<p>@LC: the problem with that is that kids are notoriously BAD at accurately assessing the teacher’s competency, because it is filtered through so many of their own perceptions. Just have a gander at “ratemyprofessor.com” to get a sense of what a waste this is. That said, I’m with you that there ARE ways of assuring that faculty, both young and old, are actively engaged with the trends in their disciplines, and I’d be interested in schools having more forthcoming “Faculty Notes” about training certification programs, advanced studies, or other programs that specific faculty are undergoing. There certainly IS a variegated talent pool among the teachers at these schools and to the extent we can, it’s a great thing for families to advocate for the strongest possible faculty in general, and to try to make sure one’s own children are getting the best possible education out of the institution. </p>
<p>(That said, I’d also add that there is some life-skill lesson to having to learn how to navigate with some less-than-perfect teacher fits during one’s education, because they’ll face it again in higher ed, as well as the workforce. Also, pretty sure there has been some strategic conversation about dealing with difficult teachers elsewhere on this board. Think grinzing was involved…a search for that person’s posts might turn up some valuable advice on this topic)</p>