Blog Post #14

Teaching our children can be a profession

1. Problem: Teaching must be professionalized to the degree of one who studies law or medicine.
    Solution: Teachers must be trained to develop a student's knowledge to a higher level of quality.
   
    Teachers should be treated with the same degree of professionalism as other more important careers carry. A level of experience should also be accounted for when regarding this new movement. There need to be more hands-on experience made available to up and coming educators rather than just tests and papers explaining the methodology. I thoroughly agree to Shanker's choice in a mandatory 1-3 years of internship for those studying to be an educator.

2.Problem: A higher quality of teacher must be available.
   Solution: A higher quality can be found in the top 3 of the class.

   Once again I am in agreement with Shanker. Although I myself would not be classified, I do however understand that for the world to take educators more professionally there must be a higher risk of challenge. Doctors go through many exams as well as school hours to achieve standing as an acting physician, so why shouldn't teachers be put through the same ordeal? Despite other students striving to be educators, the major doesn't require many challenging requirements and what challenges there are seem quite minimal compared to that of a medical student.

3. Problem: Senority grants immunity to most educators from scrutiny even if their educating abilities are                           lacking.
    Solution: Yearly examinations that will determine the educators knowledge of  pedagogy and academia.

    I myself have felt the brunt of experiencing a teacher who was tenured, but nevertheless was unable to provide an enriched and productive education. Education is a constantly changing organism that is still growing itself and unless one is able to change their ways the students are left to stand below their own potential. With the use of a yearly exam, educators are able to keep up their knowledge up to date and help make the classroom more productive and motivated. We are all still learners after all, so why not keep bettering ourselves in helping the students exceed expectations.


In conclusion, I found this post to be very enlightening. It seems the process wouldn't take very long to get accustomed to, however I can see where those in a tenured position would find themselves "under attack" from it. Speaking as a future educator, the more time wasted not addressing the problem their is a proportionate number of students underachieving with it. Education is an important facet of the world and demands to be recognized as such. It requires high quality individuals who are not afraid to learn what it takes to provide a great education and to keep on learning  new methods as well.