McCain’s support for certification exemptions for soldiers entering the teaching profession is ludicrous. In fact, I had to view the debate transcript to see what came next, because what I had just heard left me speechless and stunned.

I am not diminishing what our troops may or may not have to offer; I am saying that many of those with one, two, three or more extended deployments are coming back from Afghanistan and Iraq with issues; you cannot “turn off” life in a war zone by stepping back on American soil. It is documented that too many of our troops are coming with serious issues of PTSD and other mental health issues. That has to be dealt with first, and often it takes some time for symptoms to appear before treatment is obtained and the healing process can get underway.

But more importantly, teaching itself requires more than just topical knowledge or a desire to teach; it requires intellectual and practical skills in child and adolescent development and behavior, special education, a period of “practice teaching” to hone skills … in addition to a wide base knowledge at the elementary level and perhaps a narrower but more intense “subject” (history, science, literature) knowledge at the high school level.

Teacher certifications, like assessment tests for student achievement, are in place for a reason: to assure a standard of quality teaching for our children.

Now I am not a fan of standardized testing, but they have a purpose. Ideally, I believe a student should master basic skills to a certain standard, but should also have an equally weighted portfolio of work in which they excel (that would be different for every child based on their abilities and interests — math, science, art etc) since there is no one-size-fits-all in education.

My personal feeling is that our basic standards are not yet high enough; that we should expect and demand more of both teachers and students if we wish to compete in a global market. That also means providing teachers and students the opportunity to have more internal supports, smaller class sizes, and the tools needed to educate our children. Teachers should not have to be buying their own supplies, as they do in many schools.

Education is an investment, not a luxury item. Any higher upfront cost will reap benefits in the long haul. We need to to more than maintain the status quo; we need to raise the bar. Eliminating teacher certifications for any group is the first step back to the dark ages.

The Republicans: John McCain graduated at the bottom of his class 894/899 at the U.S. Naval Academy. The Naval Academy is a tough school and demands both discipline and intellect. McCain has no graduate degree.

Sarah Palin took 6 years and transferred to at least 5 schools before receiving a degree in journalism at the University of Idaho. Again, no graduate degree.

Obama and Biden feel All kids need an education and they believe that anyone that serves Our Country should be able to get a GI Bill to continue Schooling which McCain ‘had’ voted against!

Education for Obama/Biden
The candidate’s educational background is in the public record.I for one, think education does matter in electing a leader. Barack Obama’s Education: Graduated from Columbia University with a major in political science. Graduated Top of the Class from Harvard Law School. Editor of the Harvard Law Review. Spent 12 Years as a Constitutional Law Professor at the University of Chicago School of Law.

Joe Biden: Graduated from the University of Delaware with a double major of history and political science. Graduated from Syracuse University School of Law. Both Democratic candidates have advanced degrees and are well educated, articulate and intelligent.

What does the American People want,ones running the Country with a A+ or D-??
About McCain and his POW Hero,All Pows are heroes
and that doesn’t mean they are President Material or have the ability to lead.