Special Ed teacher worries about her class and the SB6 bill.

[madfloridian]

She is right to be concerned. It is mind-boggling that lawmakers require all students to take and pass the FCAT or whatever new tests are to be added.

From the St. Pete Times:

One special ed teacher's fears about SB 6


DOUGLAS R. CLIFFORD | Times SB 6 doesn’t make allowances for students like Liza Johnson’s, who have emotional behavior problems. So she is campaigning vigorously to get Gov. Crist to veto the bill

Liza Johnson sat on the edge of her gallery seat and tried to muffle her gasps. In the chamber below, members of the Florida House of Representatives asked pointed questions about Senate Bill 6, which may change the face of Johnson's profession by tying teacher pay to student test scores.

"These aren't widgets," the 15-year teaching veteran wanted to yell. "They're kids!"

Back in Pinellas, Johnson, 49, teaches eight third-graders at Calvin Hunsinger School, a campus in Clearwater devoted to educating kids with emotional behavior disorders. This is where one fourth-grade girl lay on the floor in tears during the FCAT this year because she didn't want to take it.

She thinks the new bill is "beyond comprehension". She is trying to become a National Board Certified Teacher, but SB6 would eliminate the bonus for that.

Her biggest fear with SB 6, which she calls "a horrible, horrible detriment to education," is that it will turn schools into unpleasant places to work and learn. That teachers won't collaborate and students will get less from narrowly focused classes.

The comments after her post are just stunningly anti-teacher overall.

The climate for public school teachers has become worse this last year.

I feel our party has a responsibility to step in and show some respect for them.