I think teachers should be certified as proof of their ability to meet certain standards in their subject area. A teacher is a crucial school-based factor that influences student achievement. Certification shows a teacher’s credibility to teach and interact with students. From my point of view, the current system of certification is doing well as it assesses teachers’ content knowledge and requires professional development courses. Yet, I do not agree with the system that differentiates teachers by the number of such courses and years of teaching experience. Young teachers can also be effective as compared to experienced teachers. Therefore, I suggest examining how teachers behave in classrooms and their interaction with students.
I also did not agree with the fact that teachers must have a certification that is mostly obtained from a college degree. People have different backgrounds, and not all of them can afford proper education. As such, teachers should be evaluated by their actual performance and willingness to teach. Having a degree in Education or Children’s development does not necessarily mean that a teacher is able and desires to teach students and be involved in academia.
I think once teachers are accepted by their performance rather than their experience, old school teachers would oppose such changes. This is because they are respected and benefited due to their experience rather than their actual effectiveness in students’ academic success. Moreover, teachers who have several degrees can also be opposed to new regulations as they may rely on their higher institution degree diploma when being evaluated by the certification committee. I understand that changes in teachers’ certifications are not an easy thing to do. Yet, I believe that it is possible, and teachers would be fairly treated despite their educational background or experience in teaching.