If it weren't for the dozens of bright-eyed, energetic fourth- and fifth- grade Florida students that she teaches math and science to each and every day, she's unsure she'd stick with her job.
Lucas considered quitting after nearly three decades on the job because of historically low pay and new laws that restrict what teachers can and cannot say in the classroom.
Being with the children is what keeps me here. From 8 o'clock to 2 o'clock, I'm happy. Lucas is a teacher at Hollywood Hills Elementary School in Hollywood, Fla. Everything else I don't like.
Similar complaints have become more common among Florida teachers.
She said that "every change that has been made is to put more work on us without considering the rising prices of everything in the recession."
Despite a record $21.8 billion dollar state surplus, Florida ranks 48th in terms of teacher pay with an average salary of $51,000 a year. There is a teacher shortage in the state. Substitute teachers are often used to fill in for the whole school year. Students at some Florida public schools are taught by teachers from other states.
Legislation was signed into law this summer that will allow military veterans with no prior teaching experience the ability to enroll in classes. The state's starting pay for teachers was raised from 26th in the nation to 9th in March. His critics say that he has shown those with experience that they aren't a priority.
The president of the Florida Education Association, the state's largest teacher's union, told Yahoo News that they saw that message throughout the swine flu epidemic. We are facing the worst teacher staffing shortage we have ever seen in the state of Florida. That's something we should be very concerned about.
Veteran teachers in the state say that employing people who don't have teaching experience at a time when their own wages aren't rising is a slap in the face.
"As a teacher who has been teaching for 25 years, we are getting sandwiched." The upper levels get crunched when you raise the bottom level. You don't get any more pay increases at 25 years.
Even though he has two siblings who are in the military, he wouldn't trust them to teach his own children.
It's not fair for someone to come into a classroom and not know what they're doing.
There has been a decline in the enthusiasm of teachers about the state of the profession. A steep drop in levels of overall job satisfaction can be seen in national polls of teachers. The American Federation of Teachers, the second largest teacher's union in the country, conducted a survey in June and found that the number of teachers who were dissatisfied with their conditions had doubled. Increased workload, low pay, and a lack of support from parents and school administrators are some of the reasons teachers cite for the decline, according to a new survey.
Lucas has a master's degree and many advanced teaching certifications after 28 years of teaching. She doesn't know how she would survive if she didn't have financial help from her husband and parents.
She said she doesn't make over $60,000 with all of those things.
The decline of teaching satisfaction in Florida is a reflection of conservative priorities.
He said that the pay for experienced teachers has gone down in the last three and a half years.
The education landscape in Florida has never been better according to supporters of the new governor. The governor celebrated the state's number one ranking for "overall education freedom" from the Heritage Foundation.
The Heritage Foundation said that Florida lawmakers set a high standard for academic transparency. State officials approved a proposal that prevents teachers and administrators from compelling students to affirm prejudiced ideas.
At an event tout Florida's first place ranking, the governor highlighted the state's decision to ignore COVID-19 restrictions that affected other states.
When other states locked people down and kept their kids out of school, we made sure kids were in school because we put their well-being before politics. Florida's schools are thriving because we invest in our students and we empower parents to decide what learning environment is best for their kids.
There is a legislative agenda that seeks to restrict what can be discussed in the classroom.
The Parental Rights in Education bill was signed by the governor. The legislation, dubbed the "Don't Say Gay" bill, prohibits teachers from leading classroom discussions on sexual orientation and gender identity through the third grade and leaves room to ban such discussions for other grades.
The new law will allow students to get an education and not be coerced into it, according to the ardent advocate of the law.
It has been a point of contention for Democrats in the state and elsewhere that the bill's loose language will lead to teachers playing it safe in the classroom when discussing important issues for fear of being sued or fired.
The bill leaves teachers afraid to talk to their students and opens up school districts to costly and frivolous litigation from those seeking to exclude LGBTQ people from any grade level.
Smith said, "#DontSayGay sends a harmful message to our most vulnerable youth who need our support."
The legislation has been pushed back by the president.
