This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Our state's ruling politicians have given teachers yet another punch in the gut. Ignoring common sense, they ratified a new rule allowing the hiring of teachers with lower professional standards, less experience and no training. All this is in addition to the steady decline in teacher compensation (for the past two decades), larger enrollments and constant corner-cutting.
With this new rule, a teaching position "is available immediately to applicants with bachelor's degrees who pass a subject test." How can this possibly be the same as a teacher who follows the current standards for a teaching license? Why would we disincentivize anyone from studying education in order to be an educator?
Some say this new "pathway removes unnecessary red tape." By "red tape," do they mean classes in education and learning, teaching methods, legal training and an in-class supervised experience before receiving a license? What's next, eliminating that annoying four years of medical school and residency, the required training path for electricians, or even the licensing criteria for hairdressers and massage therapists? These politicians are so blinded by their contempt for teachers that they now value the quality of someone's hairdo more than the education of our children.
Keith Homer
Midvale