Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion How bad if math teacher lower ability than student

No, I hear you and it's not really the intelligence as the level of subject knowledge/skill that concerns me. Knowing DS, he is really more comfortable with a confident teacher who can say that he is more knowledgeable/skilled at least for now.

Yes. Most states allow emergency certification waivers in high-demand teaching positions. Also, certification tests are kind of a double-edged sword. On the one hand, I've known STEM teachers who actually double-majored in their content area and education who took multiple attempts to pass the content specialization test (which usually covers through most of bachelor's level skill/knowledge, but not beyond), which does not bode well for depth of knowledge. On the other hand, I've also known teachers who had had no systematic instruction in a content area pass the test, which either means it's a meritorious system that doesn't discriminate on the basis of how you acquire your content knowledge, or that, if you focus on the five or six topics most likely to show up on the test, you can fake your way to a credential without a more comprehensive knowledge of the field.

On the "plus" side, the absurd oversupply of history post-graduates has resulted in a recent bumper crop of highly-qualified content specialists among high school history teachers, including those at the doctoral level. A few of them can even teach.

"At one time...?" I think it's still common without necessarily even that amount of experience, just because there is so much need for STEM teachers in some areas.

What I am not understanding here is why A teacher is doing math problems with the kids. Ironically I was just at a curriculum night at my daughters school. she is a 7th grader who is part of the districts magnet program. She is taking accelerated geometry with 4 other magnet kids and the rest are 8th graders who are advanced and part of the regular junior high. After listening to the teacher talk it was obvious she was teaching and not working on the problems herself. in less than three weeks my daughter has had two quizzes and a test. after she explained what they were going to do in class for the year I quite honestly got a headache.LOL

Isn't that part of teaching a math lesson. You take a sample problem and work through it on the board to help explain the lesson. Or you go over a problem on the homework that some students didn't get. And of course it's going to be slower than a student can do at their desk on paper. The teacher is trying to explain each step as they go along, and make sure that all the students are understanding.

Maybe that isn't what is mean by a teacher doing math problems with the kids. Speed isn't a huge issue for me, but a teacher who doesn't know the material and is only reading a few pages ahead on the text is a problem. I had personal experience with teachers like that in junior high and it was very frustrating. The teacher I'm thinking of couldn't really help when a problem got a bit tricky or difficult, and was inflexible if a problem was solved in a different way than the book.

One positive message I'm hearing from you, quantum, is that the teacher is self-aware and self-secure if she feels comfortable openly disclosing that your DS out-scored her on the test you referenced. Perhaps you can sit back and observe for a few weeks before acting. Then, if your DS' needs truly aren't being met, you'll likely have an advocate for bringing in AOPS or EPGY in the teacher.

My impression was the teacher was working on a sheet of paper like the kids. I agree with the part that the teacher would take longer going over stuff that some kids didn't get.

You know, now that I look closer that may be the situation in our district as well. I simply can't tell. Just because more than 3/4 of the teachers at our middle school have masters, doesn't necessarily mean that they are in the correct subject areas. It also just so happens that every single math/science teacher that my oldest have had in high school have STEM backgrounds also doesn't mean that must be true across the board. Yikes!

I think that is a source of confusion for DS as well. He asked me and I said maybe she just wanted to keep the kids company and make sure that there isn't a problem with any of the questions. Of course, in my mind I am thinking why she wouldn't just do that ahead of time.

Bluemagic, if the teacher were teaching a math lesson or going over homework, the issue would not come up as the students would be paying attention to her. I am talking about graded quiz-like class work typically done after lessons. My concern is exactly that the teacher simply doesn't know the material well enough rather than a question of pure speed.