Biden said that every student deserved to feel safe in the classroom. The youth of the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and queer community deserve to be accepted just as they are. My administration will continue to fight for the rights of students and their families.
The governor's office said in a statement that the "Stop Woke Act" was created to take on both corporate wokeness and Critical Race Theory in schools. It doesn't allow the teaching of that one ethnic group is inherently racist. A Florida judge ruled that the law was unconstitutional.
If Florida really believes we live in a post-racial society, then it should be allowed to make its case. The argument can't be won by muzzling its opponents.
Several requests for comment from the governor's office were not responded to. The legislation is likely to be reinstated, according to the governor, who maintains that challenges to the act will be appealed.
Books that discuss racism, gender identity, sexism or any kind of oppression have recently been banned in some parts of Florida. The trend is not limited to Florida. According to a report by PEN America, at least 137 bills have been introduced in the next four years to restrict teaching on topics such as gender, race and sexual identity. Most of the restrictions targeting teaching about race have been lifted.
Florida public school teachers who reject the premises behind the state's new laws say their already demanding work has only gotten harder.
Kent Cooper, a high school science teacher who has spent the last 8 years at Palm Bay Magnet High, told Yahoo News that the new policies have made it harder for teachers to do their jobs. Politicians are making policy about subjects that they don't know anything about.
In July, Cooper quit his teaching position because of unreasonable expectations. He is going to start at a charter school to escape the pressures of the public school bureaucracy.
Do you know what woke math is? I don't know and I'm sure they don't know, but math books have been taken away from schools because of this. To succeed, you have to read. They are taking that away.
A male middle school teacher for the Palm Beach School District, who agreed to speak to Yahoo News under condition of anonymity for fear of repercussions from his school or state government, said that this school year is different than previous years.
The teacher told Yahoo News that teaching and interacting with students has made a complete 180 for him as he identifies as a gay man. The governor has hurt my day to day at work. There was a pride flag in my classroom. I helped many students who felt open enough to talk to me about their feelings about their boyfriend, and I helped them talk to the guidance counselor about what they were thinking.
He said that he doesn't share a single thing about his personal life. My students don't feel connected to me as much as they did last year because I don't talk about what we did over the weekend when they ask about my romantic interest.
Some people in Florida think the "Don't Say Gay" bill is a good thing. Charlotte Joyce proposed a resolution stating that the school board supported the bill.
Joyce said that the parentsentrusting their children to them every day. I wanted that to come out because I was concerned that the school district was socially transitioning students without parents knowing.
The teacher feels like he has to walk on eggshells in the classroom and is unsure of what could be considered out of bounds.
He said, "I am one angry student away from a legal battle since all it takes is them wanting to tell their parent I said anything at all about my being gay, even if it's a lie." I get too little money and deal with too much stress as a teacher, so I have to make sure I don't have a student that dislikes me.
A majority of Americans disagree with Florida's controversial bills. A survey published in March found that a small majority of Americans support banning the teaching of sexual orientation and gender identity from kindergarten through third grade.
A recent poll shows residents split over the teaching of critical race theory, an educational movement that aims to contextualize recent and historical events in a framework of systemic racism, with 40% in favor and 42% against it.
The seemingly widening gap between experienced public school teachers that want students to learn about the good, bad and the ugly about the world seems to be in stark contrast to the support of Ron DeSantis.
The purpose of the school system is to educate kids, not to teach them, according to the speaker. You don't distort American history to advance your ideology.
Some Florida teachers think the reality is more complex.
The development of trust between the teacher and the students is a part of a safe positive environment. High school students are starting to question the world around them and sometimes even a science teacher gets questions that aren't related to the subject they teach. I have to try to answer it honestly, but these new policies make me think twice. Students of color have asked me why white people treat them differently. I tried to explain that not all white people think the way others do and that they do it out of fear, as they don't know, and that creates fear. When we saw what happened to George Floyd, I cried for them. I've had gay and trans students ask the same questions and I've had hard conversations about it after the nightclub shooting. They might come to me because they hope that I can help them understand it. It doesn't make sense at all. How do I have those conversations without fear of punishment?
There is a person with the name _____.
The cover photo illustration is from Yahoo News.
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