Does Teacher Certification Matter? Evaluating the Evidence
...e did experiments, he taught us how to study for a science test. He showed us how to make a connection and understand what we were learning. I never thought science could be so exciting and interesting. On the other hand, he was studying to become a certified science teacher. Therefore, he was fresh out of college, knowledgeable and knew how to stimulate young minds. Later when becoming an ECE teacher I learned many different content areas. However, when I taught 6th grade ECE science I had to teach the lesson to myself before teaching it to my class. At times I felt “inadequate”, because it was not my expertise. As an educator I had to spend some time learning different strategies for my students to be successful in science. I must say, I would have felt much confident if I had collaborated with a certified science teacher. Therefore student achievement might have had a better chance at being proficient. On the other hand, I teach 7th & 8th ECE mathematics. I am not a certified mathematics teacher, but my ECE students score just as good as the regular students on the CATS testing. The reason for this is because I enjoy math. I knew how to make math exciting and connect it to real life situation. We all know when students can make connections on what they are learning, they are successful. Do Back to the essential question, Does Teacher Certification Matter? Yes it does matter. In all professions there are certain amounts of credential that one must have to make them qualified for their profession. As a parent I want my children to have the best education therefore, I want them to be taught by certified teachers. As an educator I want to have a teaching certification stating that I am highly qualified for my field of study. However, I feel that emergency certification and alternative certification are excellent for students like me that are working toward a teaching certificate. I must say, having an alternative or emergency certification is no piece of cake. There are several components when having an emergency or alternative certification. First all it consists of rigorous cores work and training. You are not just a teacher you are a ...