Arrrgh....Can We Trust Teachers?

So it happens again. Two more teachers caught having sex with students, and now the national media wonders...can we trust teachers? Well, from the bottom of my heart, thanks ladies for making our profession a joke again. This again goes to show you how little respect teachers receive and simply [cliche alert! cliche alert!] how a rotten apple seems to spoil the bunch. Like in any profession, educators have deviants who cross the line or perform unethically. However, I truly do resent reporters asking, can we trust teachers? OF COURSE YOU CAN TRUST TEACHERS! When a quack doctor is found performing surgeries from his trunk, does the media look intently into the camera and ask, can we trust doctors? No! The number of quack doctors has to rival those of teachers who cross the line, yet we find no respect for the teaching profession, and this has to change. Gone are the days when teaching was a respectable profession, now we find just about anybody entering the field.

The shortage of educators (I did not say quality educators, just educators) has caused departments of education everywhere to relax credentialing standards and by doing this we've dumbed down the pool of possible teachers. My best friend is a medical doctor and he is constantly taking examinations to keep up with his field and the entrance exams even after he received his doctorate were extremely difficult. In Florida at least, all one has to do is have a bachelor's (in any field) and pass one exam in order to receive a temporary certificate. In order to receive your permanent professional certificate one must take a general knowledge exam (basic arithmetic and simple grammar), a professional knowledge exam (simple education questions) and within five years they must take a two courses in education. That is it. While I'm not comparing the rigors of a medical career with those of an education career, it should be more difficult to become a teacher than simply having a bachelor's and taking a test. Yet, because of the shortage of teachers, we find these rather simplistic standards allow just about anyone in, hence the loss of respect for the profession.

Teachers, if you're looking at a minor with a lustful eye, first, get some help, second get our of our profession so maybe we can start bringing some respect back to teaching.