The Empowered Teacher is NOT a Republican, but I have many good friends who are...that's not meant to be tongue in cheek, by the way.  Lately, with all the hulaballo after the Health Care Bill passed, both sides have become ultra sensitive to each other, thanks to our sensationalist media...on both sides.  Since this blog is about education, not necessarily political, although educational politics cannot be excluded, I wanted to attempt a bipartisan blog entry, a view from a guest blogger, a Republican friend, regarding the FL Republicans Bill to institute performance pay.  To hear my Republican friend say that she will not vote for the GOP in the upcoming elections is music to my ears, but the truth is we have to educate ourselves and vote out all these career politicians, Democrats and Republicans who are not looking out for the best interest of teachers and students. Recently, I blasted Arne Duncan...my loyalties are not to the politicians, they are to those whose mission is to improve our standard of living and overall quality of life, and especially our education. I hope my friend's letter to FL legislators inspires and empowers you to write to your state legislators about the need for true educational reform.  Check out my friend's bipartisan blog: http://www.factualxchange.com/

To All Florida Legislators:

I recently became a Republican after the last Presidential Elections. Quite honestly, I am very disappointed in seeing that the Republican Party of Florida is acting in the same way the President of the United States has conducted himself in passing the Health Care Bill.

I happen to know that the same tactics used by the President and his allies have been used in the State of Florida Legislature regarding Senate Bill 6. Senator Thrasher, is the king of $$$$. He is the person ALL OF YOU REPUBLICANS need for funding. Thrasher is also connected to the Bush family and finishing up what Jeb Bush never did. I don't know what's in it for him and the others, but I do know that the fact that the Republicans made this bill happen scares me in the November elections and in the next Presidential elections.

Seeing the partisanship involved in the passing of this bill only alienates those voters who were loyally going to vote REPUBLICAN all the way in November. You have just alienated a lot of voters who were walking on the fence.

Florida turned into a blue state in the last elections. My hope was to regain Florida as a red state and bring the Republicans back. The way the Republicans have voted in the Education Bill is only a reinforcement to everything the Democrats have been saying about us Republicans!!

In regards to the Education Bill, among the many 'unknowns' here are some points you should consider:

1. We are in the business of promoting education. How in the world can we promote education without endorsing such to our own teachers by not compensating them for gaining higher education such as a Master's or Doctorate's degree? What message are we sending our own students? Don't get an upper level degree? Why waste time on loans for higher learning when we will never recover the cost spent on it?

2. What is going to happen to all school psychologists, media specialists, counselors, reading, math and science coaches working for the school system? They are 'teachers in the payroll. They have no students to test, so what is their salary going to be?

3. What is going to happen to elective teachers? What "test" are they going to give?

4. What is going to happen to administrator's salaries?

AND... most importantly, what is going to happen to the core subject teachers who are the heart of the FCAT and students learning their A, B, C's?

It is time, we redirect and shift our focus to STUDENT AND PARENT Responsibilities. We have come a long way since 'No Child Left Behind'. We have pushed, pushed, and pushed teachers to do better. Better professional development, more money for schools, poverty level schools, etc.

BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT THING everyone that is not a teacher is failing to see is:

LACK OF STUDENT ACCOUNTABILITY.

Teachers have been held accountable and that's great. Now it's time to focus on students being held equally accountable for their education.

I can guarantee you that it doesn't matter how much money Senator Thrasher or anyone in the Republican party is promising you. What good is all that money for funding campaigns without having the constitutents on your side?

All of those Republican legislators in the State of Florida who have betrayed my trust and hope in them will risk losing in the next elections, no matter how much campaign money you receive.

Signed,

A VERY CONCERNED REPUBLICAN      

Check out the blog http://www.factualxchange.com/

Ironically, as a language arts teacher the last set of lessons I taught were for the short story "The Veldt" by Ray Bradbury. The truth is, my last week as a teacher I did not want to cheat my good students from their education, so I decided to search for something meaningful to teach which would carry me to survive throughout the week. As I read the short story for the first time preparing my final lessons, I soon discovered forces beyond my understanding were at work because the story's theme provided me with a perfect ending to my 20 year teaching career...if I had intentionally sought out to find a story to express my dissatisfaction with public education, I would have not found it. My stumbling upon "The Veldt" so haphazardly felt like a sign that I had made the right decision, and I would go out making quite an indirect statement! It was my civil disobedience of sorts, my moment of empowerment after years of abuse, and a way to send a message to all: the dysfunctional parents, the incompetent administrators and the insolent little children. I cried for the innocent bystanders, but unfortunately my heart could bleed for them no more. I won't spoil the ending of the story because I urge all teachers to read it on those days when they feel defeated, but all I will say is that in typical Bradbury fashion, the story's themes express the plain truth about society and children today, even though it was written over 50 years ago. Bradbury warned of us these days of "just answering back" would come...we did not listen, and so we as teachers deal with these monsters who know they can get way with murder because they know adults fear them. I did not, and I wish more of us would not.