Reply #5: She's parsing words.

[enlightenment]

Only those who have sufficient coursework in math and science can even be considered for math and science positions, leaving the majority of people who have lost their jobs without the necessary qualifications. Our human resources personnel say that only a small percentage of applicants without education degrees qualify.

It isn't that the applicants are deficient in math and science coursework - or, probably, even higher ed degrees - it's that Alabama, like most states, requires teachers to take courses (or have a specific degree) in education, which teaches pedagogy: "how to teach math" "how to teach science" "how to control your classroom". They use fancier titles for the classes, of course.

Pedagogy is not a bad thing; it is helpful to know how to develop a lesson plan and classroom management and the like, but when it becomes more important than content knowledge it does nothing for children or the education system as a whole. Telling a person who has been working in the sciences or using maths - who might have not just a BS, but a higher degree - that they're not qualified to teach because they haven't got education degrees is taking stupid to the n'th degree. Yet states do it every single day, without offering viable alternatives to people who are offering to fill the places they desperately need filled.

It is true that not everyone can teach, but pedagogy can't turn those people into teachers - as we have all experienced at one time in our lives. Requiring an individual who has content knowledge, a degree in that content knowledge, and experience using it to take another year or two of courses "learning" how to teach before they can be licensed drives a lot of qualified and probably talented potential teachers away.

In my state, if you want to teach in the public schools you have to have one course (state school law - that one makes sense to require) before you start. Then you may be hired, provisionally, if you have subject content qualifications (a degree in the field, usually). You have two years to complete the required course work in 'education' - the same number of courses a student taking a BA in ed would take (minus the general ed and subject area courses). Your background doesn't matter, nor does the level of your education to point. For instance, if I wanted to teach high school, I'd have to fulfill those requirements - despite the fact that I have been teaching at the college level for almost 10 years. I would even (I particularly love this one) have to TAKE a course I currently TEACH. I know. I asked.

nuts.


edited to correct spelling