Incompetent Teachers

In this cover story, “Showing Bad Teachers the Door”, Rebecca Jones addresses the problem with incompetent teachers. “Research shows poor teaching has terrible, lasting effects on student achievement.’” There is nothing more frustrating to a student who is trying to succeed in a class to end up with a teacher that literally does not care if the student comprehends the material or not. William Sanders, a statistician at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, says that “What we have consistently found in this research starting back in the early 1980s that the single largest factor affecting academic growth among students is the teacher.” This is a huge factor that can make or break a student and I believe that there is no room for these types of teachers. If a teacher is just simply not motivated to teach he or she needs to quit digressing the students who want to be taught and learn the subject.

Reading this story, I can not help to think about our own school and the teachers that currently teach here. Being at a university there is going to be plenty of teachers qualified to teach. However, are those same teachers motivated to be the best? Do they have the student’s best interests in mind? These are some questions that come to mind being a student. Students are naturally going to have teachers they like and dislike but with some teachers we have to draw the line. I believe there needs to be steps taken to get rid of these “Bad Teachers” and it starts with the students letting their word be heard and presenting the problem to the right people.

Some things to think about as you respond. What do you think of the teachers here at Lander? Are there teachers here that really need not to be? What would you do if you were in a situation where the teacher is incompetent or unmotivated to teach? I think that if you’re going to be a teacher it is defiantly something that you need to have a passion for because the students educational progress is at risk if the teacher is incompetent.