| Contrary to popular notions, teacher licensing in | | | | schools for over twohundred years before we had |
| publicschools does not insure teacher quality. A license | | | | public schools or licensedteachers. School authorities' |
| also doesnot even insure that a public-school teacher | | | | claim that teachers have to belicensed for our |
| is an expert inthe subject she teaches. In fact, in our | | | | children to get a quality education, istherefore false. |
| upside-downpublic-school system, licensing often leads | | | | Today, in millions of companies across America, |
| to ill-trained andmediocre teachers instructing our | | | | bosses or theirmanagers teach new employees job |
| children. | | | | skills, from the simplest tothe most complex. Private |
| The notion that only state-approved, licensed | | | | schools and trade schools teachmillions of students |
| teachers canguarantee children a good education is | | | | valuable, practical skills. Thousands ofcollege |
| proven wrong by history. | | | | professors with masters or doctorate degrees in |
| In ancient Athens, the birthplace of logic, science, | | | | thesubject they teach, instruct hundreds of |
| philosophy,and Western civilization, city authorities did | | | | thousands of collegestudents in subjects ranging from |
| not requireteachers to be licensed. Socrates, Plato, | | | | philosophy to electricalengineering. Over a million |
| and Aristotle did nothave to get a teaching license | | | | home-schooling parents teach theirchildren reading, |
| from Athenian bureaucrats to openup their | | | | writing, and math with learn-to-read orlearn-math |
| Academies. A teacher's success came only from | | | | books, computer-learning software and other |
| hiscompetence, reputation, and popularity. Students | | | | teachingmaterials. All these teachers are not licensed |
| and theirparents paid a teacher only if they thought | | | | yet they oftengive children a far better education |
| he was worth themoney. Competition and an | | | | than licensedpublic-school teachers. |
| education free market created greatteachers in | | | | Teacher licensing laws are simply a bureaucratic |
| ancient Greece. | | | | invention ofour government-run public schools, an |
| Parents in America gave their children a superior | | | | invention that we can dowithout, thank you. |
| education athome or in small grammar or religious | | | | |