Posted on 07/29/2012 2:05:32 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
Looking to boost the quality of science education, Florida has just made it tougher for aspiring teachers to pass required certification exams.
But the move to ensure that would-be science teachers know their subjects well could worsen Florida's shortage of science teachers. That could leave middle and high schools scrambling even more to find instructors for biology, chemistry, Earth-space science, general science and physics classes.
.... The State Board of Education this month bumped up the scores needed to pass the teacher-certification exams in those five science fields. As a result, the passing rates for first-time exam takers are expected to drop sharply.
The passing rate for the biology-teacher certification exam, for example, is predicted to fall from 87 percent to 68 percent, the Florida Department of Education said. The rate for the middle-school general-science exam is projected to fall from 78 percent to 58 percent.
"Of course, we applaud anything that increases rigor," said Sherry Southerland, a science-education professor at Florida State University and co-director of FSU-Teach, a program that aims to train more math and science teachers.
But middle- and high-school science teachers are always on Florida's list of "critical teacher-shortage areas," meaning there aren't enough of them to fill all the open jobs.
Tougher certification exams "will only exacerbate the problem," Southerland said.....
....State test data make it clear Florida teacher-preparation programs train relatively few new science teachers. Last year, 611 people took the biology-certification exam, for example, compared with more than 1,600 who took the exam to teach middle- or high-school social-studies classes.
(Excerpt) Read more at articles.orlandosentinel.com ...
Ahh, double-check your grammatical standards.
Story I heard some 15+ years ago: GM was trying to reduce the number of engineers and other whit collar workers, offered to send under employed engineers and designers to Detroit Public Schools to teach paying the differential between their GM salary and the teaching salary. The Detroit Public School system refused to take advantage of the offer.
Exactly. If the educator requirements were lowered or eliminated, the science teacher base from actual scientists would increase dramatically.
Education funds are for educators, not for educating
Yep, I've got both technical and liberal arts degrees at the Masters level (10 years altogether in school--paid for by myself through two jobs), and when I explored making a lateral career transition to become a high-school teacher in the Commonwealth of Virginia, I found that the Department of Education actually wanted me to go back to school for two more years just to fulfill some silly bureaucratic requirements.
I told them to go pound sand, and have since made a lot more money in the private sector than I would have in the rotten post-"No Child" school system.
It is like that on everything, i wonder if we are going to learn just what the fall of the tower of Babylon really meant,
And the problem with that, is what exactly? Fewer, less-qualified teachers? Good! Let’em work in the orchards or fields instead of illegal aliens.
“Many (retired engineers) go through certification hoops but that’s only half the battle, you still have to deal with the left-wing agenda once there (as do a lot of teachers who flee public education). Other aspects are lack of discipline, safety issues and standards that don’t advocate excellence but rather cater to (and so achieve) the lowest bar of achievement.”
You’re right. Competence is one thing, but how can you teach math when this is what you are required to teach:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y29XL99qM6s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tr1qee-bTZI&feature=related
I left there after 46 years. I am making less money, but am much happier.
Thank you for the 2 links!!
I think starting with the 2nd one is best.
Public Schools Import Foreign Teachers
In Education Reporter, November 2011
http://www.eagleforum.org/educate/2011/nov11/foreign-teachers.html
Since the late 1990s there has been a growing trend to import teachers from foreign countries to educate American students. During the 2010 fiscal year, the Department of Labor certified 13,157 foreign workers to teach grades K-12 in American schools.
Schools have been hiring these teachers on temporary work visas such as the H-1B visa and the J-1 visa to teach a diverse array of classes including math, science, foreign language, special education, and physical education.
According to a memorandum by the Center for Immigration Studies, these visas deprive U.S. citizens of thousands of jobs every year in favor of foreign workers from countries such as Philippines, Mexico, India, Columbia, and Canada.
http://www.oregonir.org/alerts/public-schools-import-foreign-teachers
“Thank you for the 2 links!!
I think starting with the 2nd one is best.”
You,re welcome and nice to be on another topic, LOL.
What’s funny is that the first one was intended to be a positive video on that crap (Everyday Math) - which only goes to show just how deranged these people are that run our schools. Even the comments on the video tear it apart, and YouTube comments are generally far from being right-wing.
The second video is (or was) semi-viral, but really needs to break out into the open to really have effect. It is really, really, good.
I’ll invite my buddy to join us also.
Correct. This is the ONLY thing that the "education establishment" (aka "teacher's unions") exist to do.
I'm a semi-retired PhD chemist. In some few years, I'll stop actively doing research, and would LOVE to do some part-time teaching in high school. But I see no point into subjecting myself to the ludicrous "certification" requirements. Some enlightened states have changed things, but it is a hard row.
Also, older people who have not regularly worked with kids are nowhere near prepared for the energy level they will be thrust into. Most people at retirement age are looking forward to slowing down a bit and relaxing. Tossing them into a room full of volatile teenagers is the exact opposite of what most of them want. They tend to become very impatient and angry with kids and try to be the tough guy. If they last two years, it's a miracle.
Some men can't get along with their own 2 or 3 kids. Now imagine having 100 or more kids each day, whose personality is different every day, whose families are terribly screwed up, who don't want to listen to you, and you are in for the ride of your life. Also, most adults are not tuned in to the culture of today's kids. For older folks it is like being from another planet. They spend most of their time laughing at that stupid old fool trying to teach them.
These guys MIGHT do OK in a highly academic college prep school, but in an average or below average school you had better give them a year of observation of successful (and unsuccessful) teachers before you put them in a classroom. Most of them will probably drop out of the program. Whoever thinks two weeks of student teaching is all you need is insane. Bare minimum is working with an experienced teacher for a year and slowly being integrated with constant guidance into taking over teaching that class full-time.
How do I know this? Some years ago I was a teacher. I saw a number of these guys come and go, burned out quickly. After a while on the job, they came to the conclusion, "I don't need this." If you don't have the heart and energy of an enthusiastic kid in his 20s, think long and hard about "retiring" into teaching.
Clearly this proves what fields leftists have a disdain for- the hard sciences.
Yet your average retired engineer is not qualified to teach due to no degree from a “teaching” college. And that also goes for an engineer with a PE license and a few patents.
But the Left tells "skulls full of mush" just the opposite -- that conservatives dismiss science. It's also interesting how academia churns out all those studies the Left uses to sway public opinion and set public policy.
Those hurdles are able to exist because there is no real shortage of science or math teachers. Yes, there are more openings compared to other subjects, but the jobs still get filled.
Parents that are actively involved with the process and not just sitting around can get others involved. You make changes at the ballot box, not sitting in front of the computer.
You're correct it is much more beneficial to sit around and not do any thing. I am certain you will find ways to fill your days by just sitting in front of the computer and posting to threads like these.
Most excellent points.
I would only add that when some kids do not wish to learn, when their purpose is to disrupt the education of others, these problematic jerks aged 16 or more should be forced out. They will likely end up on the streets, so send ‘em there a couple years early and let the decent kids learn.
The only reason they are allowed to remain is that every warm body represents state/local funding and therefore jobs for the teachers union.
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