Area Private School Teacher Shortage?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Look at the advertisements for teachers in the private setting. Look at the requirements. Most of the time, there are none. Some don't even require a college degree.

clearly you are not so ignorant to believe that the entry requirements/qualifications on a job ad (maybe even one for multiple positions) are the actual job selection criteria, correct? Because private school isn't a quasi-governmental organization which has job categories and grades. They have bare minimum requirements on the vacancy ad and then select the best candidate from there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was an administrator and teacher at a private school for a period of time. I have multiple state certifications, 2 graduate degrees, and at the time, approximately 20 years of experience. The majority of teachers employed there had no background in teaching and were not certified. There was a staff of around 30-35 teachers, and I would say only about 10 or 12 were talented teachers quite on their own, but still flying by the seat of their pants. There was no real sense of curriculum understanding, learning theory, or best practices. It was posh daycare with some books. I left for public school. I don't understand why people pay to send their kids to private schools. I think there are some private schools with bone fide standards, certified teachers and staff (largely underpaid,however) and oversight, but people would be very surprised at how many are not, particularly the religious schools. Some well regarded schools that are private are really just a business model.
In the end, this is a whole career that requires an overhaul, public and private. Time to do it. An entire paradigm shift.

"I don't understand why people pay to send their kids to private schools." = Hard to believe that one with your claimed experience and education would be so blind and unknowing as to make such a ridiculous statement. Would be more credible if you limited your thoughts and comments to your experience at one particular private school.

All of the private and religious (Catholic) schools with which we and our large extended have experience have been outstanding. The public school experiences have yielded a mixture of experiences--some good and some not-so-good.

Lots of reasons to pay for private school. Better discipline that starts with parents and the students' home life.. Screening of students and parents for those--regardless of income due to availability of financial aid--who really value education and an orderly, respectful environment. Safer learning environment among motivated students, teachers, administrators, and staff.

Yes, well I did understand the classism and racism aspect of private schools, yes, of course. But it isn't an education that you are purchasing. It's the screening tool.
And no teachers aren't more motivated in the way that you think. In a private school, they are entirely beholdened to a parent population, and they just have to deal with it. Why can't they leave? It is because they aren’t qualified to teach in another environment. This amount of money is what they can earn and it's the most they can get for as long as they are teaching. No, you don't have more motivated teachers.

Nope, I moved from a private to a DC charter for a considerable salary bump and, in this one case, infinitely better management. I strongly advise unhappy private school teachers to look for a decent charter if the commute is doable. You won't be teaching pre-screened rich kids, but everything else about the experience has been better for me so far.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was an administrator and teacher at a private school for a period of time. I have multiple state certifications, 2 graduate degrees, and at the time, approximately 20 years of experience. The majority of teachers employed there had no background in teaching and were not certified. There was a staff of around 30-35 teachers, and I would say only about 10 or 12 were talented teachers quite on their own, but still flying by the seat of their pants. There was no real sense of curriculum understanding, learning theory, or best practices. It was posh daycare with some books. I left for public school. I don't understand why people pay to send their kids to private schools. I think there are some private schools with bone fide standards, certified teachers and staff (largely underpaid,however) and oversight, but people would be very surprised at how many are not, particularly the religious schools. Some well regarded schools that are private are really just a business model.
In the end, this is a whole career that requires an overhaul, public and private. Time to do it. An entire paradigm shift.

"I don't understand why people pay to send their kids to private schools." = Hard to believe that one with your claimed experience and education would be so blind and unknowing as to make such a ridiculous statement. Would be more credible if you limited your thoughts and comments to your experience at one particular private school.

All of the private and religious (Catholic) schools with which we and our large extended have experience have been outstanding. The public school experiences have yielded a mixture of experiences--some good and some not-so-good.

Lots of reasons to pay for private school. Better discipline that starts with parents and the students' home life.. Screening of students and parents for those--regardless of income due to availability of financial aid--who really value education and an orderly, respectful environment. Safer learning environment among motivated students, teachers, administrators, and staff.

Yes, well I did understand the classism and racism aspect of private schools, yes, of course. But it isn't an education that you are purchasing. It's the screening tool.
And no teachers aren't more motivated in the way that you think. In a private school, they are entirely beholdened to a parent population, and they just have to deal with it. Why can't they leave? It is because they aren’t qualified to teach in another environment. This amount of money is what they can earn and it's the most they can get for as long as they are teaching. No, you don't have more motivated teachers.

