In a time where children are most at-risk for academic setbacks due to insufficient support during remote learning, we must feel confident in relying on our educators to provide the stability of proven, research-based pedagogical practices. Instead, many states are now providing alternate ways to certification and no standard of the validity for these substitutions, including: 

• Meeting a GPA requirement  

• Having a bachelor's degree  

• Having an associate's degree  

• Being enrolled in an accredited institution  

• Being enrolled in a certification program  

• Serving in the armed forces  

These proxies are not serving these educators or their students. By creating an easier path towards teacher certification, we are undermining the gravity of a teacher’s role and the background knowledge they will need to be successful in teaching children the complex, multi-faceted undertaking of reading.  

Teaching is a lifesaving job that demands background knowledge rooted in research and expertise in discerning best practices, not simply a love of working with children. One would not have their appendix removed by a doctor who learned about surgery from watching, as opposed to reading Grey’s[sic] Anatomy. Specific, higher-level skills are not gleaned through osmosis. One must engage in the methodology and immerse in the research to have a foundation to build instructional skills on. We must hold teachers in the same regard as medical healthcare professionals, as they too help guide the life outcomes for our children.  

If we do not value the education our teachers receive, why should we expect them to be able to share a beneficial education with our children?