How are unlicensed teachers allowed to teach? I was under the impression that each state has its own strict process for licensure, so it just surprised me that unlicensed individuals find their way into classrooms.
Lonnie and James are very similar children. At the beginning of the video, they mention they both were part of the gifted programs in elementary school, and as the video progresses, we find they both have lofty goals for their future careers. Lonnie’s environment is very different from James’s though. In part one, Lonnie’s family is interviewed and it is very apparent that his home environment is not a safe environment. Lonnie even recognizes this disparity when he is interviewed. James on the other hand comes from a middle class family, and his parents are very involved in his schooling.
The schools have very different opportunities. Part one shows a music class in Lonnie’s school where there are several electric keyboards, but certainly not enough for the whole class. Meanwhile, in James’s school, the music class has instruments for an entire band. Similarly, the athletic facilities at Lonnie’s high school don’t even compare to the facilities at James’s school.
But the difference in teachers is certainly the most prominent disparity. The amount of unlicensed teacher’s at Lonnie’s school is unacceptable, to say the least, and compares drastically to the environment at James’s school, where teachers are competing to teach. Another issue is classroom management. Lonnie’s science teacher mentions that he is lucky to spend fifteen minutes out of a forty-two minute class period teaching, which shows that he expends most of his energy just focusing the class. So even if a student in Lonnie’s class does all the assignments and pays attention, that student is getting robbed of almost two-thirds of time in the classroom. Meanwhile, James’s science teacher notes her students’ eagerness to do lab work and learn. This certainly contributes to the achievement gap, because Lonnie’s class has nowhere near the opportunities that one of James’s classes has to offer.
Students at Riverdale will be much more likely to succeed because they are in an environment where learning is cherished, and where a lot of motivated and capable adults are teaching them. Also, when teachers spend less time on discipline, they spend more time on instruction, which means teachers at Lonnie’s school don’t even have the time to cover all the material the teachers in James’s school have the time to cover. Obviously Lonnie’s school year had a negative effect on him. He was much less motivated to do well after he received his report card. What’s worse is that while during the year he felt he had an obligation to himself to go to school every day, after he received his report card he no longer had that intrinsic motivation to attend class. Lonnie has certainly lost faith in his school, and likewise, he no longer feels that he can do well academically.
In this circumstance, money was definitely the reason that unlicensed teachers in the subject field could teach at that school. I know that if someone has a background in education and wants to teach a different field, all they have to do is take a test and if they score high enough, they are able to teach professionally in that field. I know it sounds a little unqualified, but especially at the lower grades, some school boards could care less. They just want teachers in the school doing something, which is very sad.
ReplyDeleteI was wandering the same thing about unlicensed teachers. I do not understand how someone can simply walk into a school and get a job especially in a school that needs teachers the most. The students who did not have the licensed teachers were not as motivated and I believe that is because the teachers did not have the proper tools or education to provide the correct motivation for the students.
ReplyDeleteGina is right, money is the reason, but also I do know that private schools can have unlicensed teachers because they are private. I know this doesn't apply to this situation, but it is possible, especially in private schools. I know someone who has a degree in theater but teaches Spanish at a private high school.
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