Nope, I moved from a private to a DC charter for a considerable salary bump and, in this one case, infinitely better management. I strongly advise unhappy private school teachers to look for a decent charter if the commute is doable. You won't be teaching pre-screened rich kids, but everything else about the experience has been better for me so far.

I should have added that I am a mid-career switcher with two previous careers and no certification, but deep subject knowledge and work experience in my subjects.

[Anonymous]

This is one of my fears. What will happen if the large school systems start offering things like sign-on bonuses? IMO, private schools can't compete with that. It probably won't matter to those that just want to teach in privates anyway. But it will impact a great deal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was an administrator and teacher at a private school for a period of time. I have multiple state certifications, 2 graduate degrees, and at the time, approximately 20 years of experience. The majority of teachers employed there had no background in teaching and were not certified. There was a staff of around 30-35 teachers, and I would say only about 10 or 12 were talented teachers quite on their own, but still flying by the seat of their pants. There was no real sense of curriculum understanding, learning theory, or best practices. It was posh daycare with some books. I left for public school. I don't understand why people pay to send their kids to private schools. I think there are some private schools with bone fide standards, certified teachers and staff (largely underpaid,however) and oversight, but people would be very surprised at how many are not, particularly the religious schools. Some well regarded schools that are private are really just a business model.
In the end, this is a whole career that requires an overhaul, public and private. Time to do it. An entire paradigm shift.

"I don't understand why people pay to send their kids to private schools." = Hard to believe that one with your claimed experience and education would be so blind and unknowing as to make such a ridiculous statement. Would be more credible if you limited your thoughts and comments to your experience at one particular private school.

All of the private and religious (Catholic) schools with which we and our large extended have experience have been outstanding. The public school experiences have yielded a mixture of experiences--some good and some not-so-good.

Lots of reasons to pay for private school. Better discipline that starts with parents and the students' home life.. Screening of students and parents for those--regardless of income due to availability of financial aid--who really value education and an orderly, respectful environment. Safer learning environment among motivated students, teachers, administrators, and staff.

Yes, well I did understand the classism and racism aspect of private schools, yes, of course. But it isn't an education that you are purchasing. It's the screening tool.
And no teachers aren't more motivated in the way that you think. In a private school, they are entirely beholdened to a parent population, and they just have to deal with it. Why can't they leave? It is because they aren’t qualified to teach in another environment. This amount of money is what they can earn and it's the most they can get for as long as they are teaching. No, you don't have more motivated teachers.

Nope, I moved from a private to a DC charter for a considerable salary bump and, in this one case, infinitely better management. I strongly advise unhappy private school teachers to look for a decent charter if the commute is doable. You won't be teaching pre-screened rich kids, but everything else about the experience has been better for me so far.

Aren't you arguing my point? If you were able to leave it was because you could leave.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Look at the advertisements for teachers in the private setting. Look at the requirements. Most of the time, there are none. Some don't even require a college degree.

clearly you are not so ignorant to believe that the entry requirements/qualifications on a job ad (maybe even one for multiple positions) are the actual job selection criteria, correct? Because private school isn't a quasi-governmental organization which has job categories and grades. They have bare minimum requirements on the vacancy ad and then select the best candidate from there.

Not only am I not ignorant, I taught in a private school setting where there were no educational credentials or educational background required. The ads were skeletal and there were numerous applicants, and, yes, many didn't have a college degree. A lot of home day care providers applied (BTW, they don't even require a high school doplma to do home day care..) A lot of teachers were the mothers of students.

Secondarily, job openings were known by community based word of mouth. And 40% did not have college degrees, more than 90 % did not have any educational credentials whatsoever.

I think you are having trouble believing this because it sounds outrageous, but, it happens all over the place. You'd be shocked at the lack of state oversight, as well, or what is required to set up a private school. The teachers were fingerprinted- that was it as far as any oversight.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Look at the advertisements for teachers in the private setting. Look at the requirements. Most of the time, there are none. Some don't even require a college degree.

clearly you are not so ignorant to believe that the entry requirements/qualifications on a job ad (maybe even one for multiple positions) are the actual job selection criteria, correct? Because private school isn't a quasi-governmental organization which has job categories and grades. They have bare minimum requirements on the vacancy ad and then select the best candidate from there.

