Special Education Teacher With Doctorate Degree Quits With Powerful Resignation Letter
— -- Wendy Bradshaw has multiple degrees, including a doctorate, and years of experience in education, but she said she'd rather quit her job than have to teach her students from Florida's current curriculum for the public school system.
Bradshaw, of Lakeland, Florida, recently resigned from her position as a special education teacher at the R. Bruce Wagner Elementary School after she said she was fed up with a curriculum that she believes is failing her students.
The teacher shared her official letter of resignation on her Facebook page, where she described in detail how her disappointment with her state's public school system's current curriculum has overpowered her love for teaching.
"Like many other teachers across the nation, I have become more and more disturbed by the misguided reforms taking place which are robbing my students of a developmentally appropriate education," Bradshaw wrote.
Bradshaw's Facebook post has now been shared over 60,000 times and has received over 10,000 comments.
Bradshaw explained to ABC News today that she posted the letter of resignation to her Facebook page because she was frustrated that she wasn't able to air her grievances with the school system any other way.
"[When I quit] there was no exit or impact survey or anything like that -- they just closed the door," Bradshaw said. "I felt like no one at the school cared why I was leaving, but I had no idea so many people would react to my post and say that they felt the same way."
Bradshaw, who has been a teacher for seven years and spent 14 years working towards her education degrees, explained that she had previously tried to speak with school administrators about her issues with the curriculum, including her issues with the state's standardized testing, saying, "I tried to do what I could within the system."
"I would go to my administration and say 'We’re not doing what’s best for the children anymore,' and the answer was always 'Sorry, but you have to do it this way,'" Bradshaw said.
This past June, Bradshaw gave birth to her daughter Meredith, and she credits becoming a mother as the catalyst that made her really re-evaluate her involvement in the public school system.
Ultimately, Bradshaw realized she could not support something she would not want her daughter to be a part of.
"I will not subject my child to this disordered system, and I can no longer in good conscience be a part of it myself," Bradshaw wrote in her resignation letter.
Bradshaw revealed that a week after her Facebook post went viral, she attended a Florida State Board of Education meeting, where she said the board members barely looked up from their phones as parents and teachers spoke out against the curriculum.
"They were more interested in looking at their phones then listening to the people," Bradshaw said.
A media relations representative of the Polk County Public Schools released a statement in response to Bradshaw's open letter of resignation, saying that the school is "aware of Ms. Bradshaw’s resignation," but "will not be doing any interviews regarding this personnel matter or her decision."
"We understand [Bradshaw's] frustration over trying to delicately balance mandates, other instructional priorities and most importantly, the needs of each child. Teachers strive for an effective balance every day to positively impact their students. As the State of Florida moves forward on accountability, we hope the process is thoughtful, equitable and balanced. We appreciate the six years [Bradshaw] gave to our school district, and we wish her success in her future endeavors," read the statement.
Read Bradshaw's entire open letter of resignation below:
