<p>Ironically, my S’s second grade teacher, who did amazing things with science and math, was a graduate of a state teachers’ college with a degree in education. Among the honors she earned were the State Teacher of the Year, a NASA fellowship, and the Millikin Family Foundation award. She did rocketry, had a weather satellite on the roof of the school with a monitor in her classroom, participated with her students in a long term environmental monitoring project called Gaia Crossroads, and all sorts of other things too numerous to mention.</p>
<p>But she was the exception that proves the rule: a dedicated teacher who went to “teacher’s college” when that was what you did to become a teacher, who was the very model of a “lifelong learner.” </p>
<p>In general, I’d strongly agree that many elementary and middle school teachers are not particularly inspired by math or well trained in teaching it. I have the impression that the Everyday Math teacher training tries to address that, but since many school systems skimp on teacher training to save money…</p>