Not only am I not ignorant, I taught in a private school setting where there were no educational credentials or educational background required. The ads were skeletal and there were numerous applicants, and, yes, many didn't have a college degree. A lot of home day care providers applied (BTW, they don't even require a high school doplma to do home day care..) A lot of teachers were the mothers of students.

Secondarily, job openings were known by community based word of mouth. And 40% did not have college degrees, more than 90 % did not have any educational credentials whatsoever.

I think you are having trouble believing this because it sounds outrageous, but, it happens all over the place. You'd be shocked at the lack of state oversight, as well, or what is required to set up a private school. The teachers were fingerprinted- that was it as far as any oversight.

Sounds like a crappy private school. We have bios for the staff which are hired for our child's private school. They send them out at the end of each summer. Someone's mom without a degree wouldn't go over well with the parents. The best oversight is sometimes a discerning customer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was an administrator and teacher at a private school for a period of time. I have multiple state certifications, 2 graduate degrees, and at the time, approximately 20 years of experience. The majority of teachers employed there had no background in teaching and were not certified. There was a staff of around 30-35 teachers, and I would say only about 10 or 12 were talented teachers quite on their own, but still flying by the seat of their pants. There was no real sense of curriculum understanding, learning theory, or best practices. It was posh daycare with some books. I left for public school. I don't understand why people pay to send their kids to private schools. I think there are some private schools with bone fide standards, certified teachers and staff (largely underpaid,however) and oversight, but people would be very surprised at how many are not, particularly the religious schools. Some well regarded schools that are private are really just a business model.
In the end, this is a whole career that requires an overhaul, public and private. Time to do it. An entire paradigm shift.

I have certifications (state and national), Masters Degree and over 30 years of experience. The certifications are pretty meaningless in my opinion.

Until you engage with educators with none. Yes, teachers do need education, training, and experience.

Maybe you just aren't in the right field. If these goal posts are meaningless, why did you spend all that time obtaining them? It's a lot of work and money and time.

I think you missed PP’s point. They are saying that the certifications are pretty meaningless. They aren’t discounting the training and education they received while completing master’s degrees and their teaching experience. There are those on this board who seem to think that unless a teacher is certified, they aren’t qualified. I’ll take a teachers with a masters and experience any day over a teacher with a state certification and little to no experience. Not to say that the latter won’t become a great teacher but the point is that a state certification is not the great qualifier that some thing it is. Education and experience are the more important factors.

Certifications aren’t just pieces of paper. There's a lot of work involved.

They aren’t just pieces of paper but they also aren’t the only way a person can show they are qualified to teach. Why would a private school teacher with a masters in computer science and a bachelors in education decide that they need to go and certify as a teacher before accepting a position with a school that doesn’t require or hire based on certifications? What’s the point?
Public school educators get certifications because the school system itself has made them necessary and valued. The education behind them is always of value but whether someone has sat for the certification and can check that box isn’t a concrete measure of qualification.
I would rather have someone who has a degree in the field they are teaching, a basis in teaching and a willing, non-jaded attitude than a new teacher with no experience and a certification who has been glued to Bored Teachers all summer long.

We will answer that question after these veterans and their spouses all start teaching in public classroom. This will be very, very eye opening and shocking. Most people have no idea what teaching in a classroom means, and especially those who come from a system of rules and obedience. This will be a S#i+ s#0w. They won't last until the first grading period, if even a week. Oh, and, yes, a teacher needs to understand the complexity of neurological and developmental learning. They need to understand how to teach how to think, how to read, how to question, how to think. Yes, that takes a great deal of preparation and experience. Certifications aren't just handed out.

Certified teacher here. I don't think that certification is meaningless. I also think you're kidding yourself if you think it's a "great deal of preparation and experience" to get certified. It's 20-30 credits of education coursework, some classroom observation, and a semester of student teaching. It's not as much training as you think.

Unfortunately on DCUM it's impossible to have a nuanced conversation, but it's ridiculous to paint private school teachers with a broad brush to say that they are automatically unqualified because they don't have a certification.

The situation in Florida where they are letting any veteran or spouse waltz into a teaching job is a different situation altogether and nobody thinks that's a good idea.

