To the Editor:
A recent Education Week article urged teacher-preparation programs to better support future educators in adapting to crisis and change (“How Teacher-Prep Programs Should Help Future Educators Adapt to Crisis and Change,” June 29, 2022). I completely agree.
The main goal for many teacher-preparation programs is to provide student-teachers with the necessary, foundational skills needed to kick-start their classroom and pedagogical journey. However, the COVID-19 pandemic and the immediate shift to remote learning revealed the lack of technological skills among both novice and veteran teachers.
If we are to prepare thousands of teachers for the teaching force, it is the duty of teacher-preparation programs and their affiliate universities to include technological-skills training as a requirement for graduation or completion of the certification program. We cannot expect novice teachers to engage students technologically without providing the proper training for various technology applications and websites.
The pandemic has pushed us further into the digital age. It is the responsibility of those who prepare and employ teachers to make sure they have the resources and training they need to improve the lives of current and future generations of students.
Sakena Sampson
Teacher Leader
Brooklyn, N.Y.
