Page 7 Monday, November 27, 2000 icd from f, UT COacliJ hat Slocum | THE BATTALION iqher calling ecruitment of Aggies, uncertified teachers by national program a worthy cause itM quartos shortage of certi fied achers is hav ing a negative Iffect on school districts and students across tlic nation. I In Texas, according to numbers from the State Board of Educator Certification, about 45,000 teach- he honor!ling jobs are vacant. 20yardst : ll Many of today’s public schools coreto2f ||ie understaffed, falling apart phys- ndedwitk larchingi 143 second! was an oitr Jones rece: ne for aft teles did k fcally and short on up-to-date text- ■ooks and other resources. Public i school districts in rural or inner- • city areas are hit hardest. ■ Because they can pay higher ■alaries and offer better benefits, Wealthier suburban school districts rest of the ft and private schools are able attract hreeplay I lertified teachers, escoretoll To combat classroom over- ckChrisSb irowding, many school districts are nomena! t| Ising alternate ways to get talented, e withapeil uncertified teachers, pass to reer |ft Prog rams th at alio w uncertified ■ducators to teach should be sup- rausteralll ported by the districts and potential wssessiomtii teachers as ways to combat the iyintooffc k'oes of public education, t of the even! For years, districts in Texas have n done,toe granted emergency certification to its thirds individuals who agree to enroll in 3.J. Johor; jummer training classes. ! score to H, Now, the State Board of Educa- hefoorthttft; Jion is reviewing a proposal that lykickiojil Jvould allow Texas public school m districts to hire college graduates, pven those without a teaching cer- Wificate or training to teach. ® The proposal has met some re- Ilistance and complaints. Many feel earn gets ftft|h e of training and certifica- ough to ft |ion leaves the educator unprepared 'tnow^dass and diminishes the quality o education for the children. ouKeiwtip j n a Houston Chronicle article, Brock Gregg, spokesman for the " m ‘ ssociation of Texas Professional ducators said “This proposal ight fill some classrooms, but it ill shortchange children.” Gregg assumes the children re not already being short changed by the current state of public education. [ On the national scale, a pro- >ut to sei gram called Teach for America is looking to improve public educa tion by reaching out to motivated college graduates with non-educa tion degrees. They can apply to join Teach for America’s “corps of teachers,” where they go through an intense, five-week training program to pre pare them for one of 15 hard-to- staff inner-city or rural school dis tricts across the country. Teach for America’s recruiting campaign came to Texas A&M a few weeks ago to recruit interested Aggies. Teach for America is scheduled to continue recruiting in the spring as the deadline for sub mitting applications nears. Teach for America’s system has upset some A&M education majors who believe the program’s five- week course does not offer ade quate classroom training. Although the Department of Ed ucation would not comment, it is obvious there is a difference be tween the ideologies of the depart ment and Teach for America. Department officials have said they strongly support theory work in the classroom and student teach ing the final semester of an under graduate’s senior year. Officials with Teach for America say they favor more hands-on training and less classroom theory work. Despite their break from the tra ditional four-year teacher certifica tion track, these efforts to improve public education on the state and national levels benefit the instruc tor, the district and, most impor tantly, the children. Texas A&M has one of the strongest education departments in the state and one of the nation’s highest teacher-retention rates. In a perfect world, all well-qualified and trained education graduates would get a job shaping the future. Even if they did, all the new teachers could not fill every vacant teaching position. A shortage, and therefore a need for uncertified teachers, still would exist. According to the program's Website, Teacher for America saw 4,000 applicants last year — that is 4,000 uncertified people looking for a way to make a difference in public education. Thousands of uncertified appli cants are looking to become teach ers and many school districts afe hurting for additional teachers. Overcrowding in schools has stretched out of the rural and in ner-city districts and affected some of the more well-established districts. Teaching has one of the lowest national retention rates, causing class sizes to grow, and straining on the teachers who stay. Texas school districts would benefit from the state proposal by being able to tap into a pool of pre viously ineligible applicants. There comes a point when the benefits of having a larger class with a single, certified teacher are less than those of qualified, uncertified teachers helping level out class sizes. Ultimately, those who agree and disagree with putting uncertified teachers to work say the important part is the effect on the students. There is no denying the useful ness of teacher certification in the classroom. Education majors who have gone through hours of class room management and education theory classes may have an advan tage over uncertified teachers. However, for many current col lege students, the teacher who did the most for them in public school was not necessarily the one who managed the classroom the most efficiently, or even the one who knew the subject matter the best. Often, the teachers who stand out in students’ memories are ones who inspired them, who motivated them to do their best in the class room and beyond - and that is more important than any certificate. As Mary Stauffer, central re cruitment director for the program, said, “Students interested in the Teach for America program need to be resourceful, intelligent, creative and have a desire to improve public education.” Uncertified applicants who are willing to work in hard-to-staff dis tricts in a stressful occupation are the motivated individuals these dis tricts need. These applicants are looking to make a positive impact on the students. In districts troubled by problems like overcrowding, poor pay and few benefits, that ide alism is much needed. If a talented, qualified and moti vated individual wants to improve public education and the futures of students in poor school districts, the lack of a teaching certificate should not stand in the way. For Aggies without teaching certificates, Teaching for America is a great way to make a positive impact. Professional educators like Gregg who see certification as a mandatory criteria for holding class should not keep those who want to help from doing so. Eric Dickens is a senior English major. rwetliesto red the A;:- isive often' ■catches, e of the hi : vely re® spirit. Aggie fan igh the Closing one chapter opening another Clinton's visit to Vietnam welcomes closure, hope for economic growth ■a year, h, Aggie )iiietoM : sto eally notA 6 fell to have A hile most of the United States watched the drama slowly unfold in Florida, President Bill Clinton made a historic visit to communist Vietnam. Clinton is the first U.S. president to visit Vietnam since the Vietnam War ended. Many people find the situation ironic since Clinton is an admitted draft-dodger. However, the irony is unimportant — Clin ton’s visit marks a milestone in U.S. rela tions with Vietnam. While many remember the war with heavy hearts, this visit helps close that sad part of American history. The visit does not dishonor the sol diers who fought in the war, but it gives closure to many while working | to improve relations with Vietnam. Clinton’s presidency has focused on America’s relationship with Vietnam. Starting with the gradual lifting of em- jbargoes in 1994, Clinton has worked to improve ties with Vietnam, includ ing opening diplomatic relations in 1995. This year saw the earnest begin ning of a Vietnamese-American trade agreement. But the culmination of this progress was Clinton’s visit. Although heavily censored by the Vietnamese government, Clinton talked about the is- RUBEN DELUNA/The Battalion y 0 «r * su es of human rights and a - * democratic government. ie d dof 1 Clinton believes that c q 0 ^ I when Vietnam interacts with IPhone I the world through economic means, the Vietnamese will gain it car 1 * I more individual and political freedoms. “I think that the trend toward freedom is virtually irre versible,” Clinton said. When the trade doors open between the United States and Vietnam, everyone will benefit. Because 60 percent of Vietnam’s population is under the age of 30, U.S. companies in Vietnam will have an able work force. According to The Boston Globe, “At $370 a year, Vietnam =^.30 a.fl' 1 an