Nah, that's starting out. To continue, it's a graduate degree and depending on type of certification, quite a bit of work.

Listen, I am a certified teacher! I have two master's degrees! I understand the work! The point is that the bar is not as high as you think. I work in private school now and I really hate the way my colleagues are disparaged on this site. They are incredible educators.

Your experience might not be as comprehensive as it could be.

Oh really? Then tell me all about your[b] "comprehensive" credentials. I've been teaching for 26 years and have taught in public, private, and parochial schools, in the DC area and also outside DC. But sure.

And all your colleagues are fabulous, despite not being certified or qualified, the curriculum is wonderful, accountability is transparent, and best practices are always employed. Is this a private school in Lake Wobegon?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Look at the advertisements for teachers in the private setting. Look at the requirements. Most of the time, there are none. Some don't even require a college degree.

clearly you are not so ignorant to believe that the entry requirements/qualifications on a job ad (maybe even one for multiple positions) are the actual job selection criteria, correct? Because private school isn't a quasi-governmental organization which has job categories and grades. They have bare minimum requirements on the vacancy ad and then select the best candidate from there.

Not only am I not ignorant, I taught in a private school setting where there were no educational credentials or educational background required. The ads were skeletal and there were numerous applicants, and, yes, many didn't have a college degree. A lot of home day care providers applied (BTW, they don't even require a high school doplma to do home day care..) A lot of teachers were the mothers of students.

Secondarily, job openings were known by community based word of mouth. And 40% did not have college degrees, more than 90 % did not have any educational credentials whatsoever.

I think you are having trouble believing this because it sounds outrageous, but, it happens all over the place. You'd be shocked at the lack of state oversight, as well, or what is required to set up a private school. The teachers were fingerprinted- that was it as far as any oversight.

Sounds like a crappy private school. We have bios for the staff which are hired for our child's private school. They send them out at the end of each summer. Someone's mom without a degree wouldn't go over well with the parents. The best oversight is sometimes a discerning customer.

The point being that private schools are not one entity and most would be surprised at the credentialing of such. There are many, many private schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A qualified teacher at a school in an expensive area should be making 200k a year.

I wish good teachers can get that, but where the money comes from? More tax for public schools? More tuition for private schools?

Maybe HOSes start getting paid the same as public district superintendents and not $500k+ as a start.

Some HOS’s compensation is truly obscene. 600k+ and free housing when they have teachers making 1/10th of that in an expensive rent/cost of living area. Cutting some from their salaries would be a good place to start

Yeah it is nuts. And cut some of the bells and whistles. The kids don't care at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:IS admin here. Teachers are not paid commensurate with their education, experience, dedication, and hours worked/ week. Teachers do what they do because they believe that teaching critical thinking skills to our children will make our world better. What would make their work a tad easier are parents who are demonstrably less neurotic, less unkind, and a tad more grateful. Many teachers I know have left the profession due to horribly demanding and rabid parents.

We need to do better.

True. But to the parents' credit. when you are paying 50K and there is incompetence, and it is there at every school at times, it is infuriating. So maybe the whole system needs a revamp.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Look at the advertisements for teachers in the private setting. Look at the requirements. Most of the time, there are none. Some don't even require a college degree.

clearly you are not so ignorant to believe that the entry requirements/qualifications on a job ad (maybe even one for multiple positions) are the actual job selection criteria, correct? Because private school isn't a quasi-governmental organization which has job categories and grades. They have bare minimum requirements on the vacancy ad and then select the best candidate from there.

Not only am I not ignorant, I taught in a private school setting where there were no educational credentials or educational background required. The ads were skeletal and there were numerous applicants, and, yes, many didn't have a college degree. A lot of home day care providers applied (BTW, they don't even require a high school doplma to do home day care..) A lot of teachers were the mothers of students.

Secondarily, job openings were known by community based word of mouth. And 40% did not have college degrees, more than 90 % did not have any educational credentials whatsoever.

I think you are having trouble believing this because it sounds outrageous, but, it happens all over the place. You'd be shocked at the lack of state oversight, as well, or what is required to set up a private school. The teachers were fingerprinted- that was it as far as any oversight.

