Unfortunate but not ridiculus
Reader comment on: Uncertified Teachers Performing Well, Study Finds
in response to reader comment: REDICULOUS!!!!!!!

Submitted by Dennis Williams, Nov 28, 2006 13:52

It is unfortunate that some very good teachers are having trouble passing the certification exams. God knows we need good teachers that are passionate about their work with our children. I am sure there are many different reasons that some teachers have trouble with the exams -- some may know the content well but just have difficulty taking tests. However, often the problem is one that is common to our schools today -- namely that they were not taught in a way that lead to both a deep level of understanding and a passion to learn more. Regardless of the reason, if teachers truely enjoy teaching, I believe our school systems need to do everything they can to see that uncertified teachers receive the help they need to successfully pass the exam. Instead of complaining that we have many teachers who are not able to pass the certification exam, we should consider it both a wake-up call and an opportunity. What does it say about the effectiveness of our school systems and of our college teacher education programs, if those who feel called to teach cannot even pass a basic exam. We need to take education system more seriously. Lets not punish our teachers for a poor system, just like we should not punish our students for there poor performance. We should look at what we are doing and improve it. If it was our poor system that fail to adequately equip our teachers, lets fix it. If I was a teacher and found that I was unable to pass a basic exam, I would want to correct that short coming. I would be a better teacher for it. I recently entered an alternative licensure program designed for mid-career professionals who were interested in becoming high school math or science teachers. Before I entered the program I thought that effective teaching was a great mystery, but after entering my program, I am seeing that we know a great deal about what it takes for teachers to be truly effectiveness. Do not take me wrong, I am not saying that it is easy. In fact, I believe that it is one of the most demanding jobs around. Just this week in one of my classes at the University of Dayton, our professor asked us if we thought that teachers are professionals. Personally I believe they are, or more accurately can be. In fact even though I spent 28 years as an engineer, I believe that a person who truly takes teaching seriously, is even more of a professional.

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Other reader comments on this article

