Part I: The NCLB
If you are attending school you are familiar with the NCLB. If you are familiar with the NCLB you know that public schools are now required to have "highly qualified" teachers. So what does highly qualified mean?
Personally we have all run into a bad teacher. Bad teachers come in 3 "styles".
1. Those who know the subject but not how to teach it.
2. Those who know how to teach but not what they are teaching.
3. Those who know how to teach and what they are teaching but either because they are too inexperienced or because there just a bad teacher, they manage to not be able to put it together.
Personally I feel the NCLB is just a bunch of guidelines to make states and districts jump through hoops with out having to actually get much done. I feel to fix this is much easier then the government is making it. Instead of requiring highly QUALIFIED teachers. How about we try and get some highly EXPERIENCED teachers.
And how can we do that? By getting kids out into schools EARLY. Not waiting til Junior and Senior year to start student teaching but getting preservice teachers INTO the classroom.
Many colleges and universities (including CUA) have begun doing this. After a year of classroom work and internships, I KNOW that no matter how much you learn in the classroom its nothing compared to what I learn in my internships.
Highly qualified teachers may LOOK good, but highly experienced teacher ARE good.
COMING UP: PART 2: Retiring babyboomers, #3 How to get a job in education.
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There's also a Fourth style- A teacher that knows a subject, but rather teach another subject (like current issues).