I have been reading with much interest and some perplexity the discussion concerning teacher training and licensing. It seems to me that some clarification is needed.
What is the purpose of having a system of teacher licensing? No one would suggest that a teaching license guarantees an excellent teacher, any more than a doctor’s or lawyer’s license guarantees excellence in those professions. A licensing system simply establishes a standard for the profession, which does not ensure excellence, but rather competence. Whether or not a licensed teacher will only be competent or approach excellence depends on many other factors, several of which have been mentioned by other respondents. Nonetheless, as no one would go to a doctor or lawyer who had not earned a license, it stands to reason to hire a teacher who is licensed over one who is not – unless, of course, there is no choice, i.e., there is no one else available or the choice is so stark that not hiring the unlicensed teacher would be irresponsible. In the present context of Jewish education, it is perfectly understandable and often justified to hire an experienced unlicensed teacher over an inexperienced licensed colleague. In doing so, however, one should bear in mind that this does not help to establish a standard for the Jewish teaching profession as a whole, a goal toward which we should all be striving. Even in such a case, there is no reason not to require the unlicensed teacher to obtain credentials and a license within a set time period, perhaps three years. Of course, the community would have to provide an option whereby this was possible.
This brings me to the question of what should be required to earn a teaching license. Competency is established by several factors, chiefly completing successfully a certificate/degree program which focuses both on theory and practice and includes demonstrating an ability to apply what was taught in the classroom through supervised student teaching. With paper in hand the candidate can then apply to a licensing board, responsible for evaluating credentials and the institutions(s) which granted them. To be sure, any school is free to decide whether or not to hire a particular teacher, but at least it will do so in the firm knowledge that fundamental competency expectations have been met. These expectations may include content knowledge as well as methodology, but they also should include the theory and philosophy of education, an element often given short shrift in Jewish day schools. It may be that some teachers can excel without knowing of Piaget, Dewey or Gardner or even the educational views of Rabbi Hirsch or Rav Salanter. Yet, even the great ones could benefit from such exposure, much less from the grinding, somewhat terrifying, experience of standing for evaluation before a classroom full of little Jews who do not wish to be taught. All this would be confirmed by a license.
Much of the discussion in response to Rabbi Greene’s remarks centered upon Jewish knowledge, which a licensing body would not necessarily evaluate, and teaching methodology, which it would. There is perhaps a third, more subtle ingredient to ensuring competency and promoting teaching excellence. It might not be inherent in training and licensing, but, could and should be a desired byproduct.
I am referring to the suggestion of several respondents that teaching is an art and not a science, implying that great teachers are born, not made, and further that a license is therefore irrelevant. I agree that the potential for great teaching might be innate in certain individuals, but it is not realized automatically. The great athletes did not become great only by virtue of their God-given ability. Michael Jordan was the first in the practice gym and the last to leave. Ted Williams, for those who still remember him, was a student of the game long before he became a great hitter. In other words, they resolutely worked on their skills, because they were devoted to their personal professional development, through a process of professionalization that instilled in them a dedication to become the best they could be in their chosen career.
In other words, the granting of a teaching license recognizes the elevating process that the individual has experienced in the pursuit of that little piece of paper. It transmits a message, both to those teachers who possess it and to those who must decide upon their fitness for the classroom, whether parents or principals. It is a ticket of admission to a select group of professionals, as if to say: “I made it in. Not everyone can or should, but I did. I will aspire to realize the highest expectations of the Jewish teaching profession. I am, therefore, entitled to the respect and support due to a professional, and in return, I will continually seek to improve my knowledge and abilities in our joint efforts to create the next Jewish generation.â€
I think we forget sometimes that standards are not only functional and technical, but often form the essentials of dedication and perseverance, to carry the teacher, and thereby the students and the entire learning community, through the highs and lows of a career in Jewish education.
Samuel Kapustin
Principal of Jewish Studies [retired]
Tanenbaum Community Hebrew Academy of Toronto
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/19/2017 01:25PM by mlb.
