They have no passion for their subject and can't communicate with us. Joe Shymanski, who taught in the District before coming to T.C. last September, agrees. The teaching profession is a breeding ground for mediocrity. You don't have to be exceptional. . . . There are so many teachers who are barely good enough.
Public schools are the perfect place for people who are satisfied with getting by.
Obviously, there have to be high standards for hiring teachers. And I'm sure that many bureaucrats who stick to rigid requirements are acting in good faith. It's the same mentality that is behind the vogue for standardized testing. But too often in public school teaching, mediocrity wins out over talent. And this mediocrity is enforced by administrators, a number of whom brandish their doctorates from schools of education but have trouble writing clear letters home to parents and murder the English language in public speeches.