Monday, June 18, 2001
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Opinion
THE BATTALION
not a solution
Page 5
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lification programs
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ing and behave
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asty hiring of teachers causes a had environment for students
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troubling trend
of allowing un
der-qualified,
nsuitable teachers in
riany public schools
Bias emerged.They
ars.com or calf have been hired by
graduates are h h thousands de-
mdustry. ■ . i i • I
hlpite lacking the ex-
ild, $75/each. rr ■ i
3 black male 26^ J>ertise to be effective teachers.
I As administrators grapple with hav
ing to fill classrooms, these last-minute
2 brand J m P lo y ees are the q ualit y of
:pr at the prww learning in public schools. Some of
mts in Coiiess these hastily hired teachers are simply
-"7condosInqualified; others are convicted crimi-
interest rates rr« iials. Neither one is the type of person
est deal in Stuoe- ^hat should be instructing children. Al
though a lack of teachers does exist, re-
Itrictions should be implemented to
leep these people out of the classroom.
I Despite living in a society that in-
v Parkway, #tou § r easingly expects more from its youth,
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it has yet to expect more from its teach-
|rs. Research shows that the primary
Ichool-based factor in student achieve-
lient is the knowledge and effectiveness
If their teachers.
I However, according to the United
States Department of Education, 12
Rercent of teachers, who recently were
ffiired, did not have a teaching license,
Blind almost 15 percent were hired on
Imergency, temporary or provisional li-
ienses. Students are entitled to highly
-skilled teachers who have been trained
how to guide them and diagnose indi
vidual learning problems.
I Instead, when an appropriately certi-
'fied teacher cannot be found, a lesser
Qualified individual who meets very
minimal requirements is hired to fill the
position.
1 Many large independent school dis
tricts are using alternative preparation
programs that prepare emergency certi-
jfied teachers to recruit their employees.
These people undergo an “intense,”
five-week course before stepping into a
classroom. However, they do not re-
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ceive their teaching certificate until one
year later. The effects of putting a
teacher-in-training in the classroom can
be detrimental. Consider the frustra
tion of getting stuck in a grocery store
line with a checker whose name tag
reads “in training.”
In addition, these certification agen
cies independently screen their appli
cants using their own criteria, leaving
nothing in place to keep an individual
who is rejected by one agency from ap
plying with others.
Teacher shortages discourage educa
tion officials from scrutinizing their
applicant, according to CNN. Recent
ly, an investigation in Mississippi re
sulted in eight of the state’s teachers
being dismissed after it was revealed
they had been convicted of drug and
sex-related crimes.
In two unrelated cases of substitute
teachers who later were hired for per
manent positions — a common practice
used to alleviate shortage stfa'ips — one
recently was charged with six criminal
charges, including trafficking a con
trolled substance, and the other was
charged with two counts of sexual abuse.
As teacher-committed sex crimes in
the classrooms increase, something
must be done to reinforce this problem
of relaxed hiring. A vigorous screening
of a teachers’ background is a necessity
to ensure school children’s education
and physical safety.
Other factors depict a problem that is
more widespread. According to the ed
ucation department, nearly one-fourth
of all secondary teachers do not have a
college major — or even a minor — in
the subjects that they teach.
In addition, although a majority of
students routinely have difficulty grasp
ing mathematics, more than 30 percent
of math teachers received their educa
tion in another field. Out-of-field teach
ers do not have the adequate training to
convey the material effectively, which is
vital to provide adequate instruction.
Our nation’s school districts should
reexamine its hiring practices so that
students will receive the education they
deserve. Putting teachers who lack the
qualifications into classrooms is a great
injustice to those who are striving to
achieve success.
J. J. Trevino is a senior
journalism major.
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Consider tomorrow
New tax cuts should be
P resident Bush’s recent
ly passed tax-cut bill
threatens to turn the
I Social Security and Medicare
| programs into pointless and
| penniless government opera-
1 tions. The bill likely will dip
I into the coffers of two of
| America’s keystone programs
S and possibly mean the end of
I Social Security benefits for today’s youth.
The solution is to rescind the tax rebates and
I cuts in the tax bill and try to make a realistic ef-
1 fort to ensure diat Social Security and
I Medicare will be funded in the future.
