Lea
Q
Your positive comments about Tennessee teachers in your Senate
testimony was dynamic. Teachers really are the key to success in
public education aren’t they?
A
Teachers have an unparalleled influence on the academic, social, and
emotional lives of our kids, and continuing to invest in the effort to
find and support amazing classroom leaders is one of THE keys to our
success in Tennessee. I feel so strongly about the power of great teachers
to change recognize and honor this reality in policy development and
decision-making.
Q
How can Tennessee continue to attract quality educators to our state?
A
To continue to attract quality educators to Tennessee, we need to have
a multi-pronged approach.
First, we need to offer world-class teacher preparation programs that
attract and prepare teachers for the rigors of the classroom. Top medical
and law schools consistently attract talented individuals who thrive in
tough environments and seek challenge, and I’m confident there are
future educators out there who also seek challenges that prepare them
for the ultimate tough environment: the classroom. Offering a world-
class education to future teachers could go a long way in attracting
the kind of go-getters we want and in distinguishing Tennessee as THE
place to prepare if you want to make an immediate and long-lasting
impact in the lives of kids.
Second, we need to re-imagine how we do teacher professional
development at the district level. Too often, teachers bemoan how