10/06/2000

Alternative Certification -- Comments

In response to What Makes a Teacher Qualified and Teacher Competence:

Readers appreciate the contributions that professionals from other fields can contribute to educating our children, but want assurance that these professionals have adequate training and supervision before taking on the full responsibility of teaching their own class. Others complain that the state requires such professionals to jump through too many hoops before qualifying for teaching positions. Reader letters follow:

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I have a degree and experience in engineering. It was pretty funny that I could teach for Purdue University and for Hartford State Technical College but was not "qualified" to teach high school (or any other grade)!

Obviously more than qualifications are being required here, and I don't think it is mainly for the kids' best interests.

Also interesting that my daughter could pass all the qualifying tests last spring, but they could not find room for her in the alternatives program even though she has been teaching in pre-school for years and, in fact, is an instructor training others for pre-school certification.

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When I was a student, there was a shortage of qualified people to teach in the technical schools. The ability to get students educated enough to be able to move into a high tech job was becoming a necessity. That's the way it was.

I was part of that trend, and I can tell you that the people who were trying to get these students an associates degree so they could make good money were nothing short of a nightmare. Some of these people were well educated, holding Masters degrees or PHD's in their respective fields. There was one problem. The ability to communicate. Yes, the ability to communicate what was necessary for the education they hoped for was a sham. Does this surprise anyone?

I hate to be condescending on a system in turmoil, but if you get a person that is only doing teaching on a part time basis, and he or she can't "communicate" to the student who gets lost in the shuffle of information overload that is presented, what is a student to do? The brain will vapor lock and failing grades will be the result. That's what isn't needed. School systems should have seen this coming. Hind sight is 20/20, so what happened? Asleep at the wheel? Crying poor? I can only speculate as to the excuses that became the truth. I am all for letting teachers continue to teach, even past their retirement, but union contracts, policy, or Social Security will tell them to retire, or a city will go bankrupt due to their pension salary adjustments. And every one will scream at higher taxes to pay teacher's pensions.

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One aspect of the return of retired executives into the teaching field was seen last summer when my family was on holiday in northern New England. The town hosted a local talent night, where we were treated to piano duets, arias, magnificent violin - all from people who had retired to the area. A number of these individuals have advanced degrees (PhD, MD,etc.) and were also teaching in the local area public schools.

There's not much money for education up there, and there's a severe shortage of new young teachers. But these children who might seem to be underprivileged are actually quite privileged to be learning at the hands (and heads and hearts) of devoted masters.

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I would love to utilize my business skills and my love of education and children to teach. I am not a teacher by profession, but I am teaching Church School, and Bible Class in my local church. This has sparked my interest in teaching. I am enrolled full-time in college, plus hold a full time job. But I am determined to get my degree in Business Administration, then go on to receiving a master's degree in Education.

Alternative teaching certification would be great!

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As a high school educator, I have had the experience of working with a number of people for whom the teaching profession is a second career. I do not question their knowledge base in the subject area; however, in some, classroom management skills are missing. I had one man tell me that teaching was the most difficult thing he had ever done in his life, and this was after a 30-year career in a state agency.

People outside education cannot appreciate how difficult it can be to keep 25 (or more) students focused on the task at hand, especially when the group is a heterogenous mix of individuals ( i.e. not everyone is at the same intellectual level, and all can't move along at the same pace). Sometimes the mix of students does not bring out the best in any of them; while giving individual attention to one student, another might be appropriating the rolling computer chair to motor about the room, while others are the audience to the show. The one teacher has to stop "teaching" to deal with the inappropriate behavior resulting in time off task. If I had to do it over, I wouldn't become a teacher. The "shortage" of teachers is a result of young people choosing NOT to enter the profession for a variety of reasons. Salary is one. A recent UCONN graduate (age 22) I know who majored in MIS recently took a job with a salary $5,000 less than my top-step salary. She receives much less aggravation than I do and has the ability to visit the lavatory when the need arises, rather than having to wait for a bell.

With the increasing emphasis on tests such as the CAPT and the CMT, teachers are being held accountable for student scores and are being chastised for poor student performances. It is difficult for people to believe that some students draw designs on answer sheets instead of answering the questions; or that some students just put their heads down on the desks and don't bother answering the questions at all. Proctors can encourage them to continue, to do their best, but no one can compel them to value and put their best effort into the test-taking experience. There is no consequence to them if they do poorly. They simply don't appreciate what test results mean to educators, town officials, real estate agents, businesses, etc. It would be a quite unfair if a teacher's salary was based upon the whims of a teenager.

So, if professionals from outside education seek to enter the teaching profession because they are looking for a challenging experience, I encourage them to come on down. The challenges await.

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You asked: "As a student, teacher or parent, what is your opinion about bringing professionals from other fields into teaching through alternative programs?"

As a teacher who has been through the Connecticut ARC program (and FINALLY found work), I have to say that I think the idea is great. It allows people like myself, of non-traditional backgrounds and with families to support, to make a positive career change into the teaching profession, and to use our life experiences in a positive and helpful way. Few traditional teachers have the "real-world" background that Alternate Certification brings to the classroom.

For students and for teachers like myself (and for school systems in general) it's a win-win situation!

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Please send questions or comments to bbruno@snet.net.