“Teaching is not something anyone can do.”

An educator on School Board Watch writes:

Before we could get there, we had endure the board approving the administration’s recommendation to accept two year teachers from the Teach For America program, which I am not entirely supportive of. My main reason is this (and I speak from experience): teaching is NOT easy. Teaching is not something anyone can do. I’m offended that we will accept people out of college and put them into classrooms with little to no training. But even more important than that, I know that as a person who loves, loves, loves her job…it took me years to get “good.” I feel pretty confident saying this for two reasons–one is that I did get good, and the other is that my dad, one of the best teachers I ever had in high school, confessed that it took him years to feel comfortable, also. My worry isn’t what Teach for America people will be able or unable to do in their two year commitment, but that just as they approach proficiency (I’m being generous…it took me more than two years to get there, and my dad, too), they are done. What a shame! I fully acknowledge that we need teachers in hard-to-fill positions…I fear losing them.

Read more