Teachers Earn a C

A report was recently released showing that college students preparing to become teachers had scored slightly above their counterparts from a decade ago on a teacher certification exam, and that their average SAT scores were also slightly higher. One of the big secrets in public education is the mediocrity of some teachers' academic records from high school and college. Isn't it ironic that some of the very people that stand before millions of students every day were deeply embedded in the middle of the pack when they were in school?

It also helps explain why teachers in general get bogged down in the details of teaching instead of looking at the big picture--doing what's best for students. Assigning units that have little practical value, creating arbitrary/unrealistic deadlines, designing assessments that ask students to recall facts in 150 multiple choice exams--these are all manifestations of mediocrity. And it's a shame. How do we change this? Make salaries competitive with other professions, and watch who emerges from the pack.