ke our students bear the cost, essentially taking from our students to give to our least talented teachers. And of course it is the poor students, whose parents cannot opt out of the schools they are in (because they don't have the money for private schools, or the skills at working the educational bureaucracy necessary to find their way to the top of the heap in public school systems) who pay the highest price. In an era of real reform in American education—and our era certainly qualifies—it is high time that we begin to change this fact. A tougher apprenticeship period for new teachers is the place to begin. Let us create the expectation that most who begin their careers as teachers won't make the grade, and those who do will be truly the best and the brightest of every generation, while those who enter the profession and leave in those early years will be proud to say—and will benefit from saying—"I was a teacher." What Americans Think about TeachingJust as teachers believe in their work, the American public believes in the value of good teachers.A recent survey conducted by Recruiting New Teachers (1998) shows that once the issue of school safety is addressed, Americans believe that providing a qualified teacher in every classroom is the most important way to improve education today -not standards, tests, vouchers, privatization, or school uniforms. The survey also shows that the public knows that teaching gives back more to America than any other profession. To find out more about what Americans think about teaching, read a summary of The Essential Profession: A Survey of Public Attitudes Toward Teaching, Educational Opportunity, and School Reform (1998) on RNT's Web site.I. The Profession of TeachingTeaching is a profession of critical interactions, of working with others in a calling where theory and practice go hand in hand. At the base of it all are my contentions that teaching is a profession, not a job...
