Bill Proposes To Fill Teaching Positions With “Warm Bodies”
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The Tennessee Conservative [By Jason Vaughn] –
Legislators are currently considering a bill that would enable the state Department of Education to grant temporary teaching permits to people who are not certified teachers.
House Bill 1901 is sponsored by Representative Terri Lynn Weaver (R – Lancaster – District 40), and the companion Senate Bill 1863 is sponsored by Senator Joey Hensley (R – Hohenwald – District 28). The bill would allow those individuals to receive an emergency teaching permit to teach almost any class for up to three years.
The bill would amend Tennessee Code 49-5-106. The bill currently states that “upon request of a director of schools or the director of a public charter school, the commissioner of education may issue an endorsement exemption to a teacher in accordance with state board rules or a temporary permit to a person in accordance with subsection (a) to teach any course or subject.”
The change in the bill would alter the wording to omit the portion about permits being issued to teachers. Instead, it would read, “upon the request of a director of schools or the director of a public charter school, the commissioner of education may issue a temporary permit to a person in accordance with subsection (a) to teach any course or subject area, except for special education courses or a physical education course.”
It would also be amended to state, “The commissioner may grant a person, on behalf of the state board, a temporary permit to teach a course for which a Tennessee comprehensive assessment program (TCAP) end-of-course assessment is administered.”
If the bill is passed, it would become effective for the 2022-2023 school year and “in subsequent school years.”
The updated legislation comes as recent reports show that the number of certified teachers available in the state continues to decline. The number of graduates from teacher education programs across the state has dropped nearly 20% in the last five years.
Representative Weaver spoke at a recent hearing about the need for teachers in Tennessee and noted that “a warm body in the classroom is better than none.”
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Those against the proposed changes say that is not what Tennessee students need. State department leaders say that should only be something that would be available in an emergency situation.
“For teacher quality in the state of Tennessee, first of all, our teachers deserve more respect than that. And we need to make sure that we’re providing our children all the resources and proper teaching that they need and deserve,” said Representative John Ray Clemmons of Nashville.
Weaver argues that the “teacher” would still be subject to annual evaluations by local school administrators and would be shown to be qualified.
“Our Director of Schools and people in your district and my district are very capable of knowing what teachers are good to put in front of their classrooms,” Weaver said.
About the Author: Jason Vaughn, Media Coordinator for The Tennessee Conservative ~ Jason previously worked for a legacy publishing company based in Crossville, TN in a variety of roles through his career. Most recently, he served as Deputy Directory for their flagship publication. Prior, he was a freelance journalist writing articles that appeared in the Herald Citizen, the Crossville Chronicle and The Oracle among others. He graduated from Tennessee Technological University with a Bachelor’s in English-Journalism, with minors in Broadcast Journalism and History. Contact Jason at news@TennesseeConservativeNews.com
I actually like the sound of this proposal. A person does not need to be “certified” to teach, and not much training is required for those who are gifted in this area. I homeschooled for 26 years and now teach language arts and nutrition classes on an online platform. I am a thorough, competent teacher with a five-star rating. I realize they are only doing this because of a teacher shortage, but this may be a good lesson for us to learn about teaching and other jobs that really may not need a college education for a person to perform the role successfully. This is just another area of regulation I’d like to see discarded. If the person can’t teach, they can always get rid of her.
Can’t do no worse!!
Our children are already behind in skills. Having “warm bodies” teaching does not seem a responsible way to handle this situation. Perhaps researching the causes of college students not desiring a career in education and fixing those causes would be a better step in the right direction. Any action to make the profession better will make student learning better.
One reason for the decline of qualified teachers is that the state of Tennessee requires the passing of the praxis exams. For someone who has already gotten a teaching degree and has been in the school system for years having to pass the praxis is ludicrous. It costs hundreds of dollars and does absolutely nothing. There are many amazing teachers who have trouble passing the praxis and potentially give up. Get rid of the praxis test all together and let teachers teach.