John H. Wilson: Licensed teachers better for students

As a decades-long teacher educator, I am offended by Gov. Sam Brownback’s assertion that students in our public schools actually benefit by having teachers who have not been licensed, as compared with teachers who have chosen classroom teaching as a professional career and have become prepared through a well thought out curriculum, including professionally supervised classroom teaching opportunities (“New policy benefits students,” July 22 Opinion).

Numerous examples of why a licensed teacher is far more likely to provide higher-quality learning experiences come to mind; I’ll only mention three.

Arguably, the most challenging aspect of effective teaching is that of the different levels of the students’ readiness for learning. For instance, within a typical third-grade class the range of differences will approximate four years – some of the students are operating at about a first-grade readiness level, and across the room will be some who are ready for fifth-grade curricula. Similar challenges abound within the middle and senior high schools.

A sound teacher-education program will introduce candidates to research-based practices for personalizing instruction, and these techniques will be reinforced during planned field-based observations and teaching opportunities, and within the semester-long internship. This final semester is professionally monitored by a qualified university supervisor and a carefully chosen master teacher.

Another example of how licensed teachers are more qualified considers classroom management, often spoken of as “discipline.” A professionally accredited teacher preparation program includes a thorough series of opportunities to become acquainted with research-based management techniques – alternatives that give the classroom teacher options that most likely produce desired results, to students’ advantage. One positive outcome of a sound management approach is a teacher’s ability to turn an event requiring discipline into the reinforcement of a positive character trait, leading to the ultimate goal of self-disciplined decision making. The individual who has only a strong knowledge base in engineering or science is not educated to implement classroom management strategies to such advantages.

Successful teaching also is affected by how skillfully the teacher communicates with the home. Imagine how much the students’ success in school is influenced by the way a teacher has learned to work with parents. During the preparation offered to a licensed classroom teacher, there is an organized and reinforced series of experiences that feature home-and-school collaboration.

Easily a dozen more examples could be presented regarding how a currently licensed teacher is far more likely superior to one identified by the governor’s superficial and simplistic plan. If he wants students to benefit, as he and co-author Ken Willard stated, then he and legislators ought to insist upon adequate funding of public schools, then frequent acknowledgments of the present excellence in teaching that is omnipresent.

This story was originally published August 1, 2015 at 7:02 PM with the headline "John H. Wilson: Licensed teachers better for students."