Is anyone listening to McCain talk about education?

[femmocrat]

:scared:

He basically wants to do away with teacher certification (based on "theory" in little rabbit ear quotes) and reward teachers for student achievement. He actually said Nobel Laureates can't teach because they aren't certified! Also a big push for school choice and alternative certification.

Same old repuke crap. :puke:

[TwilightGardener]

1. What does Mr. Fifth From The Bottom know about quality education?

[femmocrat]

2. LOL --

great point!

[Bad Thoughts]

3. Huh?

Nobel prizes aren't handed out in pedagogy, the last I looked. What a ridiculous assertion!

[Inuca]

7. What I think he meant

was that even if you are a Nobel laureate you would not be allowed to teach unless you have the proper certification. Strange as it feels, I agree with him on this.

[MoonRiver]

10. Same here.

Many aspects of our educational system are stupid. Basically, everything revolves around state assessments and behavior control in the classroom.

[Catshrink]

16. Classroom management is a big deal for teachers.

One disruptive student can adversely affect the learning of 30+ other students. Although most parents are helpful, it's usually the parents of the most disruptive kids that are the most uncooperative (I've had parents tell me they don't believe me, their child would never act out) or unable (one told me "yeah, he's been that way since grade school, I don't know what to do with him).

Other aspects of education training involve understanding how people learn, how the brain develops, adolescent psychology, ethics, and methodology. To say teacher training is all about assessments and behavior is incorrect. Could teacher training be better? Certainly. But I don't think it's a total waste of time either.

[MoonRiver]

17. I agree, and I meant no disrespect.

Personally, I believe that teaching is the MOST important profession in society.

[Bad Thoughts]

13. I know what he meant, and I disagree

First, let me say that many Nobel Laureates are college and university professors. Contrary to what McCain says, they teach physics, medicine, economics, etc. Indeed, their research probably depended on being tenured at a college or university. Even many writers teach university writing courses at least some time during their lives. So the notion that they can't teach is blatantly absurd--they do.

That said, teaching below ninth grade is very different from high school or university education. At higher levels, teachers, instructors and professors worry less about developing skills as imparting knowledge. They are comfortable with taking a selective interest in students rather than being responsible for all of them: get the good ones involved in research and let the other wither in line at office hours.

Teachers, though, deal with a broader range of issues beyond imparting knowledge. Another poster said that there is too much attention to behavioral issues in the classroom, which is a fair critique. I would add that schools have been dumbing down the curriculum, forcing students to learn in college what they ought to have learned by high school. How, though, would introducing highly intelligent teachers who have not studied pedagogy improve this situation? What skills would they bring to cultivate the intellectual maturity of students? They may help school boards with planning or offer an occasional inspirational lecture. Otherwise, I find the assertion dubious.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

14. Have you ever met any Nobel laureates?

I have.

There's no reason to expect they could teach high school science any more than some random joe off the street.

Some pretty silly logic there. "Nobel winners is smart. Schools is teh learning place. Ergo, Nobel winners should be teh teachifiers."

[polmaven]

15. Nobel Laureate

does not mean you have the ability to teach what you know. That takes some training. Dealing with a classroom full of students is not something that comes with knowledge alone.

[YOY]

4. Because you simple folk is reely smarter than them thar akedemiks

Rush and his ilk say it to his inbred listeners...why not the politicians they support?

[Inuca]

5. Well... I don;t want ot get into

a certification discussion, but I think that there are things that are prfoundly wrong about that system. I have never been invoved with K-12 teaching, but I taught college for many years, and recently I was part of the committe at my college involved with overseeing the education program. Whenever I had to atend one of these meetings I was leaving with a headache, the amount of bureaucracy and to me at least meaningless rules and regulations is mindboggling. Also, I do not think it is right that after being a collge professor for over 20 years (even if I am not a Nobel laureate) I would not be allowed to teach in high school, is I so desired. OMG, I am defending McCain, I'll go and check my temperature now :-).

[rucky]

9. Speaking for myself...

I needed every minute of my teaching education to prepare me for the classroom (and even then...)

There's quite a few bureaucratic hoops to jump through, and it can be frustrating - especially if you relocate to a different state like I did. Lost a whole year there getting re-certified. But getting rid of it?! Talk about throwing the baby out with the bathwater. The national credential needs to have more support on the state/district level, and in teacher education programs.

[Inuca]

11. Probably not eliminated all together

but changed significantly and allowing for more flexibility. All IMHO of course.

[rucky]

6. worst. idea. ever. n/t

[nc4bo]

8. oh-oh man, this is getting very interesting very quickly.

Who is this man "The problem is NOT charter schools"!!! Very passionately saying "CHARTER SCHOOLS MAKE NO SENSE".

McCain avoided answering this man's very real concerns.

FAIL.

[liberal1973]

12. lol..no