FAST-Action Blog

florida-teacher 2026-07-01T06:00:02.272490 by Maria Santos

Hurricane Days Are Coming: What Every Florida Teacher Needs to Do Before and After the Storm

Florida teacher tip: I still think about Hurricane Irma. It was 2017, and I had just finished setting up my classroom for the new school year. New anchor

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florida-teacher 2026-06-30T06:00:01.887283 by Maria Santos

Dear First-Year Florida Teacher, Nobody Warned You About This

Florida teacher tip: I remember standing in my classroom in late August, sweating through my cardigan before 7:30 AM, watching a gecko run across my

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florida-teacher 2026-06-27T06:00:01.676732 by Maria Santos

B.E.S.T. Standards: What Actually Changed (And What It Means for Your Classroom Tomorrow)

Florida teacher tip: I still remember sitting in a professional development session back when Common Core rolled out, staring at a slide deck that was

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florida-teacher 2026-06-25T06:00:01.801619 by Maria Santos

What I Wish Someone Had Told Me About FAST Testing Before I Learned It the Hard Way

Florida teacher tip: It was my third year teaching, and I had spent two weeks drilling my students on test prep worksheets. We're talking stacks of paper,

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florida-teacher 2026-06-22T06:00:02.367249 by Maria Santos

Florida Teacher Certification: What Nobody Tells You Before You Start

Florida teacher tip: Let me tell you about the summer I almost didn't make it into my own classroom. It was 1999, I had just graduated from FIU, and I was

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florida-teacher 2026-06-20T06:00:01.980857 by Maria Santos

Dear First-Year Florida Teacher, Nobody Warned You About Any of This

Florida teacher tip: It was September, my first year teaching, and I was absolutely certain a hurricane was going to cancel school for at least a week. I

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florida-teacher 2026-06-19T06:00:01.765422 by Maria Santos

Surviving the Florida Heat When Your Classroom AC Decides to Take a Personal Day

Florida teacher tip: Last September, I walked into my classroom at 7:15 in the morning and it was already 84 degrees inside. Eighty-four degrees. Before

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florida-teacher 2026-06-15T06:00:01.740025 by Maria Santos

Hurricane Days: What 22 Years of Florida Teaching Taught Me About Prep and Recovery

Florida teacher tip: It was September 2004 and I was in my third year of teaching. Hurricane Charley had just torn through Florida, and I showed up to

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florida-teacher 2026-05-28T06:00:01.737599 by Maria Santos

What I Wish I Knew About FAST Testing (Before I Learned the Hard Way)

Florida teacher tip: Let me paint you a picture. It's March 2019, my first year with FAST testing, and I'm standing in my classroom at 6:30 AM frantically

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florida-teacher 2026-05-20T06:00:01.738556 by Maria Santos

When Your Classroom Feels Like the Surface of Venus: Surviving Florida's Heat Without Losing Your Mind

Florida teacher tip: It was 8:47 AM on a Tuesday in September when I realized my classroom thermometer had given up. Not broken, mind you. It had simply

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florida-teacher 2026-05-13T06:00:01.413302 by Maria Santos

When Your Classroom Feels Like a Sauna and You Still Have to Teach Fractions

Florida teacher tip: It was 2:15 PM on a Thursday in September when I heard that dreaded sound. You know the one. The AC unit gave one final wheeze,

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florida-teacher 2026-03-31T06:00:02.929366 by Maria Santos

What I Wish I Knew About FAST Testing (Before I Made These Rookie Mistakes)

Florida teacher tip: Picture this: It's 2015, and I'm standing in my empty classroom at 7 PM, surrounded by stacks of practice tests and feeling like I've

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florida-teacher 2026-03-30T06:00:02.948690 by Maria Santos

B.E.S.T. Standards: What Actually Changed (And What Didn't)

Florida teacher tip: Last Tuesday, I was explaining fractions to my class when little Sofia raised her hand and asked, "Mrs. Santos, why do we have to

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florida-teacher 2026-03-29T06:00:02.512227 by Maria Santos

Hurricane Days: What They Don't Tell You in Teacher Prep Programs

Florida teacher tip: Last September, I was standing in my empty classroom at 6 PM on a Sunday, taping up windows and wondering why nobody ever taught me

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florida-teacher 2026-03-28T06:00:03.128327 by Maria Santos

Surviving Your First Year Teaching in Florida: What I Wish Someone Had Told Me 22 Years Ago

Florida teacher tip: Picture this: It's August 1999, and I'm standing in my first classroom in Miami with boxes everywhere, sweat dripping down my back

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florida-teacher 2026-03-20T06:00:01.859584 by Maria Santos

Hurricane Days: What They Don't Teach You in Education School

Florida teacher tip: Last Tuesday, I was teaching fractions when my principal's voice crackled over the intercom: "Teachers, please check your email for

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florida-teacher 2026-03-15T06:00:02.572627 by Maria Santos

When Your Classroom Feels Like a Sauna: Surviving Florida's Heat When the AC Goes Rogue

Florida teacher tip: It was 9:30 AM on a Tuesday in September when I heard that dreaded sound. You know the one. The AC unit gave one final wheeze, like

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florida-teacher 2026-03-11T06:00:02.486535 by Maria Santos

Surviving Your First Year Teaching in Florida (Without Losing Your Mind)

Florida teacher tip: Picture this: It's August 2002, and I'm standing in my first classroom in Tampa, sweating through my brand-new teacher outfit. The

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florida-teacher 2026-02-22T06:00:01.876858 by Maria Santos

Florida Teacher Certification: What They Don't Tell You (But I Will)

Florida teacher tip: Last week, my neighbor's daughter called me in tears. She'd just graduated with her education degree and was drowning in Florida's

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florida-teacher 2026-02-20T06:00:01.649503 by Maria Santos

When Your Classroom Feels Like a Sauna: Surviving Florida's Heat Wave Days

Florida teacher tip: Last Tuesday, I walked into my classroom at 7:15 AM and immediately knew it was going to be one of those days. The air felt thick

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