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WOW. Back up and hold the phone. Science teachers where you are organize students to do research in prestigious facilities? I don't even think my kid's teachers would know what Brookhaven is.
Brookhaven National Labs, Cold Spring Harbor, Stony Brook University, Rockefeller University, Hofstra University, Columbia University all offer research opportunities for students to work on projects that they can use for the Siemans and Intel competition. Usually we get a lot of semi-finalists, occasionally a finalist or two. They have to start their project in 10th grade. When my kid was in 10th grade, the high school hired a bio teacher with a PhD so that he could coach since he had ties to both Stony Brook U. and Cold Spring. He took a group of kids (including mine) to the research facilities at the beginning of the school year for a tour. My kid opted not to do it since there were other academic competitions that had a history of long-time investment, but we did think about it. They had to come up with a topic during 10th grade and then start the research during the summer. I wasn't thrilled about having to drive 90 minutes each way everyday for a couple of summers plus weekdays during 11th grade-and going with traffic. So I was happy about my kid's decision not to participate. We have a large population so of course, it is diverse in so many ways, but we have a pretty large group of tiger parents who push the academics and are rather educated themselves. In the city, there are 3 specialized public elite science high schools (special test to be admitted) and they also compete very well in the various science, math, and robotics competitions. My kid was involved in national non-science competitions, including the Scripps Spelling Bee and a bunch of other stuff. This all led to scholarships and college offers. On the other hand, unlike other areas, sports, for the most part, takes a back seat. This is not an area heavily scouted by Tier 1 college football and basketball coaches.
Where are there subject teachers teaching without a degree in their subject? I'm not doubting you, just that I've never met anyone who didn't have a degree in their subject, with education being the "minor." I'm a subject teacher and have a degree in my subject. My state wouldn't give me certification if I didn't have all of the required courses and credits in my subject.
I wonder also if historically, teaching in the US in co-educational settings in both rural areas and cities has been open to women, as well as men, at least in grades up to 8th grade. By the 20th century, elementary teaching was considered to be "women's work." In Asia and Europe, there was no push for girls to attend school if they came from a rural area or a working class family in a city. Rich girls went, of course, and they had women teachers, unless they had a governess. But most boys, and more boys went to school than girls, had male teachers even in the lower grades. Even village schools had male teachers, especially in Asia. That may explain some of the differences in level of respect for teachers in the US vs. other countries, in addition to other things.
I know you're from NY too, but I know a few people teaching public middle school with an1-6 general Edu license. One teaches Biology, the other Social Studies. And these are in districts with no shortage of applicants. I know a kindergarten teacher of 10 years, who is now teaching science, but that's at the elementary level so not sure if it's different. Catholic school, they will let you teach with no license lol..
1. That is an example of how districts do not treat teachers as professionals. I have worked in both academia and industry. If there was some new skill set, or methodology the higher ups thought would be useful to us, they brought in an expert to teach it as they have mastery. Districts expect teachers who just learned a new skill to be able to teach it. If anyone should know better, it is the admins, but it is the norm in teaching to now expect teachers to be able to teach something that they have not mastered to other teachers.
LOL reminds me of the "master teachers" from Columbia College they would send into the school I student taught at who would teach writing lessons reading from a script. Then the classroom teachers would teach it to the students, from the handout So the teachers were being taught how to teach the material for a full 2.5 seconds, and then the students were the guinea pigs..
I know you're from NY too, but I know a few people teaching public middle school with an1-6 general Edu license. One teaches Biology, the other Social Studies. And these are in districts with no shortage of applicants. I know a kindergarten teacher of 10 years, who is now teaching science, but that's at the elementary level so not sure if it's different. Catholic school, they will let you teach with no license lol..
Yes, of course you can teach middle school with a 1-6 license. Sixth grade is middle school.
You can also teach any "subject" in elementary school with a 1-6 or birth-2 certification. That's what the NYC cluster teachers do. They have birth-2 and 1-6 childhood certifications and become cluster teachers in science, math, art, Spanish, music, etc. They rarely use a teacher certified in the subject with an elementary extension in NYC to be a cluster.
Last year, NYC had approximately 5000 teaching vacancies, which is a lot for them. They had 60,000 openings. I read it on the UFT website. The suburbs get thousands of applications for elementary education, special education (most el. ed also have special ed cert.), social studies and English teachers. I think our resident skeptic doesn't know how many teachers are needed to serve a metro area with 22 million people. NYC alone has 1.5 million students. Of course, there are thousands of applicants because everyone wants to teach here, but only a small percentage get selected.
1. Did they have 5,000 vacancies or 60,000?
2. The post responded to said thousands (note plural) for each vacancy.
If you read my post#115 I pretty much covered that.What you describe is what you want,not what students need and or Parents want.
HUH? Not what I want. What administrators want.
The sad truth is the teacher THEY want is the one who can handle the largest classroom with the least number of office referrals and parent complaints for the least noney. Schools, unlike businesses, are not free to raise the price on their goods if they make them higher quality. Year after year budgets are being cut because they are not getting more money the state. You now have two choices, cut wages or cut teachers. Which teacher do you keep? The subject matter expert or the teacher who can handle 5 more students without bothering you in the office?
The sad truth is the teacher THEY want is the one who can handle the largest classroom with the least number of office referrals and parent complaints for the least money. Schools, unlike businesses, are not free to raise the price on their goods if they make them higher quality. Year after year budgets are being cut because they are not getting more money the estate. You now have two choices, cut wages or cut teachers. Which teacher do you keep? The matter subject excerpt or the teacher who can handle 5 more students without bothering you in the office?
How about the teacher that can teach?This thread has gone from one subject to another and not many people are answering the thread title question.Have met many teachers who are as you say"subject matter experts" and can't teach a lick.
How about the teacher that can teach?This thread has gone from one subject to another and not many people are answering the thread title question.Have met many teachers who are as you say"subject matter experts" and can't teach a lick.
Yes. As the OP, I am disappointed that the thread is no longer about what the thread was designed for.
WOW. Back up and hold the phone. Science teachers where you are organize students to do research in prestigious facilities? I don't even think my kid's teachers would know what Brookhaven is.
It is becoming the norm in many schools.
The school I work in over 35 years old and literally half my class load is running a research program that puts students in research internships at federal and university labs through out our state, from Princeton Plasma Lab to NOAA.
The sad truth is the teacher THEY want is the one who can handle the largest classroom with the least number of office referrals and parent complaints for the least noney. Schools, unlike businesses, are not free to raise the price on their goods if they make them higher quality. Year after year budgets are being cut because they are not getting more money the state. You now have two choices, cut wages or cut teachers. Which teacher do you keep? The subject matter expert or the teacher who can handle 5 more students without bothering you in the office?
This post completely ignores the fact that schools also want to meet the federal "highly qualified" guidelines AND keep standardized test scores up. Yet again, your experience does not represent all districts everywhere.
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So the teachers were being taught how to teach the material for a full 2.5 seconds, and then the students were the guinea pigs..
