October 11, 2004
LABOUR VS. LABOR:
State ban on private teachers 'must be scrapped' (Alexandra Blair, 10/11/04, Times of London)
CHARLES CLARKE, the Education Secretary, was last night under pressure from his own top advisers to change rules which ban experienced private school teachers from entering the state sector.Posted by Orrin Judd at October 11, 2004 9:14 AMThe present rules were described as “totally absurd” after it emerged that the head of one of Britain’s leading public schools, with more than 20 years’ experience in teaching mathematics, is now excluded from the state system.
Tristram Jones-Parry is retiring as Head Master of Westminster School and wants to “give a bit back” in a state school. But, at a time when there is a severe shortage of maths teachers, Mr Jones-Parry is effectively disqualified becase he does not have a state-recognised teaching qualification.
We could use a bit of that here in the States, as well.
First off, we could stop pretending that teaching is a profession. It's a skill, and for some a calling, but almost anyone can be effective, with practice.
Posted by: Michael Herdegen at October 11, 2004 9:19 AMMy parents, who were both teachers in NYC for about 35 years, have always insisted that there was only one education course and the colleges just change the number. Anyone who has actually taught knows that it can really only be learned through experience and that treating it as a profession is merely loopy.
Keep in mind that Albert Einstein would not be permitted to teach physics in an American public school, or most private schools, because he never took an 'ed' course or was certified(I shudder at the bureaucratic neologism 'certificated') by a government agency to teach.
Posted by: Bart at October 11, 2004 10:04 AMToo right about this being an American problem.
I'm always amused by the fact that I (the holder of an ivy league PhD) am not technically qualified to teach 12th graders history. Or rather, not qualified until those 12th graders become college freshmen.