teacher quality, again

     The person to ask about teacher quality is the principal of the school.  It is the principal's job to supervise teachers, to keep them on track professionally, and to review their classroom procedures. If you think that your child's school has a problem with teacher quality,  make an appointment with the principal. Even if the school board hired the teachers, they work for the principal. If you can't get an appointment with the principal, start attending school board meetings--they are open to the public, for most purposes.

teacher quality

    There has been a lot of ink spent on teacher quality lately. There is supposedly an indefinable quality that makes someone a good teacher. The lack of this indefinable "something" supposedly makes a bad teacher. What actually makes the difference is education--the teacher's education. A well-educated teacher can explain things in a way that makes them interesting--because he or she understands them. A well-educated teacher knows when he or she is not well-versed in a particular aspect of the subject being taught, and spends time learning more about it before attempting to teach it to students. A poorly educated teacher does not seem to know that what is lacking is a thorough knowledge of his or her subject matter. We have a national exam for teachers, but not every state requires that prospective teachers take this exam, and they should.