The Truth.

The truth?

You can't handle the truth!

I am sure the visions of the courtroom scene between a young Tom Cruise and the ageless Jack Nicholson reverberate through your mind - as they do mine.

However, this time it is public education on trial. The truth is tough to handle. You don't have what it takes to be an educator - period. I believe that this needs to be the new mindset of the education reform grassroots movement.

The time has come to lift the level of the teacher profession to a new status. Stop telling people that you can teach, stop promoting career change programs into education. I mean, I want to be a doctor - where is the teachers to doctors program? If this is not an acceptable practice, then why do we assume that if you can't do anything else... you should teach.

Our new mantra must be... You do not have what is takes to be an educator.

We need to be recruiting new, young talent into the ranks (how we do that is another discussion) of education right from the start. Stop funneling those who do not want to "do" their career or could not choose a major in college into our classrooms. We are doing damage to the system that is beyond repair.

The truth hurts. We need to be having tough conversations with potential candidates and (unfortunately) those already in the classroom and telling them - you do not have what it takes to be an educator.

To close - check out Taylor Mali's "What Teachers Make".

Disclaimer:
I understand that their are some career changers that are the most solid teachers in our student's classrooms. But, this post is for poopy teachers - no matter how you got there. However, society's belief is that teaching is easy and that anyone can do it... and this could not be farther from the truth.

More to come...

Mike Meechin, M.Ed.
mike.meechin@gmail.com
twitter.com/innovateed