This space explores issues in public education policy, and it advocates for a commitment to and a re-examination of the democratic purposes of schools. If there is some urgency in the message, it is due to the current reform efforts that are based on a radical re-invention of education, now spearheaded by a psychometric blitzkrieg of "metastasizing testing" aimed at dismantling a public education system that took almost 200 years to build. JH August, 2005
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Who Needs Certification? NYC Desperate for Teachers
Public education "standards" are being lowered. Imagine that.
What a horrific idea! The answer is not to just let anyone teach just because you need teachers. Is there not anyone in their right minds that sees this as a problem? It's set up to fail miserably, with upset adults and misguided children in the process. On-the-job-training rarely prepares a teacher for classroom management and discipline. In my degree program, we watched a video, I believe an old 20/20 episode, where NYC allowed professionals in the community to bypass getting a teachers education and allow them to teach within the classroom with very little training. There became an animosity between veteran teachers and these new "teachers" because of the situation within which they were allowed to teach. The veteran teachers were unwilling to assist and train the new teachers and the whole experiment failed. Why can't NYC learn from history? Wouldn't it make more sense to incentivize students to obtain the proper education? Does this not enrage anyone else?
Thank you for your comment. Sorry to horrify you but glad you a reading this blog. They really don't "need" teachers - there are plenty of well-qualified candidates for these jobs but those well quality, experienced candidates can be replaced by inexperienced, less expensive "teachers" with no background, training or education in education. Just think how many vets returning can go right to work in the schools with a few weeks of watching power point presentations put together by Murdoch and Klein. It just goes to show what a phony ploy this whole entire standards and accountability machine and reform is. When push comes to shove, people are ready to just abandon all common sense to save money on the education of other people's children. In the "me" world inhabited by the 1% or the ownership society where Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan live and actually have a chance of winning , the only thing that matters if the bottom line, the numbers, the profits and the shareholders. Public education for the public good when it's all been about "access" and "privilege" might cost the a few more dollars in taxes. Dumbing down the population so they can't tell the difference or discern who to vote for as President when the choice is so stark is an expensive undertaking and that's where the resources have been spent for the last 3 decades. Otherwise we wouldn't be in this mess.
What a horrific idea!
ReplyDeleteThe answer is not to just let anyone teach just because you need teachers.
Is there not anyone in their right minds that sees this as a problem? It's set up to fail miserably, with upset adults and misguided children in the process. On-the-job-training rarely prepares a teacher for classroom management and discipline. In my degree program, we watched a video, I believe an old 20/20 episode, where NYC allowed professionals in the community to bypass getting a teachers education and allow them to teach within the classroom with very little training. There became an animosity between veteran teachers and these new "teachers" because of the situation within which they were allowed to teach. The veteran teachers were unwilling to assist and train the new teachers and the whole experiment failed. Why can't NYC learn from history?
Wouldn't it make more sense to incentivize students to obtain the proper education? Does this not enrage anyone else?
Dear Michelle,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment. Sorry to horrify you but glad you a reading this blog. They really don't "need" teachers - there are plenty of well-qualified candidates for these jobs but those well quality, experienced candidates can be replaced by inexperienced, less expensive "teachers" with no background, training or education in education. Just think how many vets returning can go right to work in the schools with a few weeks of watching power point presentations put together by Murdoch and Klein. It just goes to show what a phony ploy this whole entire standards and accountability machine and reform is. When push comes to shove, people are ready to just abandon all common sense to save money on the education of other people's children. In the "me" world inhabited by the 1% or the ownership society where Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan live and actually have a chance of winning , the only thing that matters if the bottom line, the numbers, the profits and the shareholders. Public education for the public good when it's all been about "access" and "privilege" might cost the a few more dollars in taxes. Dumbing down the population so they can't tell the difference or discern who to vote for as President when the choice is so stark is an expensive undertaking and that's where the resources have been spent for the last 3 decades. Otherwise we wouldn't be in this mess.
Judy Rabin