In one of my classes today, we discussed the issue of teacher quality in schools today. People feel that it has gone down over the last few years. One question came to my mind as I read an article that went along with our study. I decided I wanted to see how other people felt about the issue. Do you feel that schools (colleges) are preparing teachers to go out into the field as qualified teachers? I think that most are not. At most schools, students do not have the opportunity to go into the classroom and work until their last semester of college. I feel this is really not give a student the real sensation of what a "good, qualified" teacher should be. Students have to have the opportunity to experience other people to see how they want to be and how they do not want to be. I just wanted to see how you all felt about the issue?

As I look around the classroom at my peers in the education field, I think to myself we are really under estimated. At least I feel this way when I share my major with others. I think that alot of people dont realize the intelligence and multiple skills it takes to become a teacher, a good qualified one. I think most assume its all crafts, songs, abc's and storybooks at first glance.
One way I suggest to let the assumption be broken down not only amongst people looking at education from the outside but people who are actually learning to teach others is jumping right into the experience. I think that starting off in the education field we should have programs or chances within the program to observe teachers in different areas right away. Just to observe and listen can do alot to improve ideas for strategies in the class and create a teaching pedagogy for us teachers in our pre-service phase. This is something that can be a education class itself, more than interaction with the students that we recieve in CI 2800 but with the teacher and classroom atmosphere. I think this is a better way to turn out more qualified teachers, because its a way of breaking down stereotypes and fears about teaching.

In the Business Ed department at ASU I've spent about 50 hours observing in the classroom. This, along with the tutoring in CI 2800, has without a doubt been what has made me feel the most prepared. Actually dealing with students and observing teachers (especially in your field) teaching and managing their classroom seems like such an obvious benefit to new teachers. It's strange to me that every department doesn't have it's students do tons of it.

I am an English Secondary Edu. major and I do feel left out in the cold sometimes. My best friend is an Elementary Edu. major and she is always telling me about how she learned to do lesson plans and how she has done so much work in the field and I have done little of those things. She is always in Edwin Duncan and seems to know what is going on as far as all education matters go. I am really jealous sometimes because I feel like she will be far better prepared than I when I begin student teaching. But I will be observing/helping in a freshman composition class next semester so that will definently help. I do not think that the quality of teachers is going down ony maybe the quantity! I believe in educators. Not all of them are helpful or in it for the right reasons. But when you meet someone who is it really makes it worth it in their classroom. We can always ask for more and more experience but then again the saying goes..."you never really know until you try it!" I think that goes for teaching too!!

Unfortunately I would have to agree that most teachers that enter the field right after graduating college are not as prepared as they should be, however I don't know that much can be done about it because part of being a good teacher comes with time and experience. There are some things that you can't teach someone such as patience. Some teachers are so focused on pushing there students to learn something that they don't allow the student ample time to understand that concept. I struggled with math in elementary school and it wasn't until I was in the eighth grade that I truly understood three digit multiplying and long division because it wasn't until then that I actually had a teacher that was patient enough to work one on one with me until I understood how to do it. I understand the importance of patience in a classroom. Another reason why teachers don't feel as prepared as they should is because they need time to experiment with classroom management and discover what works for them. I think it is so unfortunate that over 50% of new teachers quit the profession within their first three years of teaching. I think a lot of people thinking about going into teaching really need to think about why it is they want to be a teacher and develop their own philosophy of education before they follow through with it. I know a girl who graduated from NC State with a middle grade education degree. She taught for two years and now she is back in school studying to become and accountant. I asked her why she quit and she said "I didn't like kids." I just can't imagine someone not knowing how they felt about kids before entering the field of education. Sorry I rambled on, but I think a good teacher is patient, understanding, and dedicated.

Interesting topic, I find that here at ASU as a music education major we have had ample oppurtunities to go into the classrooms and work with the students. I have found this to be a very good way to prepare me for my student teaching though there is a lot out there that I am sure not to encounter until I actually get a teaching job myself and discover them on my own. I feel that college is giving us tools to help us encounter these obsticles in our professions, they are not going to fix everything, but, they will bring questions and situations to us giving us the ability to solve them on our own.

Ty

Are we prepared?? Im not sure because I haven't started teaching yet. I, like all of you, are still in the preparation process. I think that our program in elementary education is great because we have CI2800 where we can go into the schools for a couple of hours and tutor students. We have the block I observations and in block II there is even more interaction with students. These are all great opportunities to be in the school and learn how to be an effective, caring teacher. I think that it is not just the school's responsibility but also our own to prepare us. There are many opportunities to volunteer at schools to get more experience. Im sure that any teacher in this county would be more than willing to talk with anyone interested and let you spend time with them, in order for you to learn how to be a great teacher. So I think that ASU has a great program, and we'll all see in about a year and a half if it prepared us.

