I've been asked several times what I think the number one problem in
public education is. More specifically I've been asked if I could change one
thing about public education what would that be. Most people are going to
assume that I would said we need to get rid of standardized testing or get rid
of homework or get rid of the bloated curriculum the we are required to teach.
Some might think I would say we need more technology or that every kid should
have access to a device every single day they are in school. Any one of those
ideas would be worthy of discussion and certainly have been. However, if we
want to make real change in education I think we may have to start at square
one. By square one I am referring to our teacher preparation programs.
You don't have to look very far to see first year teachers in
classrooms with the deer in the headlights look. Many of them are ill prepared
for the challenges of the daily job of a classroom teacher and are frankly
scared out of their mind. Now that's not to say that the colleges and
universities are not doing the best they can. However, what they are doing is
just not good enough anymore.
For starter, let’s look at the time these individuals actually have
to practice the art of teaching. How long are most student teaching experiences
and how many hours are preservice teachers required to be in a classroom before
they student teach? While this number varies greatly, a majority of student
teaching experiences last one semester. If the college or university is on trimesters,
the time is significantly shorter. While many other professions require intense
internships, why is that teachers do not? Why do we not have a minimum
requirement of a one-year internship for all teachers? What better way to
prepare them for their first year then by giving them a first year with an
experienced mentor teacher?
Another issue that comes to mind is that way in which preservice
teachers are pushed on through the program regardless of their abilities. I
have seen first hand student teachers that should not be left alone in a
classroom with children and leave me scratching my head about how they made it
this far. Why is it that we feel an obligation to push these students through
even though they are not cut out for the job? Are we feeling we owe it to them
because they have invested an insane amount of tuition money? Should we push a
student through just because they have put their time in and “earned” it? Why
not give them more experience earlier in programs and provide more critical feedback
to help improve these future teachers or provide them an opportunity to seek
another career path?
One issue that may not win me many fans is with the college
professors themselves. Frankly, a lot of these professors are poor teachers.
For me, I was a history degree major when I was studying in my undergrad. I
will tell you I had some of the most brilliant historians teach my history
classes. Yet being a master of history does not make you a good teacher. Nearly
every single professor I had stood and delivered everyday, every class for four
years. Any teacher work their paycheck knows that is not good pedagogy and
certainly won’t work in a K-12 environment. Again these people were brilliant
historians and scientists and mathematicians but they were not trained as
teachers.
Education professors by in large are working on a model that has
existed for 100 years and are continuing to perpetuate these ideals through
their undergrad and even graduate programs. While the professors are pushing
methods and procedures thought best practice in the 1920s, our future teachers
are not in touch with current trends or movements. Do we have a place for
healthy debate about educational theory in practice in our undergraduate
programs? Should we? Are we more concerned about the way in which a college
senior is writing a lesson plan or about what they believe about student
learning and instructional practice? That is not to even mention the lack of
technology training that is a whole issue unto itself.
If we want to change the system of public education in this country,
it has to start at the college and university level. These are the students
that will come out to be the future teachers in our country. These are the ones
that have not been jaded or beat down by curriculum or incompetent
administrators. They have yet to be burdened with education politics or
incessant hoop jumping. Colleges and universities have a tremendous opportunity
to do this.
We don’t need programs like Teach for America or any other one-stop
shop cookie cutter convenient drive thru teacher prep programs. We need
colleges to adapt to the changing landscape of public education. Colleges have
value and have a place in preserving education in America and pushing it to
where it should be.