A Two-Lane Road Into Teaching

By Carl O. Olson

Our nation will need at least 2 million new teachers in the next 10 years. Where will we find them? Although the best route into teaching for young adults is through participation in a standard teacher education program, it is unlikely that our colleges of education will provide enough new teachers. Clearly, we will have to tap a variety of nontraditional sources of teachers.

There are many enthusiastic young college graduates who have not majored in education and many mature individuals in business, government, and the military who have the potential to become good teachers. If they can demonstrate their readiness to begin teaching, we should encourage them to enter the profession.

The danger in using nontraditional sources of teachers is that we could admit into the profession individuals who do not have the potential to become good teachers. Success in business, government, or the military does not guarantee success in teaching. Knowledge of subject matter does not guarantee success as a teacher. We must be reasonably certain that everyone admitted into the profession has the potential to...