I would like to say I agree with a lot of what people are saying about teacher quality and the like. However, I'd like to add a couple of ideas to the prevailing ones.
First, I agree that we should be able to observe classes early on. In addition to CI2800, I'd almost propose a two-hour class that would be required BEFORE getting into the COE. This two-hour class would be an opportunity to go out and work with a teacher maybe one day a week in your subject of interest and grade of interest (when available). Of course, this might be hard to arrange in light of so many students at ASU in the education program. But the point is I really think we should integrate opportunities early on to observe teachers to see if we think we can cope with the daily grind of the classroom and even get candid remarks from a teacher who's been there. Perhaps teaching shouldn't be the only department that would require on-the-job observation. Across curricula, this might be something helpful. Like I said, however, this might be a bit difficult in light of living in a rural area.
The second idea I want to discuss is the fact that I think all new teachers should be nervous, but also that they understand that it takes time to get good at anything. We might not remember, but when we learned how to walk, it took months of persistent baby-steps to become the avid bipedal walking human beings we are now. We fell, and fell, and banged our heads, but because of that struggle, we're able to run, jump, play hopscotch, you name it. Likewise with driving. When we first learned how to drive, it was an arduous process to check the mirrors, check the following distance, keep up the hand-eye coordination, etc., etc. Now, many of us have driven many miles on the road and often don't think twice about it. As new teachers, there would be something wrong if we were just magically good at it. You have to go through the trial and error to see what works for you personally and what doesn't. Sometimes failure is inevitable. I have substitute-taught for two years. The first couple months, I would say, weren't the most pleasant. Many high school kids pulled many tricks on me. But, I learned and I think I was the better because of it, and I knew I still wanted to teach.

Appalachian State is trying hard to prepare us to be rad teachers. Being a teaching fellow helps..since we have to take extra seminars and a student practicum that I am in right now. It's basically "Pre-Student Teaching-Student Teaching." I haven't taken any of my art ed methods yet, but I have a feeling that App strives to qualify us pretty darn well. I guess we'll never know till we really hit the field. No way of reeeaally preparing us for it, I guess. And seminars like the one we're in right now truly help, and get us chewing on the bigger issues....

This is my last semester at ASU (student teach in fall) and for the last couple of years now I have been worried that I wouldnt be prepared to teach as soon as I graduated. However, my worries have been eased over the last couple of weeks. I am taking for classes in the college of Ed, including CI 3100 which requires me to intern at Ashe County. These classes are already helping me get better prepared. It seems that the professors in the college of edu. will do anything to help. Will I be fully prepared? NO! I think that none of us will be fully prepared before entering the classroom, b/c it's going to take experience to get to where we truely need to be.

I do not believe for a second that any new teacher has all the answers. None of them do, and as a matter of fact, I would be willing to bet that they felt more unprepared than we do now. Mai Lei is right. We have more oppurtunities now (Teaching Fellow, or not) to hone our pedagogic skills than ever before. New technology, new methods, and mounting volumes of experience are creating a teacher education program that exceeds all the methods of the past.

This, then, leads me to the main point of this thread; there is not a decline in teacher quality. (This is, however, not to be confused with the severe decline of teacher quantity.) I will agree that we need more class time. That point would be impossible to argue for experience teaches so much more than a book can. But, as I said, our education programs, our interest in world affairs, and our liberating minds do not attest to an education system headed to hell in a handbasket. The teachers of these systems are, however slowly, becoming smarter and more aware every day.

I can not accept the idea that teacher quality is declining.

The best teachers are the ones that learn with the students. The ones that don't have all the answers but are willing to work and find them with the students.

I’m also a Business Education major and Erin is right we spend a lot of time in the classrooms observing. This makes me feel better about teaching but I still wonder if it is enough. I have learned a lot about teaching through these observation and I assumed that all secondary ed majors got the chance to observe in the classroom. As I stated earlier I’m still unsure about student teaching and for the rest of you who aren’t required to do observation hours I would strongly suggest taking some time and sitting through some classes it’s a great experience.

I am glad that as a middle school major we have to do several internships before we start teaching. I feel that we could do a thousand internships and still not feel ready to teach. There is always going to situations that we are not prepared to handle. I respect one of my professors for stating the obvious, "Do not go into teaching thinking that you are going to be great at it from the beginning. Good teaching comes with experience." I think that this is so true! I think that we are too hard on ourselves. People are not perfect and it is silly to think that teachers are going to be perfect. This may sound crazy but in some cases I have learned more from bad teachers then the good about how I would like my classroom to be.

If I was relying solely on what I have learned through classes, then I probably wouldn't feel all that prepared for teaching. I think that the university does its best in preparing us for being a teacher, but if there would be any way to observe more and be in an actual classroom more then that would be most helpful. I did not have a good experience with my tutoring in CI 2800. I felt like I was more of a babysitter rather than a tutor. I think for us to get a great experience, we should be placed with students who actually need help and not students who do their work while we sit there and watch.

One way to gain more experience is to volunteer in classrooms if you have the time. I am fortunate enough to have a mother as a teacher and I go into her class and get to watch her teach. She also gives me the opportunity to teach some for her and to substitute for her. By the way, if you can find a way and have the time available, substitute. It is a great way to get into different classrooms and to get a feel for handling students in general.