Branstad at it Again

Friday Jan. 10^th Iowa Governor Terry Branstad made yet another pronouncement about increasing the rigor of teaching training. Attempting, he says, to attract better candidates to teaching.

Count on it Gov!!! The best and the brightest will flock to a profession that is vilified for results beyond its control. Poverty and parental support affect kids' education stats far more than anyone will admit in public. Politicians leverage this ignorance to try to erode the teachers' union, the only sizable one with any influence left in the country, which is of course why teachers' salaries remain relatively middle class.

I have a niece who was in talented and gifted classes for most of her time in school, got a full ride to a masters in library science, worked for one year as a school librarian, and quit. Reporting that the administration demanded impossible results.

Since he is up for election, we perhaps better keep a critical eye peeled for a governor who can deal more forthrightly with these issues.