EDUCATION

So the farther I get into my Masters of Teaching program the more I realize how much work needs to be done in our country for education to advance and get better, equal for everyone. Did you know that currently 1 in 5 students in the U.S. public schools are foreign born. As we continue in the 21st century and beyond this number is most likely to increase. If that isn't enough perspective than did you know that there are 450 different written or spoken languages in our public schools. With all of this, where does our education system go from here?

The more I am learning about becoming a teacher, the more I am realizing the need for highly qualified teachers. Teaching needs to be thought of as a highly-qualified profession. If someone wants to be a doctor he or she must go to medical school, then do a few more years of residency in order to finally be a real doctor professional. If someone wants to be a lawyer, he or she must first take the LSATs and if accepted, attend law school for three years to finally get the title of lawyer. Why is it not the same way for teaching? Why is it one of the few professions that "anyone" can do it? That is the message we send: well anyone can be a teacher, truthfully NOT EVERYONE can be. Not everyone will make a qualified teacher, some people are just not meant to be a teacher. The qualifications to become a teacher should be more strict. If we could have better teachers that can differentiate lesson plans, use funds of knowledge and be able to get to know our students then our education system would be drastically better just based off that.

The more I learn, the more I see the need for reform. While my experience becoming a highly-qualified teacher has been pretty intense, it is absolutely awesome. I am learning so much and I am having the opportunity to engage in thought provoking conversations and discussions. I love this program, it let's me think outside the box.