Annot. Bib. 2

“For most people, college is a waste of time.” Opening an article with a title such as this one really catches people attention. Especially those who have some type of relation to post secondary education. Whether that is current college students, professors, graduates, or especially high school students looking into furthering their education and bettering their chances at a well paying career. Charles Murray speaks his mind to this audience, explaining his opinion of post-secondary education and the lack of necessity it currently holds in our society.
Murray argues that there is less of a need for a Bachelors degree nowadays then in the past years. He believes that a BA only tells future employers what “intellectual ability” the potential employee holds. It dismisses the qualifications the employee holds. Therefore, Murray has the belief that everyone should take certification tests. With the understanding that not all people are on the same intellectual level, Murray knows that scores will vary depending on the student and where they are furthering their education. He used the example of a student taking online college courses and compared them to prestigious colleges and universities. To clarify further, he does not believe that post secondary education should be disregarded. He is trying to convince his audience that they need to not only get an education at a college or university, but also be prepared to take certification test in order to test all aspects of a person’s intellect, talent, and skills.
It is hard to fully agree with him. Certification tests might be beneficial for some professions, but not for all. Getting a good education at a decent college is enough certification and proof that a future employee is capable of benefiting a company or business. Relating this to the education field, getting four years of experience is proving itself enough “certification” that an extra test is unnecessary for teachers. There are many loops a pre-teacher must pass through before actually becoming a teacher. Between classes, field experiences, student teaching and state tests, adding an extra “certification” test seems pointless. For the state of Ohio, Praxis III could be considered the final “certification” test to prove that the test-ee has the skills to be a teacher. Even in this case, getting a four year education before teaching is the way to go. Not everyone can walk off the streets, apply for a teaching position, be hired and demonstrate great teaching characteristics. Even persons who received an online degree do not have the same characteristics as an actual college degree adult. They lack the field experiences gained during a four year course of study. Without that experience, teachers go into teach blind to any type of teaching. It would be challenging and discouraging.
I am all for a four year degree, no matter how much time some people think is being wasted. Without the experiences I have gone through and the relationships built, I am not sure I would still want to become a teacher. Perhaps Murray is not referring this article to the education field. However, that is the course of study and focus right now, and comparing his thoughts helped me make new realizations about teaching, and my education. Knowing what I need to do test wise in the upcoming years, allows me to disagree with the idea of adding “certification” tests for all careers. Educators may be certified in their own way, not all jobs need this certification to take place.