Some ten days ago I put together a story outlining the dire need for teachers going forward. The shortage is already affecting many states and, in turn, in some cases, it means more students per class, fewer course offerings and even dropping various courses/programs of study.
There are plenty of ways the trend can be turned around and I'll discuss these over the next few days. But, to put it quite bluntly, a concerted effort must be undertaken to stem the tide. Nothing less than an educated society is at risk.
Allow me to offer a couple of ideas. First of all, for the those high schools with the funds and foresight, a course called 'Invitation to Teach' needs to be offered. I know of one high school in the Chicago area that has such a program and it really has promoted good students to pursue a degree in education. The great news is this...there are a number of students from this program who are now out in the teaching field and making a difference.
The NEA and IFT, along with other professional organizations, need to help schools foster the types of programs I mentioned in the previous paragraph. Such organization need to take an active role in making the case for students to entire the field of education. This has to be a sustained and significant effort.
In the coming days I'll offer other means of trying to induce excellent students to enter the field of education. Much is at stake!
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