This state has the distinction of being the most densely populated state. But people may wonder if New Jersey is also the most densely populated state. This question is related to the news that the Garden State has implicitly confessed that it is not a fertile garden of intellectualism. What's the problem? New Jersey is having trouble finding enough (qualified) teachers.
What is the “solution”?
Make fun of standards. Specifically, stop requiring teachers to pass basic reading, writing, and math for certification.
In fact, the law affecting this change, Act 1669, actually “prohibits education officials from requiring teacher candidates to complete basic skills tests,” according to the New Jersey Monitor. Reported in May. The law was signed by Governor Phil Murphy in June and goes into effect today, January 1st.
New Year's Resolution: Don't be stupid, friends?
The Daily Caller reported on Monday:
“We need more teachers,” said Democratic Sen. Jim Beach, who sponsored the bill, according to the New Jersey Monitor. “This is the best way to get them.”
New Jersey especially needs math and science teachers, according to the state Education Department's annual report.
Just a few months ago, Mr. Murphy signed a similar bill creating alternative ways for teachers to circumvent testing requirements. The New Jersey Education Association, a powerful teachers union, is a driving force behind the bill, calling the testing requirement an “unnecessary barrier to entry into the profession.” Teachers in the state earn an average annual salary of $81,102.
As Murphy said, this is not surprising in a state where the governor confessed on television that the Bill of Rights (which he was sworn to protect) was “above my pay grade.” There may be some people. But to be fair, there is stiff competition for the title of highest density state in New Jersey. The caller also informs you that:
New Jersey followed New York's lead in eliminating basic literacy requirements for teachers in the name of “diversity” in 2017.
Other states, such as California and Arizona, have also instituted fast-track options for substitute teachers to become full-time educators or eliminated testing requirements to fill field shortages exacerbated by the coronavirus. By doing so, the requirements for teacher qualifications have been lowered.
And what's next? Affirmative action pilots and air traffic controllers?
(Oh yeah, I already have it!)
Is there a better option?
Of course, the teacher shortage caused by Covid policies (rather than “Covid”) could once again point to the need for Nuremberg 2.0. But the question is: do we have any choice but to lower our standards? Why not encourage teacher candidates in short supply to take basic reading, writing, and math courses? Is developing basic competencies really an insurmountable challenge?
Furthermore, with today's access to the Internet, what does it say about the psychology of these candidates that they have not developed basic competencies? Apparently, the virtue of hard work does not apply to them.
Second, here's a point made by MSN commenter Hiram Smith on Caller's article:
Still, there will be many people who have no college education at all, who may be able to pass the teaching exam, but are not qualified to teach because they do not have a degree.
This gets into an important issue. Today, many people rightly complain about how diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) plans are subordinated to frivolous or even destructive priorities. . But no less deplorable is something else that has some of the same effect: entitlementism.
This reminds me of a story about a man I know. Although he doesn't have a college degree, he believes he has a genius-level IQ. He said that while searching for a job, he and other applicants were not categorized based on their qualifications. Instead, everyone was given a test that measured their abilities relative to the skills actually needed to do the job. (Shocking, isn't it? He was qualified, by the way.) The man said of his experience that's how employees should be selected.
Think backwards
But teachers in New Jersey, and in many other initiatives and places, are now applying the opposite philosophy. It's more about qualification than ability. Oh, don't get me wrong. Having a college degree shows some discipline and perseverance. But it is style rather than content that subordinates actual skill to sheepskin.
The fact that teacher candidates with degrees cannot pass the basic skills exam proves this. Their “education” was a facade, provided by a system marked by charges of omission and medical malpractice.
But the deeper problem is that this only reflects our collective cultural decline. There was a time when it was unthinkable for a college graduate to be so lacking in the basics. Fundamentals is called “fundamentals” because it is actually supposed to be taught in elementary school (and sometimes middle school). “Primary” is synonymous with “basic”.
So it's no wonder that even 20 years ago, a college degree was only the equivalent of a high school diploma in 1947, as stated in a study I read about 20-25 years ago. This is not surprising for a variety of reasons. For one thing, universities have become big business, and there's no money to be made by alienating customers. As a result, academia has a vested interest in lowering standards so that virtually everyone can attend and graduate from college.
racket
Therefore, we are producing college graduates faster than we are producing jobs that require college degrees. (Based on 2013 data, which likely hasn't changed.) Consider this already outlined academic fraud, and the plagiarism and fraud scandal at the prestigious Harvard University . Consider also that Americans spend hundreds of billions of dollars annually on “higher” education. Are you getting your money’s worth?
Certainly, teachers unions like the current system. Cultural converts, too, know that academia is indoctrinating young people with an entropic pseudo-ideology. (This is why one major political party is so hellbent on making “a college education available to every child.”) Most of the people who are (mis)educated in college are ) But how is it going for us?
Obviously, there is no advantage in terms of employment if everyone has a college degree or if everyone has a high school degree. This is because in both cases, each person's educational background is comparable compared to the competition. It's all about actual skills and abilities. But now, a university degree is no longer even an indicator of basic skill achievement.
It is long past time to defund higher education.
