Gov. Ron DeSantis announced a plan to get veterans into classrooms last month.

“Florida is the most veteran- and military-friendly state in the nation,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “We also know that our veterans have talents and skills that they can offer our students. This new opportunity expands Florida’s existing programs that help our veterans take their talents to our schools, and it will help Florida remain a national leader in education.”
 
Per SB 896 (2022), which unanimously passed the Florida House and Senate, veterans who successfully obtain their 5-year temporary teaching certificate will be assigned a mentor teacher for a minimum of two years to support their classroom teaching endeavors. They must also earn their bachelor’s degree during the 5-year period to be eligible for a full professional certificate.

Miguel Cardona, the disastrous hack picked as Secretary of Education by the Biden administration, called it a slap in the face to the profession.

Education Secretary Miguel Cardona on Wednesday said lowering standards and changing pathways to qualify educators is disrespectful to the profession. 

“Look, I’m all for veterans becoming teachers… but let’s remember, when the nation’s report card is showing that our students have dropped drastically, to provide educators who are not qualified or trained in the pedagogy of teaching is a slap in the face to the profession,” Cardona told reporters at “The Monitor Breakfast,” hosted by the Christian Science Monitor. 

Maybe the profession needs a slap in the face? Or a reality check.

As Cardona knows quite well, students dropped drastically because teachers’ unions insisted on keeping schools closed. A big part of Gov. DeSantis’ legacy is keeping Florida open. The solution here isn’t having the same broken hacks who go on strike at the drop of a dime and keep trying to close schools. It’s fresh blood. Teaching at its core is not an esoteric rite. It’s been artificially made that way by people with MAs and PhDs who invent a lot of useless jargon that only breaks education even further.

If 17-year-old girls could teach in one-room schoolhouses in the west with better results than MAs in today’s classrooms, it’s not about the degree clout.

And Gov. DeSantis’ plan has veterans working toward their degrees while teaching. 

The secretary advocated for better working conditions and more competitive salaries to attract and retain teachers in the profession — and suggested different uses of American Rescue Plan funding to compel new teachers to the field.

Sure. Let’s throw more money at the unions who fund Cardona’s boss and his political allies. For the children.