Beware the Wrath of the Fire Breathing Dragon!

"Ummmm, the Keys sorta runs on booze and drugs. The schools pretty much run the same. When we were living there we stuck with the home schooling routine we were already on."

I happened across this comment from someone responding to a parent inquiring about raising children in the Keys.  How utterly, rudely, despicably obnoxious to make such a presumption!  Who is this ignoramus and how dare he or she offer such fact-devoid advice to a parent seeking responsible information?!  I was so ready to viciously pounce back on my keyboard when I realized the comment had been written nearly four years ago.  Needless to say, I felt a small hiccup of air fizzle out of my balloon, and a much-delayed response would likely fall flat.

However, this girl needs to vent. 

Here's what I'd like to blast back to that idiot: 

County FCAT Results Best State Average

Saturday, May 19, 2012

KeysNews.com

(summarized version)

Monroe County (which covers all schools from Key West to Key Largo) 9th- and 10th-graders bested the statewide average in the reading component of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, which was made harder to pass this year.  While half of Florida's sophomore class failed to reach grade level for FCAT 2.0 reading, 59 percent of Monroe County 10th-graders did earn the required passing score in order to graduate, according to results released Friday.

Fifty-two percent of the state's ninth-graders passed the reading exam, while in Monroe County, 56 percent of freshmen hit passing levels of 3 on the five-level test.  Florida students are headed in the right direction when it comes to getting closer to reaching national academic standards, the state's top education official said Friday.  

"We are asking more from our students and teachers than we ever have, and I am proud of their hard work," state Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson said. "Florida's higher standards help ensure students are learning what they are expected to know so that they are prepared for college, career, and life.  As Florida transitions to higher standards and higher expectations, we can expect our assessment results to reflect those changes."

Or this...

Monroe County is an "A" Rated District

For the seventh year in a row, the Monroe County School District has been recognized as an "A" rated school district with outstanding achievement throughout the Florida Keys. Monroe County is ranked 9th out of 67 counties in the state.

Monroe County is an "A" Rated School District

Or here are a couple of fact-based data charts :
(Yes, I'm still fuming over the pure poison infused in that poster's words!) 

FCAT Results from the 2011-12 School Year 
 
I also take this as a deeply personal offense (from this complete moron of a stranger, mind you).  My own 5th grade classes achieved the highest Reading FCAT scores in all of Monroe County's public schools while every other public school dropped significantly with this year's raised scoring standards.  The highest!  Yes, I'm very proud of my students, even the ones that spent good portions of their energies driving me mad.  And yes, I want to pat myself on the back a little too. Of course!  My 4th grade teammate, a incredibly talented, educated, and experienced teacher scored the second highest in the county for Reading.  And yet even one more fabulous teammate (yes, I am this lucky!), an experienced marine biology teacher, scored highest for the 5th grade Science FCAT.  So well-deserved!  The catch?  We don't even teach to the test in our school.  We teach to the differentiated needs of our students.

Booze and drugs ... really??

Lest one accuses me of making my judgements based "simply" on public records or the personal experiences within one school, I'd like to shove more face in the dirt add a gracious shout out to my son's school, The Montessori Children's School of Key West.  This toddler-through-kindergarten level school is my son's home away from home, a school that his three-year-old heart adores as much as I do.  Keeping him in attendance during Chop's absence has been a challenge-and-a-half because of scheduling, but with the help of some dear friends and good island folks, Conch boy has been able to (and will!) continue without interruption.  This year he moves up to a Primary level classroom with a teacher that I'm already thrilled to see assigned as his Directress.  You know, now that I think about it ... I'd better check her credentials, though.  What if ... OMG ... 

... what if she's really a rum runner in disguise?!

Take that coconut and choke nibble on it for a while.