In response to Dennis Gregory’s letter on June 30 decrying the supposed high numbers of “unqualified” teachers in our schools. He points to the example of Honokaa High Principal Marcella McClellan being removed for putting teachers into classes out of their fields as his example of this pervasive problem.
In response to Dennis Gregory’s letter on June 30 decrying the supposed high numbers of “unqualified” teachers in our schools. He points to the example of Honokaa High Principal Marcella McClellan being removed for putting teachers into classes out of their fields as his example of this pervasive problem.
Firstly, personnel decisions are generally kept confidential; no member of the public knows the exact details of the McClellan case, therefore any speculation about her removal is just that — speculation.
Next, concerning the “definitive study” on out of field teaching by Mr. Ingersoll fails to mention any specific local data. By doing my own quick fact checking, I quickly came across the State of Hawaii Department of Education website which lists yearly School Status Improvement Reports — reports that break down just the kind of information Mr. Gregory reported in his letter to the editor. I was pleased to affirm my own understanding, that in our West Hawaii region, we have a high percentage of teachers listed as “fully licensed” and highly qualified. The data is broken out for all to read, and even gives a breakdown of other categories as well — including data on what percentage of teachers have five or more years teaching experience.
Finally, the alleged data on numbers of substitute teachers called in daily is questionable. (Mr. Gregory’s letter states that “every day in Hawaii almost 3,000 substitute teachers … are teaching subjects they never took one class in.”) Since we have approximately 12,000 teachers in the entire state, that would mean close to one quarter are out on any given school day. From where did this data come?
I am not sure if the intent of Mr. Gregory’s letter was to startle the public or warn about teachers not teaching in their specialty area. The questionable data only served to agitate and seemed to attack our hard-working classroom teachers.
Yes, the DOE (and public education licensing system and substitute system) needs some serious tweaking. However, (as I urge my students when doing a report), it’s always best to double check one’s facts before going public with accusations. Teachers want the best for their students and obviously most would appreciate teaching in a subject they have studied intensively. Teacher assignments are the domain of the administration — and the increased focus on teacher evaluation and relicensing will continue to evolve and hopefully close this gap, and ensure that all teachers are fully prepared to teach the subject(s) they’ve been hired to teach. A more empathetic tone and understanding of what teachers go through daily is what is really needed.
Toni Reynolds is an educator and resident of Kailua-Kona.
Viewpoint articles are the opinion of the writer and not necessarily the opinion of West Hawaii Today.