Op-Ed: Teachers Have Different Challenges
On the one hand, it sounds like Gov. John Kasich’s proposal in HB 49, to require “onsite work experiences” as a condition of teacher licensure, seems like an indictment that teachers don’t know how to teach, as suggested by Renee Middleton, dean of Ohio University’s Gladys W. and David H. Patton College of Education and Human Services. And, that might be exactly what Kasich is saying. On the other hand, he might be suggesting that teachers, who spend the majority of their time in the classroom perfecting their craft of teaching, might benefit from experiencing the very careers for which they are preparing their students. More than likely, his intention is somewhere in between and not something we’ll be able to discern from language in a House bill.
Having spent time in many classrooms across the country as a parent, community member, and professional developer, I can tell you that teachers have one of the toughest jobs. They receive 25-30 (sometimes more) students into their classrooms every day. Each of these students comes with a story…