The most horrific part of the debate last night

[heidi]

And it was a pretty big challenge to choose the most horrific part - but frankly, while there are problems in having teachers who've had no certification process and no training in teaching, especially on an elementary school classroom-teacher level* and there are catastrophic issues with McCain's health care proposals and his complaints about John Lewis just feel weird, none of that demonstrably minimizes the health of girls and women across the country. What's next? Air quotes for "incest" or "rape"?

[Poll #1279744]


* I think there is merit in having middle- and high-school teachers, and in specialty classes, where someone who doesn't have a specific certification but does have a specialty in that area, but given that I've just been through a situation where someone with a teaching degree but no early childhood education was my son's kindergarten teacher (until the principal removed her because she wasn't a good K-level teacher) and was rapidly screwing up his learning experience, I'm not very into it for the K-5 level.

Comments

[ashesofautumn.livejournal.com]

I suppose my point is this: what makes a serviceman/woman more qualified to teach in a classroom that they don't need to be certified than the retired engineer wanting to teach math?

Nothing. Which is why what McCain said is incorrect.

He was referring to a program that already exists, it's called Troops to Teachers (http://www.ed.gov/programs/troops/index.html). From the website:

DANTES assists eligible members of the armed forces to obtain certification or licensing as elementary school teachers, secondary school teachers, or vocational or technical teachers and to become highly qualified teachers. The program also helps these individuals find employment in high-need local education agencies (LEAs) or charter schools.

McCain completely mischaracterized it. Any veterans that want to transition to becoming a teacher must clearly have the necessary qualifications.