It's about learning

I agree wholeheartedly with part of Mr. Carr's ("Want to be a teacher?," IDS, Sept. 15) premise on teacher certification. Certification does not ensure competency, but neither does charisma, dedication or passion. Mr. Carr may understand the truth of this if he thinks about his IU instructors. Remember, no certification is required to teach at the university level. Some of his instructors were probably great teachers; others may not have been competent. As a graduate student, I've had some charismatic, dedicated and even passionate instructors, but not all of them were competent teachers.\nTeaching is a complex, amorphous activity. I should know. I was a certified K-12 teacher before coming to IU. I didn't expect to encounter problems making the move from public school teacher to university instructor. I was mistaken. Teaching undergraduates was like hitting a brick wall at 100 mph. \nAfter talking to his education major peers, Mr. Carr concluded that pursuing teacher certification would be a waste of his time and money. How did he acquire the notion that "anyone can teach?" Contrast your own perceptions of medicine, another profession that requires licensure, with teaching. How many times have you observed a doctor in action? 10? 50? 100? Would you use this observational experience as justification for assuming the role of a doctor when you're sick? Assuming the role of a doctor without training is illogical. Yet when it comes to teaching, this is precisely what happens.\nMr. Carr is correct in saying that education majors often dismiss education courses as meaningless, but should they? Consider this: People typically experience some poor teaching as K-12 students. These inadequate experiences frame their concepts of what teaching looks like, creating an invisible roadblock to an understanding of the myriad skills needed to be a competent teacher. I rammed into this roadblock during my first semester of university teaching when a student cornered me and blurted out, "I know you mean well, but just tell me how to make an A in this class and stop trying to teach me anything!"\nTeaching is not about charisma, dedication or passion; it's about learning. I was a charismatic, dedicated, and passionate teacher before becoming an associate instructor. Yet, after being confronted with my own misconceptions about university teaching, I realized I was not as effective as I could be and enrolled in a university teaching course. I conducted an intensive study of my teaching practices and their impact on my students' learning. In short, I designed my own university teacher-training program, and became a competent and award-winning instructor.\nTeacher certification does not ensure competency, and that's why some states like Indiana grant only provisional certification to new teachers until they provide evidence of their competency. Perhaps the quality of undergraduate teaching could be improved if a similar system were adopted at IU -- provisional certification until instructors prove their teaching competency. However, such a system will not work without appropriate preparation for instructors, because training is a key ingredient in learning to become a competent teacher. There is an extensive body of teaching research that supports this premise. Like the preparation of K-12 teachers, preparing college instructors would not ensure competence; but it would ensure that new instructors are introduced to effective undergraduate teaching strategies. Teach for America understands the importance of training. Like education majors, its volunteers receive training before they are sent into the field.\nAfter more than two decades in K-12 and college classrooms, my dedication and passion are alive and thriving, because of the training I received many years ago as an undergraduate who also believed that education courses were a waste of time and money. At 21, I did not understand that teaching competence is an issue of training and not certification. You can't be a competent teacher until you understand how students learn -- and that's what you learn in teacher education.