Many Americans think that giving today’s
1 budget surpluses back to the people not only
| seems like the right thing to do but the smart
I: thing to do.
The National Retail Federation issued a
I statement concerning the tax rebates: “Taxpay-
I ers are going to put a lot of this money to good
1 use, it’s going to help pay for summer vaca-
| tions, back-to-school expenses and happier
I holidays.”
“Good use” for retailers in the form of in-
I creased profit but bad use for die children of
Bush should grow up and
realize that he needs to save
these tax rebates for his chil
dren, rather than giving it
away today.
| these taxpayers. From some forecasts, Social
j Security — the program that will support to-
1 day’s youth when they are retired — will run
I out within the next 40 years.
A June 12 Reuters article by Donna Smith
I states, “The program collects far more in payroll
I taxes than it pays out in benefits, but that will
I change as the baby boom generation retires. By
[ 2016, benefit payments will begin to outstrip tax
I collections, and the program will begin to dip
I into its trust funds to meet obligations. By 2038,
I the trust fund will be exhausted.”
The first step to solve the problem of dwin-
I dling Social Security monies is to keep the tax
1 rebates and cuts. A $300 tax rebate check in the
used for Social Security
mail at the end of the year will make Americans
happy. That temporary happiness must be sac
rificed for the satisfaction of knowing that their
children will receive the same benefits out of
Social Security that they will.
House Democratic leader Richard Gephardt
(D-Mo.) stated of Bush, “instead of putting
people first, too often, he has put the special in
terests first.”
It is easy for Bush to do this, the people that
are getting screwed are either future middle
class Americans that caimot vote or 18-to 25-
year-olds that are not usually politically active. It
is surprising that Bush is not choosing to save
the money, by putting die money into Social Se
curity American children today, will have their
Social Security, checks guaranteed in the future.
“We’re throwing our money down a hole
when it comes to Social Security because
we’re not going to see any of it. The whole
guarantee is bogus, and we know it’s bogus,”
stated Ricardo Reyes, a spokesman for Young
America’s Foundation, a conservative educa
tional institute.
Bush took a step in the right direction when
he appointed the Commission to Strengthen
Social Security. It will be able to analyze die is
sues and advise the President to make a solu
tion that future senior citizens can support.
It is very likely that this commission will ad
vise that Bush not make any more plans that
involve taking money away from Social Securi
ty or Medicare.
Senate Budge Committee Chairman Kent
Conrad (D-N.D.) stated, “There is still very
much a sense in tins town, in this institution,
that there’s money for more tax cuts, that
there’s money for more spending. I don’t be
lieve that’s the case.”
When the majority of youths receive money,
they want to spend it right away on something
they like. This can be paralleled to what Bush
is doing now. All of the sudden, there is a budg
et surplus, and he wants to spend it right away
on what he thinks is a good thing. Bush should
grow up and realize that he needs to save these
tax rebates for his children, rather than giving
it away today.
Reid Bader is a junior
political science major.
Mail Call
McVeigh does
not deserve title
of soldier
Monday, June 11, on the
evening news, I heard the
news anchor say that Timo
thy McVeigh's death certifi
cate would state that he was
a soldier. I was shocked. I
paused to consider the
meaning of the anchor's
statement. Had the anchor
just been using inflammato
ry speech to get the atten
tion of people like me, a sol
dier and others who have
heard the call to military
service? If so, his attempt
worked. Let me be clear.
Real soldiers dedicate a por
tion of their lives to service.
Whether that is three years
or 25 years is not as impor
tant as the commitment
made to our nation and fel
low man. Both periods of
service are honorable.
Real soldiers sacrifice
many of their freedoms and
comforts to protect and de
fend our nation against all
enemies both foreign and
domestic. Real soldiers
pledge their talents to mili
tary teams to be combat
ready should our president
need us.
Real soldiers protect our
citizens so that they may
pursue their rights to life, lib
erty and the pursuit of hap
piness. Real soldiers are
nothing like Timothy
McVeigh. McVeigh was a
murderer and a terrorist.
McVeigh was no soldier.
Captain Snider
Battalion subscriber
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