Cool story but that’s not happening at any of the schools being discussed on this board.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was an administrator and teacher at a private school for a period of time. I have multiple state certifications, 2 graduate degrees, and at the time, approximately 20 years of experience. The majority of teachers employed there had no background in teaching and were not certified. There was a staff of around 30-35 teachers, and I would say only about 10 or 12 were talented teachers quite on their own, but still flying by the seat of their pants. There was no real sense of curriculum understanding, learning theory, or best practices. It was posh daycare with some books. I left for public school. I don't understand why people pay to send their kids to private schools. I think there are some private schools with bone fide standards, certified teachers and staff (largely underpaid,however) and oversight, but people would be very surprised at how many are not, particularly the religious schools. Some well regarded schools that are private are really just a business model.
In the end, this is a whole career that requires an overhaul, public and private. Time to do it. An entire paradigm shift.

I have certifications (state and national), Masters Degree and over 30 years of experience. The certifications are pretty meaningless in my opinion.

Until you engage with educators with none. Yes, teachers do need education, training, and experience.

Maybe you just aren't in the right field. If these goal posts are meaningless, why did you spend all that time obtaining them? It's a lot of work and money and time.

I think you missed PP’s point. They are saying that the certifications are pretty meaningless. They aren’t discounting the training and education they received while completing master’s degrees and their teaching experience. There are those on this board who seem to think that unless a teacher is certified, they aren’t qualified. I’ll take a teachers with a masters and experience any day over a teacher with a state certification and little to no experience. Not to say that the latter won’t become a great teacher but the point is that a state certification is not the great qualifier that some thing it is. Education and experience are the more important factors.

Certifications aren’t just pieces of paper. There's a lot of work involved.

They aren’t just pieces of paper but they also aren’t the only way a person can show they are qualified to teach. Why would a private school teacher with a masters in computer science and a bachelors in education decide that they need to go and certify as a teacher before accepting a position with a school that doesn’t require or hire based on certifications? What’s the point?
Public school educators get certifications because the school system itself has made them necessary and valued. The education behind them is always of value but whether someone has sat for the certification and can check that box isn’t a concrete measure of qualification.
I would rather have someone who has a degree in the field they are teaching, a basis in teaching and a willing, non-jaded attitude than a new teacher with no experience and a certification who has been glued to Bored Teachers all summer long.

We will answer that question after these veterans and their spouses all start teaching in public classroom. This will be very, very eye opening and shocking. Most people have no idea what teaching in a classroom means, and especially those who come from a system of rules and obedience. This will be a S#i+ s#0w. They won't last until the first grading period, if even a week. Oh, and, yes, a teacher needs to understand the complexity of neurological and developmental learning. They need to understand how to teach how to think, how to read, how to question, how to think. Yes, that takes a great deal of preparation and experience. Certifications aren't just handed out.

Certified teacher here. I don't think that certification is meaningless. I also think you're kidding yourself if you think it's a "great deal of preparation and experience" to get certified. It's 20-30 credits of education coursework, some classroom observation, and a semester of student teaching. It's not as much training as you think.

Unfortunately on DCUM it's impossible to have a nuanced conversation, but it's ridiculous to paint private school teachers with a broad brush to say that they are automatically unqualified because they don't have a certification.

The situation in Florida where they are letting any veteran or spouse waltz into a teaching job is a different situation altogether and nobody thinks that's a good idea.

Nah, that's starting out. To continue, it's a graduate degree and depending on type of certification, quite a bit of work.

Listen, I am a certified teacher! I have two master's degrees! I understand the work! The point is that the bar is not as high as you think. I work in private school now and I really hate the way my colleagues are disparaged on this site. They are incredible educators.

Your experience might not be as comprehensive as it could be.

Oh really? Then tell me all about your[b] "comprehensive" credentials. I've been teaching for 26 years and have taught in public, private, and parochial schools, in the DC area and also outside DC. But sure.

And all your colleagues are fabulous, despite not being certified or qualified, the curriculum is wonderful, accountability is transparent, and best practices are always employed. Is this a private school in Lake Wobegon?

All of my colleagues are qualified. Where did I ever say that we are all perfect?

If anyone’s wondering about why there’s a teacher shortage— Exhibit A, folks.

