The Curious Case of the Academic Epidemic

The other day my mom and I were discussing my career. Things are looking up, and Lord willing, I will be supply teaching soon.

We spoke of another young teacher...This person is in a similar boat... Meaning when an instructor is absent for a day or two, he fills in.

This lead quickly to some banter back and forth regarding what I will and won't teach, in the event that I'm asked to come in and "fake it".

"Almost anything, so long as it's not senior-level math!" I exclaimed.

"And you could teach music, too."

I muttered a "Yeah" in affirmation. Although I don't know all the technical terminology, and I'm a bit shy...If pressed to do so, I'm pretty sure that I could manage it for a short while.

The conversation quickly turned to English. Which turned to teachers who aren't qualified to teach the subject, but are doing so...Not as supply teachers. Rather, for the long term.

There's a serious danger there. When you're dealing with English, you're talking about a subject that influences the way young people communicate. (In every aspect of their lives.) Today's "young people" are tomorrow's adults, and the potential rulers of our society.

I can't tell you the number of times I've listened to people (of various ages) talk, or read things they've written, and wondered, worriedly,"Good grief. Who was their English teacher...?"

That isn't to say I'm some sort of linguistic snob. I've mentioned it before in this blog...I'm a regular human being. I see nothing wrong with communicating like one.

At the same time, if you're one of my students, and you think I'm going to let you get away with using IM-style diction and spelling in one of your assignments...

Think again.

I have to confess something: In my quest for a job, there have been times when I've tried to put a spin on what I can do. I'm officially qualified to teach three subjects. However I tend to think that if pressed, I can handle others. I've said as much in a few cover letters...I figure that five sections of English, and one section of, say, Basket Weaving, won't kill me.

But something in my mother's concluding remarks stuck with me. Regarding these unqualified teachers who teach English, she commented (paraphrasing), "And then, they push Johnny through the system, he graduates, and when he can't read, people wonder why..."

I'm not trying to say that everyone who isn't qualified to teach English is phenomenally bad. However I can't help thinking that teachers of all subjects risk doing their kids a disservice when they attempt to teach a subject about which they haven't a clue. (Pardon my convoluted sentence. Hopefully you get my meaning.)

Now I know, as an insider, this is where things like Additional Qualification courses come in. It's possible to bridge gaps in your own education, and thus be able to teach others effectively.

Still, I wonder how many instructors out there neglect to do so. And what of their students?

There's a dangerous potential in the power that teachers have...Young people often take us at our word. We have the ability to influence not only their intellect, but how they perceive this world.

My sincere hope is that we use our abilities for good and not evil.