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NO! I worked in a school my first year teaching where a psychology major was getting her masters in education and was teaching while she did it. SInce she had 15 credits toward her masters already she made a lot more money than I did and it was her first year! I am certified in 3 areas and have a dual degree, and to top it off I was teaching Autism at the time. It is a low blow when someone with any old degree is paid to do a job I trained 5 years for. What if a teacher decided to enroll in med school and decided to practice while in school, would you let that Dr. treat you?? People need to realize teaching is an art form, not everyone can do it, and it is not easy.
If I'm understanding the question, it really depends on the candidate. You can have one person come in with a teaching degree and their personality just isn't a good match for the job in question. You could have someone with alternative certification come in, great personality, lots more experience with kids than the one with the teaching degree. Who will be better for the job? The one who has the teaching degree or the one who has the experience and personality for the job?
A degree itself doesn't mean much. There are plenty of crummy teachers out there with teaching degrees and plenty of amazing teachers out there without teaching degrees. Teaching degrees just mean a minimum standard for teaching in public schools has been met. It doesn't mean that that person is better than someone without.
No. I have met several of these alternative certified teachers who lack in best practices knowledge. As in the military people teach as if they were teaching military people.
The best person for every teaching position! Our children deserve it.
Frankly, it depends upon the subject. No surprise there.
I teach physics and went through the alternative certification approach here in Texas. That was 15 years ago, and I can make a few observations. For quantitative courses like Math and Science--it's probably best to have a degree in the field you're going to teach. You have to have a real depth of comprehension about the subject in order to teach it. Period. At the same time, I know some teachers who have Education degrees and truly are fine teachers. Really. But, in fariness, they cannot always answer the questions that students pose. They sometimes lack depth and understanding of the more complex issues that sometimes go along with science (like explaining how & why to watch out for "pseudo-science").
Also, don't "knock" the alternative certification in general. One still has to get around 36 hours of college credit (in Texas anyway) to qualify for certification. Thats about another year of college coursework! So, the alternative pathway is not some "second-rate", cheap way of becoming a teacher. Know also, that after being certified, one has to accrue a yearly number of outside professional development hours to remain employed (again, that's here in Texas, anyway).
I can't, and won't, speak for other disciplines, but as far as math and science go, I'll stand by having a full BS (or even an MS) as opposed to a BA in Education. I have a PhD, and am grateful for this since I also teach AP courses, and can bring a LOT of personal industry-related work experience to my classes. I wouldn't trade that, and I'm sure neither would my students, for anything.
Just something to think about.
It depends on what you mean by alternative certification. I got my bachelor's in English and my master's in teaching, and my route was considered alternative. So, for example, if both of us went into an interview, I'd have more experience in Language Arts than the person with a bachelor's in language arts education because that person only had to take about 20 credits for his or her endorsement. Personally, I always think the "alternative" route is best, because it allows people with more experience the chance to get their master's in education specifically. And, hey, I got my current job over teaches with their bachelor's and a few years' experience. It also depends on the schools that you went to (I went to a private university that's known for it's awesome ed. program).
I think it depends upon the subject area.
As a teacher, I have plenty of training in human growth/ development/psychology, behavior management, testing, data analysis, the pedagogy of teaching and so on...that other majors typically do not have to have. Thus I feel that I am at an advantage in dealing with students, parents, and curriculum/school requirements overall.
However, I believe that in certain areas (math, science, English, etc.) in high school, it is better to have someone with a degree in that particular subject area with additional coursework in teaching methods.
I am all for alternative routes into the teaching profession as long as the person is committed for the right reasons and is not looking for an "easy alternative" to going through all of the traditional methods.
The one thing that does irk me however, is the implied message that "anyone can teach" and therefore it is a profession up for grabs. Many people still believe that teaching is an easy job and all you do is "babysit" and pass out papers. I await the day when we are valued and respected as educated professionals!
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