Comment	By	Date
We certainly need more teachers with expertise. There should be a minimum requirement for all math and science teachers. I... [MORE]	M Frango	Jul 20, 2007 13:42
	Terry W. Blue	Dec 5, 2006 08:56
Focusing on the first 3 years of a teacher's life, it's important to recognize that regular certifying programs usually include... [MORE]	Carmen M. Seda	Dec 1, 2006 15:34
I could not see anything in the description of the research that supports the claim that it would be more... [MORE]	mary ellen levin	Nov 29, 2006 17:08
Interesting discussion here...but why have "alternative certification" programs for just teachers? Let's add doctors, lawyers, and airline pilots (and many other... [MORE]	Bob Thompson	Nov 29, 2006 15:29
I am not sure whether it is proper to compare populations of "uncertified" teachers with traditionally certified teachers who enter... [MORE]	Ronald Zigler	Nov 29, 2006 12:42
I am a supporter of alternative education for reasons of social justice, but this statement in the article caused my... [MORE]	Mary Lee Peck	Nov 28, 2006 07:51
↔ I share your concern about student who have these rookies. I will be one of those rookies next year. After... [MORE]	Dennis Williams	Nov 28, 2006 13:11
↔ Study is not reliable at all when you look at the conservative organizations that were all behind it. They simply... [MORE]	Kerry Chisnall	Nov 27, 2006 22:21
↔ What does it mean to say uncertified and alternate route teachers do "just as well." "Judt as well" at what?... [MORE]	Jill Lewis	Nov 27, 2006 19:30
↔ As an alternate certified teacher, I am not at all surprised by the findings outlined in the article. Yes, my... [MORE]	Mary Thoreen	Nov 22, 2006 21:32
↔ It speaks volumes that uncertified teachers do as well as certified. Anyone who can tolerate the mindless pablum presented by... [MORE]	kiwikit	Nov 22, 2006 06:52
↔ ↔ I am at a loss as to how a rational thinker could be in favour of the idea of god.... [MORE]	Gerry Morrison	Nov 22, 2006 13:40
↔ ↔ ↔ I couldn't agree more. It is much more rational to believe that the universe had a gas attack (big boom)... [MORE]	Robert Williams	Nov 24, 2006 12:04
↔ ↔ ↔ I've never been able to understand how the Press/D'RATs have gotten away with destroying our public schools. The only rules... [MORE]	kiwikit	Nov 22, 2006 06:42
↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ Since I don't teach in CT, I can't be sure if they've ditched grammar, history, civics and upper-level mathematics, but... [MORE]	Wanda	Nov 24, 2006 12:05
↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ I truly believe we need uncertified teacher just as much as certified teachers in the classroom. There is a need... [MORE]	Alozno Bailey	Nov 21, 2006 18:53
↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ I was just recently released from my classroom due to not having my California Teacher Certification completed in time. I... [MORE]	Terri Robinson	Nov 21, 2006 17:39
↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔	Faye	Nov 22, 2006 13:51
↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ It is unfortunate that some very good teachers are having trouble passing the certification exams. God knows we need good...	Dennis Williams	Nov 28, 2006 13:52
↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ Hopefully teacher prep program personnel will read this and come to the same conclusion that many others have. We need... [MORE]	Nan Gillispie	Nov 21, 2006 16:46
↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ Preservice coursework and inservice education are two different things, both needed. Preservice education is an induction into the profession, which... [MORE]	mary ellen levin	Nov 29, 2006 17:22
↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ I have 20 + years of experience in classrooms, 18 in secondary education and 9 in higher education where I... [MORE]	Robert	Nov 21, 2006 14:31
↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ I went back and became a teacher at the ripe old age of 39 through a a Teachers Apprenticeship Program,... [MORE]	KKuster	Nov 29, 2006 17:41
↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ A detailed report on the study is available in the current issue of Education Next magazine. It can be accessed... [MORE]	Andy Mollison	Nov 21, 2006 11:50
↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ Another issue that arises from this debate is the attrition rate of new teachers within the first three years of... [MORE]	Mary Lou Miller	Nov 21, 2006 05:10
↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ I am a site coordinator and instructor for the Mississippi Alternate Path to Quality Teachers. In my four years with... [MORE]	Patsy Patterson	Nov 20, 2006 21:40
↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ Can someone forward me a link to the TITLE of this report by the Hoover Institute and where it was... [MORE]	Anthony Petrosino	Nov 20, 2006 20:54
↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔	Robert	Nov 21, 2006 14:34
↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ How many teachers who start off as being uncertified are actually in the classroom 3 years later? That number is... [MORE]	Dennis Sunal	Nov 20, 2006 19:13
↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ It is nice to see that the uneducated, inarticulate and basically stupid indivuals still exist in our society. Perhaps the... [MORE]	Paladn	Nov 22, 2006 12:50
↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ NCLB should be renamed NTLB (No Teacher Left Behind), with corespondingly large amounts of money poured into pre-service and in-service... [MORE]	Cheryl Witucke	Nov 20, 2006 18:06
↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ This is supposed to be a case for alternative certification? Of course they have a lot more to learn during... [MORE]	Tine Sloan	Nov 20, 2006 17:16
↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ Student teaching is the most important part of teacher training. I never would have survived a week in a classroom... [MORE]	Bridget Looney	Nov 20, 2006 21:48
↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔	Kate Macaulay	Nov 21, 2006 10:28
↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ Kate Macaulay: Thanks for reading my post. Are you saying that you agree teachers should spend three to four years... [MORE]	Bridget Looney	Nov 21, 2006 16:27
↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ I am sorry to have been unclear -- I only meant to say that, using the logic of the article,... [MORE]	Kate Macaulay	Nov 22, 2006 11:16
↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ All teachers perform better as they gain experience. Don't use this as an excuse to pile in people who are... [MORE]	Toni	Nov 20, 2006 16:54
↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ A given with the non-traditional teaching candidates is that they have already been employed full-time. They have a good work... [MORE]	Kathleen Benedick	Nov 20, 2006 16:40
↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ Evaluations of any program (starting with Head Start and going on up through adulthood) have always found that the effects... [MORE]	Walter Secada	Nov 20, 2006 16:07
↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ I agree with most of what you say, and had already posted similar comments beneath other people's comments. But your... [MORE]	mary ellen levin	Nov 29, 2006 18:33
↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ The findings are entirely unsurprising. Teachers learn to teach by teaching, not by studying in undergraduate teacher education classrooms. The... [MORE]	Richard Jacobs	Nov 20, 2006 15:20
↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ Teachers need both things. Do you want a highly motivated but untrained heart surgeon learning on the job when it's... [MORE]	mary ellen levin	Nov 29, 2006 18:26
↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔	Tom Smith	Nov 20, 2006 08:32
↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔	Mary Belknap	Nov 20, 2006 15:55
↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ I would hope that teachers that come through the alternative certification would improved over years. School districts across the country... [MORE]	James Garvin	Nov 21, 2006 06:54