[Anonymous]

Our kids private school used their annual fund in 2019-2020 to raise money to recruit, attract, and retain excellent teachers. They raised about $1.2 million dollars. More schools should follow this path rather than using money to just upgrade facilities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was an administrator and teacher at a private school for a period of time. I have multiple state certifications, 2 graduate degrees, and at the time, approximately 20 years of experience. The majority of teachers employed there had no background in teaching and were not certified. There was a staff of around 30-35 teachers, and I would say only about 10 or 12 were talented teachers quite on their own, but still flying by the seat of their pants. There was no real sense of curriculum understanding, learning theory, or best practices. It was posh daycare with some books. I left for public school. I don't understand why people pay to send their kids to private schools. I think there are some private schools with bone fide standards, certified teachers and staff (largely underpaid,however) and oversight, but people would be very surprised at how many are not, particularly the religious schools. Some well regarded schools that are private are really just a business model.
In the end, this is a whole career that requires an overhaul, public and private. Time to do it. An entire paradigm shift.

I have certifications (state and national), Masters Degree and over 30 years of experience. The certifications are pretty meaningless in my opinion.

Until you engage with educators with none. Yes, teachers do need education, training, and experience.

Maybe you just aren't in the right field. If these goal posts are meaningless, why did you spend all that time obtaining them? It's a lot of work and money and time.

I think you missed PP’s point. They are saying that the certifications are pretty meaningless. They aren’t discounting the training and education they received while completing master’s degrees and their teaching experience. There are those on this board who seem to think that unless a teacher is certified, they aren’t qualified. I’ll take a teachers with a masters and experience any day over a teacher with a state certification and little to no experience. Not to say that the latter won’t become a great teacher but the point is that a state certification is not the great qualifier that some thing it is. Education and experience are the more important factors.

Certifications aren’t just pieces of paper. There's a lot of work involved.

They aren’t just pieces of paper but they also aren’t the only way a person can show they are qualified to teach. Why would a private school teacher with a masters in computer science and a bachelors in education decide that they need to go and certify as a teacher before accepting a position with a school that doesn’t require or hire based on certifications? What’s the point?
Public school educators get certifications because the school system itself has made them necessary and valued. The education behind them is always of value but whether someone has sat for the certification and can check that box isn’t a concrete measure of qualification.
I would rather have someone who has a degree in the field they are teaching, a basis in teaching and a willing, non-jaded attitude than a new teacher with no experience and a certification who has been glued to Bored Teachers all summer long.

We will answer that question after these veterans and their spouses all start teaching in public classroom. This will be very, very eye opening and shocking. Most people have no idea what teaching in a classroom means, and especially those who come from a system of rules and obedience. This will be a S#i+ s#0w. They won't last until the first grading period, if even a week. Oh, and, yes, a teacher needs to understand the complexity of neurological and developmental learning. They need to understand how to teach how to think, how to read, how to question, how to think. Yes, that takes a great deal of preparation and experience. Certifications aren't just handed out.

Certified teacher here. I don't think that certification is meaningless. I also think you're kidding yourself if you think it's a "great deal of preparation and experience" to get certified. It's 20-30 credits of education coursework, some classroom observation, and a semester of student teaching. It's not as much training as you think.

Unfortunately on DCUM it's impossible to have a nuanced conversation, but it's ridiculous to paint private school teachers with a broad brush to say that they are automatically unqualified because they don't have a certification.

The situation in Florida where they are letting any veteran or spouse waltz into a teaching job is a different situation altogether and nobody thinks that's a good idea.

Nah, that's starting out. To continue, it's a graduate degree and depending on type of certification, quite a bit of work.

Listen, I am a certified teacher! I have two master's degrees! I understand the work! The point is that the bar is not as high as you think. I work in private school now and I really hate the way my colleagues are disparaged on this site. They are incredible educators.

Your experience might not be as comprehensive as it could be.

Oh really? Then tell me all about your[b] "comprehensive" credentials. I've been teaching for 26 years and have taught in public, private, and parochial schools, in the DC area and also outside DC. But sure.

And all your colleagues are fabulous, despite not being certified or qualified, the curriculum is wonderful, accountability is transparent, and best practices are always employed. Is this a private school in Lake Wobegon?

All of my colleagues are qualified. Where did I ever say that we are all perfect?

If anyone’s wondering about why there’s a teacher shortage— Exhibit A, folks.

So explain why? Your post makes no sense. And how are your colleagues qualified? If they require no credentialing, what is your criteria? Is this based upon your judgement?