In this response to Donald A. Myers's "The Teacher as a Service Professional" (2008 [this issue]), the author suggests that teacher educators should not buy into Myers's concept because such would sell them short and be counterproductive to the advancement of the teaching profession. Teacher educators must not give up their struggle to advance the…

This response to Myers's concept of the teacher as a service professional considers each of his positions in analogy form. With support from the literature from education and elsewhere, the article maintains that teaching is a profession and that it matters greatly to teachers and society that it be strengthened as such. Examples are offered…

It has been generally accepted that teaching does not meet the criteria of a profession, at least as exemplified by the more mature professions of medicine and law (Abbott, 1988; Darling-Hammond & Youngs, 2002; Etzioni, 1969; Howsam, Corrigan, Denemark, & Nash, 1976). Teaching is most often referred to as a semiprofession; Myers's (2008 [this…

In this article the author responds briefly to the three authors who reviewed his manuscript. Furthermore, he states that the service model that he proposed was not a compromise or a lesser goal for teachers than professional status; it was a more accurate and uplifting goal. The teacher as a service professional could have widespread support…

Presents the job applicant's perspective of the job search process in teacher education, offering four general guidelines: thinking should precede leaping; if one needs to know something, one must ask; great expectations regarding the search committee can produce much frustration; and bright stars on the search committee are sometimes obscured…

Current discourse in education regarding modernism and postmodernism requires the inclusion of technology and teacher education. Such a shift in thinking could create a deconstructing of the purposes of education to cope with the multiple perspectives. Suggestions are provided regarding technology and teacher education in order to meet the needs…

Argues that the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education's (NCATE) intent to accredit only high quality programs is overly grandiose, suggesting that NCATE should instead focus on identifying weak programs. The article argues in support of this minimalist mission for NCATE and offers suggestions for moving NCATE toward a more…

Describes assumptions about standards which shaped a novice teacher educator's work with student teachers and educative experiences which helped her envision an alternative role for standards in learning to teach. Standards presented to prospective teachers as vision statements allow for novices' ideas about good teaching. Teacher educators should…

Examines the need for, and obstacles to, implementing effective preservice training in character education, addressing six obstacles: disagreement on what character is; disagreement on what constitutes character education; perceptions of limited space in preservice curricula; limited scientific data on what character-education elements are…

Outlines character education from the constructivist perspective, discussing Piaget's research on children's reasoning about moral rules, which offers a framework for examining education. Examines parallel teacher/child relationships, which affect moral development, and presents examples of how teachers can create cooperative interpersonal…

Discusses Alfie Kohn's argument that developing caring, thoughtful citizens via character education is preferable to creating the obedient, unreflective workers cultivated by many programs. Suggests focusing not only on classroom culture, but also on school culture, describing a New York City model for developing caring and reflective communities…

As a classroom level reform effort cooperative learning is recommended as a vehicle for teaching democratic principles in elementary and secondary schools and in preservice teacher education programs. The paper stresses the importance of theory, research, and modeling when making judgements about the application of cooperative learning. (SM)

Examines the origin and nature of student aggression, offering recommendations for refocusing the content of teacher education programs. The paper suggests refining the boundaries of professional development to engage all school personnel in combating aggression. Argues for strengthened university and public school collaboration to curb the rising…

To improve teacher preparation, higher education must collaborate with public schools. Hindrances to collaboration include reward structures in higher education and programs of study (including that for future higher education faculty). The paper examines proposals for supporting teacher education faculty who work cooperatively with public schools…

Presents a dialog on student teacher supervision between university supervisors from the U.S. and Wales. After describing an observation of and conference with a Welsh elementary student teacher, the dialog discusses the supervisors' observations and their expectations for student teachers, and analyzes the effects of the cross-cultural…