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Teacher certifications
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 Despite
what I mentioned above, it is a fact that just because a teacher
is certified, that does not ensure quality instruction. In fact,
under the federal No Child Left Behind law, school systems will
be cut off from federal funds if they do not have a teacher staff
that are all certified. How will that help the children at those
schools? (I think it might ‘leave them behind’) I struggle
to understand how teacher certifications are considered to be “required"
when over a quarter of most educators do not possess teacher certifications.
It has been argued that teacher certifications and licensing are
overrated. Teacher certification policies are often required to
limit the number of people granted access to a profession, it is
the attempt to ensure that teachers meet some minimum standard of
competence. Teachers should at least appear in the eyes of the public
to possess qualifications that others lack. It has been said that
a standard teacher certification exam is a relatively meaningless
indicator of teaching ability. In actuality, teacher certification
exams will keep many talented teachers out of the teaching profession
in the first place. For example: D.C. schools have required teachers
to have teacher certifications for years, yet they are among the
worst schools in the country. A graduate with a masters degree in,
say, English, is not qualified to teach high school English at many
schools in this country because first they must have a teacher certification—which
means more school, even after four years of Undergraduate school
and two or three years of Graduate school. But a person who graduated
high school and got his or her teacher certification can teach a
high school English class. Oh but not to worry—after all,
they have a curriculum provided by the school which will tell them
how to teach English, grammar, and even advanced English. What should
be a major requirement for public school teachers, on the other
hand, is competence in the subject areas in which they teach.
Teaching is one of the most subjective professions around. There
are very few techniques capable of gauging teacher performance accurately.
Success can be defined as anything the teachers evaluator wishes.
Should teacher success to be measured by student behavior? Student
test scores? Bulletin board attractiveness? Appropriate dress? Adherence
to school instructional policy?
For example, how can a teachers effectiveness by her students test
scores? Should a teacher be responsible for students that do not
study, who are not interested in learning, who don't attend class
regularly? Teachers with teacher certifications or without will
find it is nearly impossible to get anything accomplished in class
if they teach at a school whose principal refuses to discipline
students who disrupt other classmates.
These are just some reasons the No Child Left Behind Act should
be repealed, it is not working. The federal Department of Education
should cease to exist because local school districts are able to
determine their own education policies. However, these schools must
be compelled to do so.
The system by which the nation requires and obtains teacher certifications
for public school teachers recently came under attack by an organization
called the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future
(NCTAF). The commission has charged that public schools employ many
unqualified teachers, mostly because of inadequate and poorly enforced
standards for teacher training and licensing. Perhaps the NCTAF
will have some success in turning this whole thing around. One can
only hope.
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