Teachers: A Good Catch Encounters Catch-22

Re “Lack of Qualified Teachers Undermines State Reforms,” Dec. 12: I have lived in the Inland Empire for over 2those years. Originally from Chicago, I taught high school on the west side (the poorest area in the city) for over 12 years with an excellent work record.

In August of this year, I contacted eight unified school districts in San Bernardino County. I was willing to work part-time, full-time or even volunteer my services. I filled out all the applications and submitted the required information, including school transcripts (bachelor’s and master’s degrees) and active certification from Illinois.

The first week in September I called the school districts for an update on my status. Not one school district returned my call. I called again in mid-September--again, no calls back. I tried one more time in late September; no one returned my call. I have since moved on to other ventures, including college teaching.

With 12 years of experience in the classroom, one would think I would be considered for some position. I was told by a friend (who teaches locally) that I wasn’t contacted because I have a graduate degree. No district wants to pay that kind of salary when they can get inexperienced teachers for minimum pay.

John Schram

Upland

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There is a simple solution to the teacher shortage. Pay them more. The salaries for teachers, particularly in high-cost areas like Los Angeles and the Bay Area, are indecent. Young, idealistic people may start out thinking that the “psychic gain” is enough from teaching, but the high attrition rate of teachers suggests otherwise.

I’m getting a little tired of hearing about our country’s newfound love affair with public servants. Let’s see if this translates to public support for paying teachers (as well as police officers, firefighters, public health nurses, etc.) at a level commensurate with their hard work and value to society.

Howard Cott

Los Angeles

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The education establishment defines “qualified” or “fully credentialed” as having a degree plus a fifth year of education courses, some of which are helpful while many are not. For years, over half of the California public high schools have had math and physics teachers who lack even an undergraduate major in either of those subjects. Yet educators refer to these same teachers as “qualified” or “fully credentialed” if the teachers have that fifth year of magical education courses. This is a scandal that must be rectified; the first step is to define our terms correctly.

Devon Showley

Cypress

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No student should be held responsible for purposes of promotion or graduation for any test score unless that student has had fully credentialed teachers in the subject area being tested for at least three full years prior to the test in question. If the system, the state, cannot hold itself accountable for providing fully qualified, fully credentialed and experienced teachers, then students should not be held accountable either.

The stakes are too high with the new high school exit exam, and as you rightly note, the playing field is not only not level, it is mined. My students are among the ones getting blown up.

Glenna Dumey

Teacher, Jefferson High

School, Los Angeles