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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]There is a need in certain subjects, higher level computer science, math, science and language courses are often not offered because there are not qualified teachers and/or not enough students ready for the course to justify the use of an allocated teacher- a principal won’t have on level classes at 30+ to offer a section of an above level course for 15.

OPs idea could work, especially in the form of a partnership where an extra teacher was available one period a day to teach the course.  Would experienced teachers push back, possibly, but in thinking about deploying this to the highest levels where there are few qualified teachers it could work.  Said teachers would teach and grade, but not have hone rooms or other duties assigned.  They would likely teach first period or maybe last period so as to not completely take over their day.  Many colleges have teachers for just one course- granted it’s a totally different structure, but with the teaching shortage and lack of rigor to keep some advanced kids engaged, we need to try something! [/quote]

Experienced teacher here. I could see this potentially working and wouldn’t really care if AP-level classes go to someone new. My question, though: What type of training do you envision these part-time teachers would receive?

I believe this is a huge misconception many people have about teaching. Teachers deal with A LOT , even in AP classes. (Teenagers are teenagers, after all.) The job is much, much harder than people expect and it only gets easier with experience and an accumulated bag of tricks.

I wouldn’t want somebody to go through the preparation to teach just to quit in the first year. I’ve lost two teachers in my department already this fall, both burned out experienced teachers. How do we keep someone new to the pressures of this field from doing the same?
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Mentoring, training, and support.  While teaching isn’t easy it would be slightly less burdensome for these part-time teachers because they are not carrying a full load.  Ideally, this would free up some time for experienced full time teachers to have planning time or the opportunity to work on other things like actual real professional development in their content area or mentoring or other things.

It’s a win for students and schools who get teachers with real world industry/government experience, it’s a win for teachers who get reduced load, and it’s a win for the part-time teacher who gains additional credentials as well as the joy of sharing knowledge with kids.  It will also help all stay up to date on things.[/quote]

Unfortunately, this will not reduce existing teachers’ workloads. We still will have full schedules, extra duty assignments, grading, and planning.

One word of caution about people with real world industry/govt experience: that doesn’t mean you are ready for the classroom. I worked with a career changer who spent 15 years in a govt lab before switching to teach Chem and AP Chem. She was brilliant and easily the smartest person on staff. The students couldn’t stand her. They could tell she was content strong, but she lacked the ability to translate that knowledge to others. Her students scored poorly on AP exams because she couldn’t train them properly, and she quit after 3 years.[/quote]

+1 I have worked with an incredible amount of PhDs in my field of science (I worked in the field for about 15 years, but do not have an advanced degree such as a PhD) and it's a very rare occurrence for someone who is used to working at such a high level to be able to bring it down to a level that a 10-17 year old can relate to.  Most of the PhDs I see now in MCPS are awful in the secondary classroom.  The students are so lost; because the teacher does not know pedagogy at all.  They struggle with classroom management. The students end up really disliking the teacher, and the teacher ends up quitting or leaving. I think anyone coming in without being certified should really sub first to understand what you are truly being asked of and need to do to help support students.  [/quote]
Your tendency to generalize is mind-blowing. Ability to teach well is a skill (I would argue you are pretty much born with.) Your assessment that having a PhD hinders teaching ability is ridiculous. If anything, having a big picture about the subject matter would help to present the material in an understandable manner.[/quote]

I’m sorry you were offended but it’s the truth. Not everyone can teach.  [/quote]

20 years as a teacher and I agree. I’ve worked with very smart people, and yet they are terrible teachers. Knowing the subject matter is only one part of what you need. If you can’t break it down into understandable chunks while simultaneously dealing with a myriad of classroom discipline issues, then it doesn’t matter.

We are judged based on outcomes. I’ve worked with plenty of bright, highly educated people who produce terrible AP scores. I’ve worked with people with BS degrees whose students regularly score 4s and 5s. Same student population, but different abilities to communicate content.

As a parent and a teacher, I want my own child in the class where the teacher can control the class and the content. [/quote]
No one is disputing the fact that knowing and teaching are not necessarily the same. However, some of these posts imply that knowing leads to not teaching well. It seems like some people here feel threatened :)[/quote]

Not threatened at all. Remember: teachers also know their content well. I’ve been studying my content area for thirty years now. Also, why would I need to be threatened? What might I lose?

I don’t see anybody implying smart career changers can’t teach. What I do see are posts suggesting that a person can waltz into a classroom and get by on mere content knowledge. Anybody who has taught is going to knowingly and sympathetically smile at that notion. What I also see on this thread are words of caution. To go through the hoops to teach without checking out the conditions first isn’t a good idea. Sub first. I’ve met many subs who are testing the waters, and most choose not to teach. [/quote]

Different poster here. I’m a HS teacher and I don’t think you can generalise. PhD’s know how to work really hard and multi-task. They can handle the impossible workload that all teachers and especially new teachers face. There is always a learning curve with teaching and year 1 is worse than year 2, etc. By year 4-5, you reach a steady state where you are at your best for the next 5-10 years. There are some PhDs who cannot relate to the low level HS content and they teach over students heads but that is no different from your average bad teacher who is ineffective in other ways. The PhDs who are annoying and often not very good are the educational degree PhDs.  I don’t have much respect for a doctorate in education given the quality of people I have seen get that degree [/quote]

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