What does it mean to educate an educator?

When discussing initial teacher training, there seems to be a balancing act between preparation and practice. Teachers often agree that their most important learning happens while practicing, yet there are a variety of opinions as to how much groundwork is needed before entering the classroom. Arne Duncan has recently chosen to focus on the issue of teacher training on a national scale, saying that "By almost any standard, many, if not most of the nation's 1400 schools, colleges, and departments of education are doing a mediocre job of preparing teachers for the realities of the 21st century classroom ... The bar must be raised for successful teacher preparation programs because we ask much more of teachers today." He also remarked that he is "all in favor of expanding high quality alternative certification routes." (Full text at http://www.ed.gov/news/speeches/2009/10/10222009.html.) Do teachers agree? How strong was their preparation, and how do they feel it could be improved?

Although Duncan's speech addressed teacher training as the main lever of teacher quality, many of the teachers we spoke to continue to work to improve their practice beyond their initial training. In many cases, teachers are seeking learning experiences beyond required professional development, despite the time and money which it costs them. What motivates teachers to continually educate themselve, and how do they do so?

I was struck during class discussion by the variety of experiences present within the room: teachers who went through undergraduate training, graduate training, Teach for America, or no formal training at all. Even within that variety, there were a variety of experiences with different programs. Some were pleased with their Teach for America training, while other felt that it offered little support. Some students were glad to have had challenging education classes and multiple student teaching experiences, while another stopped taking education classes because they were simple and useless. Is there a "right way" to enter teaching? Thomas Kane, Jonah Rockoff, and Douglas Staiger, in their article "Photo Finish" found that "a teacher's certification status matters little for student learning" (p. 4). On the other hand, they found that some teachers are certainly better than others as measured by student student achievement. What do those great teachers have in common? As this issue gains national prevalence, teachers need to open their classroom doors and share what they feel is crucial to preparing the next generation of exemplary teachers.