If You Think Instructors Aren’t Important…Read This!

A recent quote from Wisconsin’s “teacher of the year,” in an open letter criticizing a Wisconsin politician, effectively demonstrates the importance of teachers.

Here is the quote:  “Data has repeatedly shown [that] the single most important factor in student learning [is] the quality of the classroom teacher.  Allowing someone to teach without any training in HOW to teach, in effective pedagogy, in student behavior, brain research, motivation, and classroom management is akin to allowing someone who says “I’m not a doctor, but I play one on t.v.” to give you a heart transplant.”

What struck me about the article was not that someone had a disagreement with a politician – that happens all the time.  Instead, it was the analogy that I frequently have used (i.e., getting surgery from someone who has never even gone to medical school) to emphasize the importance of the actual instructor you use when preparing for the LSAT.

You can read the entire article from Wisconsin’s “teacher of the year” here.