Adequate Teaching Certification

As an Art major and undergraduate from a major college, the government still requires math and reading testing scores to become a highly qualified teacher in public education. Reading and Arithmetic skills are imperative to becoming an excellent teacher; but the testing criteria for teacher certification requirements are truly archaic and non-relevant. Classroom management skills, behavior development and adolescent psychology, and time management would certainly portray a more accurate assessment of an educational leader within an academic setting. I was a teacher with provisional certification only for six years and due to not achieving a passing score with a difference of 7 points, was unable to attain “highly qualified” status, therefore forced to loose over half my income and become a teaching assistant only. There may be plenty of educators that have excellent test taking skills and can still regurgitate their high school curricula but simply are not effective educators because they lack “people” skills. I implore you to let our government education leaders, congressmen, senators and local community leaders that it is truly time for a change. Extremely gifted people with incredible nurturing and teaching talents are being denied the opportunities to help today’s youth graduate and continue the American dream of a career and the pursuit of happiness beyond just a low paying dead-end job. Sign this petition, not only for the discrimination of college graduates but to help our kids reach their goals and aspirations beyond high school.