Blog Post #14

Problems and their solutions stated by: Joel Klein. He emphasizes on professionalizing teaching.

1. Pick from the best.  Start with the academic training for teachers. We need to look at a new approach in recruiting teachers. Rewarding teachers should help enforce great and productive teaching. 
2. Seniority Distraction. Job security and seniority dictate how schools operate. Professionalizing teaching means that excellence would be the guiding hallmark.
3. Radical Changes. Teachers should establish their own standards. Lastly, teachers would abandon their support for mandatory assignment of kids to neighborhood schools in favor of "the greatest possible choice among public schools."

Academic training should be enforced for teaching. While some simply just have a degree in the field with no education degree, can become teachers. I agree, that teachers should be educated. Some teachers go over and beyond to teach their students as to some who simply do what they have to do to get by. The teachers who go over and beyond should be rewarded for their handwork. Seniority distraction can determine how schools operate. Experienced teachers end up in middle class schools, while the poor kids receive teachers who are not always effective. Radial changes would allow teachers to establish their own guidelines. Teachers would then be promoted based on specialty exams. 

Professionalizing teaching would give the teachers the respect they deserve. As teachers, we guide the next generation of doctors, lawyers, and everything else kids want to be. Providing teachers with the best academic before they get out on their own only benefits the students. Rewards help boost teachers work. Seniority can be a good thing or bad thing. A young teacher who works his or her tail off may be cut because they were the new hire vs. the teacher who has been their for 10 years that sits down everyday. Teachers should be able to write their standards. They see what is going on in the classroom everyday.