I don’t think that the current certification system is that great. We see plenty of evidence of that when those kids go to college. Also, I have no trouble believing that it’s possible for an uncertified teacher to be more effective than a certified one. But I think that the proper response to that is to put more work into refining and enforcing the system, especially with regard to new teachers, rather than finding new ways to ignore it.

I’m sure that your school has certain standards and that there’s a procedure in place to check, for example, that the teacher actually knows the subject that he or she will be teaching. I would be concerned if soldiers were sent “right to teaching” without any such checks. It’s not clear whether this is what McCain really proposes. I couldn’t find a straight answer to that on either his or the Troops for Teachers web page.

I was also a little bit ticked off by McCain’s apparent disrespect for the profession. It might not have come across quite the same way in the transcripts, but based on the reactions I’ve seen on the internet, there are many others who watched the debate and heard what I did. It was very old-boy-clubbish, in a “between us, who needs these formalities?” kind of way. Not what I would hope for in a President.

Thanks for the links – I’ll check them out.

Of course, there are studies that indicate teacher certification is a statistically significant contributor.

But, I don’t think McCain’s position is necessarily unreasonable. Reasonable professionals who try to measure effectiveness seem to be coming to opposite conclusions.

And as a point of info, I’m an uncertified calculus and physics teacher at a small private school.

Thank goodness the more educated democrats and TRUE conservatives aren’t buying into his whacko ‘promises’ and outright lies. What a blot he and Palin have become on the American record of politicians.

I think that the troops should be given the best opportunities for jobs after service that the country can give. Make sure they get a good education and follow the normal procedures for becoming a teacher, or anything else they want. I know the right despises the words, “affirmative action” but they don’t mind allowing uncertified people becoming teachers? One of the most important jobs in our society? No way, No how, No McCain/Palin…
ps. I am not a teacher, btw, but I highly respect the work they do in teaching our children.

but it really intrigued me that mccain said that ex-military personnel shouldn’t need certification when the debate was about how to better america’s education and teaching standards. so he would better america’s education by putting in unqualified teachers in the system? wha?