, Florida ranked 47th in the nation for average public school teacher pay, giving teachers an average annual salary of $48,314. It ranked 48th in the 2020-2021 school year, giving teachers an average of $51,009.
What is the highest paying county for teachers in Florida? ›Among Florida school districts with "A" grades, the average salary paid to teachers ranged from a high of $59,000 in Collier County Public Schools to the lowest average pay listed for Clay County School District at about $43,000, according to Niche.
How much do teachers make in Florida with a master's degree? ›...
Florida Teacher Salary Chart:
| 2023 | Leon County |
|---|---|
| Bachelors | $47,000 |
| Masters | $49,700 |
| Doctorate | $50,200 |
Teaching is generally a stable profession because there's always a need to educate and inspire the younger generation. Having the required education and skills also increases your job security. According to Job Bank, teaching career prospects are favourable for many provinces and territories.
Is Canada a good country for teachers? ›Canada's education system is widely recognized as one of the world's best due to its top-notch infrastructure, curriculum, and teachers.
Which province in Canada has shortage of teachers? ›There is a shortage of teachers in multiple areas, with some of the hardest-hit being British Columbia and New Brunswick.
Why are so many people leaving the teaching profession? ›The findings show that while many teachers find their work rewarding, a majority said they felt exhausted and stressed — with burnout cited as the top reason for leaving the profession.
Why do so many first year teachers quit? ›Beginning teachers with little or no preparation are 2½ times more likely to leave the classroom after one year compared to their well-prepared peers. Teachers often cite working conditions, such as the support of their principals and the opportunity to collaborate with colleagues, as the top reason for leaving.
How many teachers quit after 5 years? ›
Up to 30% of new teachers are quitting their job within 5 years of teaching. 13% of teachers reported quitting their job due to not getting paid as much as they should have been paid.
Is there a mandatory retirement age for teachers in Florida? ›New teachers starting out in Florida can retire with their full benefits at age 65 and with 8 years of service, or at any age after accruing at least 33 years of service. Additionally, Florida allows early retirement once a teacher has 20 years of experience.
What is the mandatory retirement age for Florida teachers? ›For normal retirement and to receive your full monthly benefit, you must be age 65 with at least 8 years of service or have 33 years of service regardless of age.
Do new teachers in Florida get a pension? ›By default, new teachers and public school employees are enrolled in the Florida Retirement System Investment Plan, which is a DC plan. Alternatively, educators can elect to participate in a traditional pension plan, the Florida Retirement System Pension Plan.
How much does a elementary teacher make in Florida? ›The average salary for a elementary school teacher in Florida is $45,000 per year.
Is a Masters in education the same as a Masters in teaching? ›The primary distinction is that the master's in teaching focuses more directly on teaching and classroom management. In contrast, the master's in education is a broader degree, applicable to a classroom career but also to jobs in administration, curriculum development, and education policy.
How much do sub teachers make in Florida? ›$20,711 is the 25th percentile. Salaries below this are outliers. $33,058 is the 75th percentile.
Do Florida teachers get health insurance when they retire? ›If you are a retiree that returns to active employment as a full-time equivalent (FTE) or other personnel services (OPS) employee and you are enrolled in the Plan at the time of retirement, you will automatically be enrolled in active employee health insurance coverage.
How much does a retired Florida teacher make? ›| Annual Salary | Monthly Pay | |
|---|---|---|
| Top Earners | $64,694 | $5,391 |
| 75th Percentile | $46,799 | $3,899 |
| Average | $36,081 | $3,006 |
| 25th Percentile | $26,152 | $2,179 |
| Rank | State | Overall Retirement Benefits Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Carolina | 94.20% |
| 2 | Tennessee | 88.20% |
| 3 | South Dakota | 78.70% |
| 4 | Oregon | 78.60% |
Who are the highest paid teachers in Florida? ›
Polk County teachers, make $46,151 on average. Sarasota County's teachers are also the highest paid educators in the state, on average.
How much does a 10 year teacher make in Florida? ›How much does aPublic School Teacher make in Florida? The average Public School Teacher salary in Florida is $53,518 as of March 28, 2023, but the range typically falls between $44,690 and $65,264.
How much do elementary teachers make in Florida with a master's degree? ›While teachers with a bachelor's degree and minimal experience earn a base salary of $39,670, Florida teacher salary can increase to $59,050 for educators with a master's degree and 20+ years of experience.
How much do teachers get paid in Canada vs US? ›The OECD average is $49 for primary teachers, and $65 for secondary. In the U.S., the figures are much lower, at $41 and $46 respectively. The Canadian figures? For elementary teachers $68 an hour, and for secondary $74.
What country pays teachers the best? ›Luxembourg. According to an OECD report, Luxembourg (a European country) has the highest-paid teachers in the world. Another source indicates that a bachelor's degree holder is entitled to an initial salary of €67,000 (US $70,323.20) per annum at the start of their teaching career.
Which US state pays teachers the least? ›The average salary for teachers was $49,583 in Florida—the second lowest in the country after Mississippi. All other occupations averaged $51,950, a 4.6 percent difference. In Colorado, teachers earn on average $60,611, about 3 percent less than the $62,900 of other occupations.
In which country teachers are most respected? ›In countries like China and Ghana, society sees teachers as highly competent and, at the same time, they are viewed with great respect. The opposite is true in countries like Peru, Greece, and Israel.
