Want to be a teacher?

Take this scenario: A student completes most of his coursework in his major and decides that he would like to be a teacher. Since public schools are in dire need of good teachers, he thinks that teaching in a public school would be a rewarding career choice. He's charismatic, dedicated, smart and most of all, passionate. The problem: Because he didn't go through a school of education and receive certification, he will not be able to teach in most public schools around the country. \nHis lack of certification somehow deems him unqualified to teach. \nThis scenario is not uncommon for college students; in fact, it's the story of my junior year when I considered entering the School of Education here at IU. In addition to coursework in general, education, and the student's concentration area, education majors are required to observe teachers for field experience and to take classes covering the cultural context of education and theoretical teaching methods. The curriculum is intended to prepare students to be qualified and competent teachers.\nAs I reviewed the required coursework and quizzed some of my peers majoring in education, I started to question the substance of the education curriculum. Schools of education undoubtedly offer valuable coursework. But are students without education classes unfit to be teachers? Basically, is a "certified" teacher always a "qualified" teacher?\nAfter all, almost all private schools require no certification whatsoever. \n"Teacher certification is neither an efficient nor effective means by which to ensure a competent teaching force. Worse, it is often counterproductive," said Kate Walsh, a senior policy analyst at the Abell Foundation. The foundation, based in Baltimore, published a report in 2001 titled, "Teacher Certification Reconsidered: Stumbling for Quality."\nProponents of certification often tout the extensive body of research behind certification. But the aforementioned Abell report debunked over 150 studies that support certification; the studies were grossly flawed by skewed data.\nAlso, before Arthur Wise became president of the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education in 1991, he told NEA Today, a publication of the National Education Association, that "teacher certification procedures are a joke … which some say serve only to keep talented people out of teaching." \nI agree with the last part of Wise's statement and that's why I decided that the path of the School of Education would not be worth my time and money, especially considering I won't be teaching in Indiana. \nStates have realized that the complex bureaucracy of teacher certification has deterred many fine teachers from the system. To compensate, many states have adopted alternative routes to certification that give more flexibility to the process.\nTwo years ago, I saw an advertisement for Teach for America on display in my residence hall. TFA is basically an alternative route to certification, but on the national level. I became very excited about the fact that I could graduate from IU and begin teaching in a high school, even without an education degree. TFA has grown exponentially since its beginning in 1990, and its success shows the effectiveness of alternative routes as a means for recruiting qualified teachers.\nI enthusiastically attended the first TFA information session last Wednesday in Morrison Hall. A spokesperson from the Midwest Recruiting Office led the session. During her presentation, she said that TFA had found that their teachers perform at or above the level of certified teachers in many school districts. She even said that some school principals prefer to have TFA teachers in their classrooms. At that point in the meeting, I just couldn't help but smile.