From: Gautam Mukunda <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Reply-To: Killer Bs Discussion <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: Killer Bs Discussion <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: RE: The War on Schools Date: Mon, 10 Mar 2003 08:59:57 -0800 (PST)
--- Nick Arnett <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Here in California, we're eliminating the teacher > shortage. First, we made > money available to train new teachers in exchange > for a three-year > commitment. A lot of people took advantage of that > over the last few years, > so we had quite a few more teachers available. Now > we're closing the gap > *completely* (and then some) by cutting school > funding, which will eliminate > all of the unfilled positions *and* require schools > to lay off the vast > majority of those whom we just trained. Bingo, no > more teacher shortage. > In fact, now we have a teacher surplus! > Nick
But the largest component of the "teacher shortage" is created by the teacher's unions, not a lack of funding. An example. A few weeks ago I received an (unsolicited) offer to teach history at a very, very elite American private high school. I had to turn it down, unfortunately. This school, however, is so academically successful that it has an average SAT score in excess of 1500 - and admissions are need blind, with full financial aid for any admitted student. Their teachers are, obviously, very well qualified. Practically of them, however, could teach in a conventional public school. Why? Because teacher's unions have created a set of artificial hurdles that have no relevance for teaching skill - taking "education" courses for certification. Just about every education researcher of whom I am aware agrees that these courses teach nothing useful.
While a high school teacher for ancient history or English may not require CE courses they are most certainly relevant and in fact crucial for science teachers (especially bio & chem). New advances in the sciences routinely invalidate our current knowledge in many fields every 5-7 years or so. Those textbooks are revised for a reason. I really cannot imagine any education researcher worthy their salt not acknowledging that and understanding the reasoning behind the need for continuing education for most educators. Doctors and pharmacists take CE credits for the same reason.
I'll give you a very simplistic example: HS biology teachers who were educated and began teaching in the 70's were taught nothing about the AIDS virus. AIDS and retroviruses are required subjects by many school boards in the 2000's. CE classes bring teachers up to date and allow them to (a) remain competitive and (b) fulfill school board requirements.
Jon
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