What state needs the most teachers? ›According to U.S. Department of Education data from the 2022-2023 school year, Maine is experiencing the most teacher vacancies in special education, math, science, language arts, early childhood, elementary core subjects, art and music, and career and technical education.
What state has the best paying teacher job? ›- New York. Average salary: $80,286.
- Illinois. Average salary: $70,696.
- Michigan. Average salary: $70,137.
- Pennsylvania. Average salary: $69,949.
- Washington. Average salary: $69,005.
Florida ranked No. 38 in opportunity and competition and 41st in academic and work environment. North Carolina, Mississippi and West Virginia ranked as the three worst states, while Wyoming, Pennsylvania and Minnesota topped the list.
How much do private high school teachers make in Florida? ›
As of Apr 16, 2023, the average annual pay for a Private High School Teacher in Florida is $35,420 a year. Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $17.03 an hour. This is the equivalent of $681/week or $2,951/month.
Where is the best place to teach in Florida? ›- Nassau County School District. Fernandina Beach, FL• ...
- Highlands County Schools. Sebring, FL• ...
- Pinellas County Schools. Largo, FL• ...
- Carrollwood Day School. Tampa, FL• ...
- Martin County School District. Stuart, FL• ...
- Flagler County Public Schools. Bunnell, FL• ...
- Orange County Public Schools. Orlando, FL• ...
- Seminole County Public Schools.
– Today, Governor Ron DeSantis highlighted Florida's continued commitment to expanding civics education in Florida schools and announced that the first 4,500 teachers have completed the Civics Seal of Excellence endorsement course and will receive a $3,000 bonus.
Where is the best place to live as a teacher? ›New York is the best place in America to be a teacher, according to a new report published Monday. The report from the personal finance website WalletHub compared all 50 states and Washington, D.C., along 24 metrics around opportunity, competition and academic and work environment.
What is a livable wage in Florida? ›What is a livable salary in Florida? MIT's Living Wage Calculator says a livable salary for a single person in Florida with no children is about $36,000 before taxes.
What is a good salary in Florida? ›| Annual Salary | Monthly Pay | |
|---|---|---|
| Top Earners | $74,764 | $6,230 |
| 75th Percentile | $60,856 | $5,071 |
| Average | $48,186 | $4,015 |
| 25th Percentile | $35,517 | $2,959 |
If your really love helping young learners grow and play, preschool, kindergarten, or grades 1 through 3 are great. If you're more interested in helping children develop good thinking skills as they mature, grade 4 is a good place to start.
Are teachers quitting at a higher rate? ›Teachers appear to be leaving at higher rates, and there's been a longer-standing decline in people training to become teachers. At the same time, schools may have wanted to hire more teachers than usual because they remain flush with COVID relief money and want to address learning loss.
How many teachers are considering quitting? ›In a 2022 survey conducted by the National Education Association, 55 percent of educators said that they were thinking about leaving the profession, many of them citing pandemic-related difficulties and burnout.
What would happen if all teachers quit? ›If the teachers actually quit, they would be replaced by people willing to work for what the school district(s) were able to pay. Those people would probably not be as qualified (given that they were not able to command a higher salary), and might not even be credentialed.
Why are TikTok teachers leaving their jobs? ›
Topline. Teachers, current and former, are racking up millions of views under the #TeacherQuitTok TikTok hashtag, discussing why their working conditions—including low pay, rude behavior from parents and burnout from the pandemic—motivated them to quit their job.
What state has the most teacher shortages? ›According to U.S. Department of Education data from the 2022-2023 school year, Maine is experiencing the most teacher vacancies in special education, math, science, language arts, early childhood, elementary core subjects, art and music, and career and technical education.
What percentage of teachers quit in 5 years? ›New teachers are leaving their jobs within 5 years of teaching in percentages as high as 30%. 8% of US teachers are quitting their careers, while only 3% to 4% of teachers in other countries are quitting.
Is teaching a stressful job? ›Ultimately, many aspects of workplace stress stem from anxiety about being effective at work. Teachers, like many other professionals, want to be effective in their jobs and suffer from increased stress, anxiety, and depression when they know they aren't at their best or are not receiving needed support.
What is the average years teachers work? ›In the 2015-16 school year, teachers in public schools had on average about 14 years of experience and worked roughly 53 hours a week.
Why is there a shortage of teachers in the US? ›Here are just a few of the longstanding problems plaguing American education: a generalized decline in literacy; the faltering international performance of American students; an inability to recruit enough qualified college graduates into the teaching profession; a lack of trained and able substitutes to fill teacher ...
Why is it so hard to be a teacher right now? ›Teaching is a valuable and rewarding profession, but it can also be tiring and exhausting. Teaching is arguably more difficult now than it has ever been for a variety of reasons, including learner behavior, fast-changing technology, and poor compensation.
How can we stop teachers from quitting? ›- Cultivate Collaboration. Even in a classroom full of students, teachers can still feel very much alone. ...
- Empower Teachers to Succeed. ...
- Provide Them with Support. ...
- Create Better Work Conditions.
Overall, more than 44 percent of new teachers leave the profession within five years.
Will teachers leave the profession? ›Thirty percent of surveyed educators said they plan to leave the education profession within the next three years, while another 33% said they would “maybe” do the same, according to a report released Wednesday by Horace Mann Educators Corp., a financial services company that focuses on educators.
Why are black teachers leaving the profession? ›
Experts attribute the lack of Black K-12 teachers in California to a number of barriers, including underrepresentation in teacher credentialing programs, as well as workplace discrimination that prompts some to leave the profession.