We can all agree that education is an important concept for selfdevelopment and is a driving component of our economy. Our society thrives on people who pursue education for their jobs, whether those jobs stem from attending college, trade schools, the military or other forms of training. Getting an education is especially important for people pursuing the education field. I am in my third year of courses at USF where I study secondary education and English. I have been introduced to a plethora of teaching strategies and techniques that would take hours on end to describe. Each of these strategies has supported research to enhance student learning and help them along their educational journey. I have recently been taught about aligning learning targets and assessments to state standards and how to provide bridges from the classroom to students’ lives to increase motivation. Altogether, these skills are used in the field and have positive responses when it comes to creating a cultivating learning environment.
However, at the highest level of education, it is not required for professors to obtain an education degree. This, of course, does not discredit them for their rigorous studies in their fields because as a minimum requirement, professors need to have a master’s degree. However, most go on to get their Ph.D.’s, which can take years to complete, according to Teacher.org. Since I am still a student learning about these concepts, I do find it interesting that an education degree is not required for instructors who are teaching important concepts and strategies to people who are preparing to go into the workforce. As I poked around the internet, I came across an article written by a College of DuPage professor, Alexander H. Bolyanatz. His article is called “Please Don’t Call Me a ‘Teacher,” which immediately grabbed my attention. He described how the word ‘teacher’ has certain connotations that do not apply to professors. He states, “The state of Illinois does not view me as a teacher, since I have no formal training in fields like pedagogy and learning…I do read. I do read about grit and student success and the neuroscience of developing brains. But I am ill-equipped to consistently provide skilled interventions when students have difficulties with attention, comprehension, and reading deficiencies.” After reading his statement, I wondered if this is a problem in higher education. Is it a concern that professors are not trained like K-12 teachers, especially since they would be trained to help students who have attention and learning deficiencies? As college students, would our learning experience be enhanced if professors were required to have educational backgrounds? While pondering these thoughts, I decided to reach out to two of my fellow education peers to get their take on this topic. USF junior Eve Odum is studying elementary education with endorsements in special education and middle school English. While Eve has been in many education courses, she also has taken English courses, which are helping her receive her writing minor and a variety of general education courses. When I asked if this topic is a concern to her, she commented, “There is, for the most part, a very distinct difference between the education professors and other professors,
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February 26, 2021
Photo courtesy of usnews.com
By: Sara Cahill Staff Writer
Professors and Education Degrees
