Better Pre-Service Teacher Training

According to a report published in 2006 by Arthur Levine, "more than three out of five teachers surveyed said that their education school didn’t prepare them adequately for the "real-world" experience of teaching" (District Administrator, 2009). This finding is problematic, but very realistic. Unfortunately, I can honestly say that I wasn't adequately prepared for what I would face inside the classroom. I had an advantage that I worked as a substitute teacher as I went through the teacher certification process. I'm not sure anything can prepare you completely. As I reflect on my teacher education, it seems that most of it is focused on the "glories" or the successes that come with the profession. Without sounding negative, those are great things to focus on, but for a first-year teacher, the "fairy-tale" teaching experience probably doesn't exist. As stated above, I substitute taught for a year and a half, where I learned and developed skills that teacher-training programs cannot offer. Not that the observation time required was useless, but having control and being in charge of the classroom will give you a more realistic view of what a classroom is like. Our current system is broke. Thousands of teachers are leaving the education field with less than five years experience. A later blog will focus on a plan for pre-service teachers, as well as a plan of retaining effective teachers.