Dry, hot weather continues to roast Central Florida
https://www.clickorlando.com/weather/dry-hot-weather-continues-to-roast-central-florida
Looks like weather in Orlando is about to reach a high of 97 with a low chance of rain. On top of this it'll feel like it's 102.
The problem is the extreme heat which makes out door activities ill advised and can cause heatstroke as well as extreme dehydration.
The people with this problem are of course Floridians. Anyone who goes outside but especially laborers that work in the sun.
Why Florida is struggling to fill more than 2,000 teaching positions
https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2019/03/08/why-florida-is-struggling-fill-more-than-teaching-positions/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.6e6cd868b316
Teachers in Florida are being neglected under new legislator and as a result there are huge amounts of unfilled jobs. Unqualified people are being hired to fill said spots resulting in worse education. This can be attributed to the low salary teachers receive in Florida.
Many of the problems were already described but I believe that the teacher problem is very political in nature. Instead of raising pay Florida has tried to use a bonus system based off standardized testing. There is also a shift to more private schooling happening before our eyes.
The people who suffer from this problem are teachers, parents, and students. In a much broader context this probably effects the states economy and colleges as well.
Mumps outbreak hits UF, report says; are more students infected?
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/breaking-news/os-ne-mumps-outbreak-uf-20190531-47b7u5fivrbavbo36xlce6qvlq-story.html
There have been 12 confirmed cases of Mumps in Alachua and many of them have been traced back to UF. Sharing utensils and cups can lead to the transmission of this disease.
The problem is Mumps spreading all over campus leading to fever and swelling
While the whole area is at risk, specifically UF students and faculty need to be careful.
Orlando ranks No. 1 in Florida for most ‘aggressive' drivers
https://www.clickorlando.com/news/orlando-ranks-no-1-in-florida-for-most-aggressive-drivers
It seems that the overly congested roads and traffic has resulted in Orlando coming in 7th for the most aggressive drivers in the United States.
When you think of traffic big cities like LA or New York pop up. Since Orlando has joined the list we are at greater risk of accidents and need to expand out our roads. This leads to more construction and more traffic.
Anyone driving in or through Central Florida has experienced this problem.
The plastic ban: Gainesville will be 100 percent waste free by 2040
https://www.alligator.org/news/the-plastic-ban-gainesville-will-be-percent-waste-free-by/article_4be9d1d4-1aec-11e9-9b28-dfc39205fdd9.html
Looks like Alachua is trying to become plastic free which opens up business opportunities selling paper bags as well as totes. Also delivery services might see an increase in use.
Getting rid of plastic bags as well as enforcing fees on local businesses will change the way people operate in the current system.
Students and other people that live around UF
Mohamed,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your creativity in blog titles, but this makes it challenging to find the specific blog assignment we are to post on. Because of this, Dr. Pryor had mentioned how important it is to label each entry with the assignment # and title. Here's an example of one that is done really clearly: https://sabrinarg.blogspot.com/ Maybe you could put your creative title as a subtitle underneath the class assignment title? It would really help your readers be able to find specific posts.
Regarding the news trends you chose, I was particularly interested in your entry on FL teachers. I agree that finding qualified teachers in FL is an issue. I don't think it is primarily money or politics-driven, though. Three more things to consider:
1) The quality of the people who are looking to become teachers.
A personal friend of mine holds her Master's degree and has the job (for a FL university) of observing education majors in their final student teaching performance. She has shared shocking stories of the incompetence of these individuals, who for example are unable to teach basic 4th grade math and who are resistant to and critical of any critiques she provides for their benefit. It amazes me that these college students are at the final stage of obtaining their teaching degree and are unable to teach basic elementary subjects. The quality of available new teachers is on the decline, perhaps in part due to the quality of education they have received in elementary/high school as well as college.
2) Lack of autonomy in the classroom (re: student conduct and grading).
Teachers face new challenges today with how they can conduct their classrooms. Poor student behavior is on the rise, and teachers are limited in ways of handling this. In my opinion, the root of this problem is parents who do not instill proper behavior in their children and then send them off to school to be handled there. Even more problematic is that many parents do not hold their children accountable for their behavior and also do not want the school to hold them accountable, either.
There is also an issue that has recently surfaced where teachers are expected to give "participation" grades even if students do not complete or submit assignments (the "no zeros" policy).
3) Homeschooling
In addition to families sending their children to private (or highly desired charter schools), many parents are choosing to homeschool their children so they can provide customized education and electives in an environment that provides flexibility. It appears to me that in many cases, more academically capable students are leaving the public school system and going to private, charter, or home schools, thus leaving a more challenging student base for public teachers.
When you think of all that public school teachers face, can you blame people for not wanting to choose this as a career? I think it is for these numerous reasons, not just the money, that quality teachers are becoming less interested in teaching.
Mohamed,
ReplyDeleteI really liked the articles you chose, as they were very relevant to most students in this class. It is always good to be aware of what is going on in Florida and even closer among us students at UF. The article that caught my eye is Orlando having the most aggressive drivers in Florida. I am originally from Jersey and we tend to have the reputation for the worst, most aggressive drivers. I personally have not seen an issue with drivers in Florida so that article was very interesting to me.
Also, just a suggestion for next time- blogger allows you to create a hyperlink in your actual post. That would make it a bit easier for viewers to navigate through your page and corresponding articles.
Great job!
Salena Silvaria