to my teachers...do teaching certs matter that much?

[h1]Alabama Teacher of the Year told she's unqualified, resigns 2 hours ag[/h1]
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — A one-time Alabama Teacher of the Year says she has resigned after state officials told her she's unqualified to teach in her fifth-grade classroom because of certification issues. thought this was an interesting read...seems overblown, but I'm not a teacher so its not something I know about...

Veteran teacher Ann Marie Corgill said Alabama Department of Education officials recently informed her that she was not qualified despite her well-documented accomplishments. She said she grew tired of trying to prove herself, prompting her to submit a letter of resignation, dated Tuesday and obtained by Al.com (http://bit.ly/1MwE2zy ). In the letter, Corgill — the state's 2014-15 Teacher of the Year — cites her confusion.

"After 21 years of teaching in grades 1-6, I have no answers as to why this is a problem now, so instead of paying more fees, taking more tests and proving once again that I am qualified to teach, I am resigning," Corgill wrote.

Corgill has Class A and B certifications to teach primary school through third grade, according to certification records provided by The Alabama Department of Education. Corgill said she started this school year at Birmingham's Oliver Elementary School teaching second grade, but shortly after the semester began, she was moved to a fifth-grade classroom.

In a news release Thursday, the state Department of Education said it "did not determine Ms. Corgill was not qualified. However, when an inquiry was made, the department reported that her current teaching certificate covers primary grades through Grade 3. This does not carry with it a requirement for resignation."

But Corgill — a 2015 National Teacher of the Year finalist — holds National Board Certification to teach children ages 7 to 12, a group that would include most fifth-graders. That certification is valid until November 2020, according to the National Board Certification directory.

Birmingham City Schools spokeswoman Chandra Temple said Thursday that the district is working on the matter and had no further comment.

http://news.yahoo.com/alabama-teacher-told-shes-unqualified-resigns-125621939.html

thought this was an interesting read...overblown, maybe? 

I'm not a teacher so its not something I know about...

they do mean a lot for both public and private schools here in canada

not so important for the actual quality of education, but the government likes to have control over things and its near impossible to hire an uncertified teacher 

At some point, accomplishments override a piece of paper. Yes, a certification provides some value when you're starting out and continuing education does a lot while you're in the field but it sounds like there was a lot more going on behind the scenes.

Why was she suddenly promoted outside of her credential range? Why did it take TWO MONTHS for her to receive her first paycheck?

Things must have been pretty bad to just resign. I'm wondering if she still has a claim of a hostile work environment?

sea manup said:

not so important for the actual quality of education, but the government likes to have control over things and its near impossible to hire an uncertified teacher 

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Very much the same in the US. Certifications aren't all that important in terms of teacher quality, however, it means a great deal for the schools as it opens them up for liability if any issues were to arise.

In this context, its blown out of proportion. Everyone knows this lady can teach, and her accolades suggest she's a pretty good one. But the greater issue with certifications isn't really overblown... Uncertified teachers in schools can and does cause issues down the road for students. There was an example of this in my hometown not too long ago: http://www.mprnews.org/story/2013/09/11/broadway-fund

Longstory short: certifications are important for ensuring a certain standard is upheld. For this particular lady in this situation, enforcing those certs does more harm than good. She was certified for the job she thought she was going to be doing, then the school moved her. IMO, the school should have been responsible for paying for any certifications necessary, not the teacher.

She should sue... Esp. If she was pressured into paying for those certifications and told that they'd be necessary to keep her job in the long run.

National Board Certified and she resigned?

That process to get NBC is MUCH more rigorous than getting a regular certification. I know this b/c my wife is going through the NBC process right now.

The South is gonna be the South.

Isn't Alabama the least educated state in the country or is that Mississippi?

Fly her out West we'll take her.

Yeah said:

Longstory short: certifications are important for ensuring a certain standard is upheld.

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might not apply for this situation but certs are also used to encourage schools to hire in state 

you could be the best teacher ever but if you work in cali you cant get a job in NY because you dont have the NY state certs, thus giving an NY teacher a job instead 

We got such a teacher shortage in Oklahoma, they are taking anyone with a college degree, in any discipline.

I was a sub in a small town in Long Island.

All they cared about was if I had a BA in something.

Some teachers in Long Island be caking too.

Labama.

To be honest there are plenty of teachers who are smart individually but can't teach others

The future teachers who will succeed will be great with special education kids, can handle class management and can speak multiple languages

So many smart teachers have classroom management issues

Yeah teachers need to be bi lingual for sure. My daughter tells me some kids can't speak English in her class. It's cool she's still friends with them though and she knows some Spanish from her one friend.

I don't think it's bad they can't speak English. I just think they should be in a different class so they can learn and not fall behind.

flossb15 said:

To be honest there are plenty of teachers who are smart individually but can't teach others

The future teachers who will succeed will be great with special education kids, can handle class management and can speak multiple languages

So many smart teachers have classroom management issues

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especially for grade school where the subjects are pretty simple, being good at teaching >>>>>>>>>>> being good at the subject