Qualified vs Effective Teachers

In the Berryessa Union School District in San Jose, California, they are noticing the difference between highly “qualified” teachers and truly effective teachers. They are beginning to see that how certified a teacher is and how extensive their resume is with college courses and credentials does not mean that they will actually be effective in teaching students.

When hiring teachers for a school, the only requirement is that they be “qualified.” Schools look at teachers’ educational backgrounds, what schools they’ve been to, what college courses they’ve taken, what their test scores are, and what their credentials are. Just because someone looks good on paper doesn’t mean they can do the job effectively.

Teachers are central to a child’s life because they spend fifty percent of their childhood in school with these ineffective teachers. Statistics show that there is a fifteen percent chance of a student getting a highly effective teacher for one year and the statistics of having a highly effective teacher five years in a row is only 1 in 17,000. These statistics are pitiful. We want our children to have the best and make the most of their elementary, middle, and high school education so they are prepared for college.

Currently, colleges and school-based teacher programs say they don’t have the resources or time to educate teachers on how to effectively teach and prepare students for college. Of course, not all teachers fall short in their teaching effectiveness, but most do and that’s because of the flawed college curriculum for Liberal Studies. While earning their teaching degree, they are not taught how to work with students or how to understand social development. Her main focus in college is teaching kids how to be critical thinkers and how to motivate them.

It is important that teachers have excellent social skills and are able to work with each student individually. This is the basis of teaching. Teachers must not only be effective in teaching students and preparing them for college and life, but they must also be able to communicate effectively with the students’ parents to ensure that the student gets the best possible support.

Throughout elementary, middle, and high school, students need as much support as possible. These years can be difficult, with all the new information they need to retain, all the planning for college and careers, and the pressures of balancing their social lives. If they have teachers who are not teaching them effectively, they waste their time and energy. One statistic said that a student learning from an ineffective teacher for three years in a row could hinder her performance by fifty percent. This is why it is so important that universities expand their teaching programs to teach liberal studies students “how” to teach and not just how to get students to think critically.

This has to be a reform in all schools. They need to communicate with current teachers and require classes off campus to teach them how to effectively teach students and communicate with parents. This will benefit our children and help give them the education they deserve to start a fulfilling life.