As each of us pursue an occupation, a hobby, or our civic duty, how much of our capabilities do we owe to our education? Answering this question underscores the importance education and the transmitters of education.
Given the need for efficacious transmitters of education, how we do we create them? Obviously, I'm speaking about teaching. The skill sets that teachers need to motivate, structure, teach, mentor, and scaffold are myriad. I have multiple colleagues, friends, and family who have taught and found themselves needing more. In my own experience in academia, I come across information about human development and behavior, and I think to myself, "Wait, I'm just learning this... Do teachers not know this?" The voids in teacher prep programs seem to be coming into relief as I learn more. Yet it seems that more programs (e.g., Teach for America, Career Changers) are moving towards crash courses for teacher certification. I am confused and concerned. I wish I knew more.
For another perspective, I am including a recent story from NPR.
NPR Story: What should go into a teaching degree?
Because we all educate and have been educated, it seems that teacher preparedness is something we are all stakeholders in.
I do not have the answers, but I certainly think the professionalization of the task of teaching should be considered.
3 comments:
MONEY! (Just kidding.)
Teachers certainly DON'T need our current trial-by-fire system. There's got to be a way to give authentic preparation before just throwing them to the proverbial wolves (and at least wolves can't talk back or call you a bitch).
Here's a post that summarizes some of the criticisms (and responses to those criticisms) about TFA. The dialogue and conversation in the comments section of the blog is especially interesting: http://playthink.wordpress.com/2008/06/16/teach-for-america-aguments/
Here's a story I came across today: "Untraditionally trained teachers getting mixed reviews"
http://www.indystar.com/article/20091004/LOCAL/910040383/1013/NEWS04/A+new+breed+of+teachers+in+classrooms
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