When the LET results were released last week, some of our former students were dejected. They didn't make it. While most of their classmates were preparing congratulatory tarps, they were half-smiling, understandably disappointed for their "failure."
I couldn't say I understand how they feel, but what I could say is that I still do not believe that ONE exam should dictate whether they have the ability to teach or not. Yes, the law states one should pass the licensure exam for him/her to get a teacher's license, and I do not contradict that. It is what it is.
But if you look at the numbers, almost 80% of takers from the elementary level and 52% from the secondary level failed. That's more than 138,000 aspiring LPTs whose scores did not reach the average passing percentage set by PRC. Does that mean we have 138,000 teachers/ aspiring teachers who do not have a sufficient skill set and the right attitude to teach?
My college best friend was a badass Social Science teacher. He would stand in front of the class and make his students look at him in awe as he threw in fact after fact with such flair and precision. He was a competent, committed, caring teacher. His students loved him, because they could feel his passion for his job. He loved teaching; he probably still does.
However, he took the LET at least three times, and at least three times, he failed. He tried his best; he self-reviewed aside from attending review classes, all while preparing for his daily classes. But perhaps he had exam anxiety or he was just under the weather during exam days. Bottom line: He never passed the LET. But that did not stop him from striving to be successful. Since the law dictates he could not teach for long without a license, he mustered enough courage, and, to make the long story short, he was able to find a good job in Canada. He is now a fulfilled man, having been able to help his family, build his own house, help his community through scholarships, and travel the world (He just got back from Rome.). That's a non-LET passer right there.
So if you failed the LET and you happen to be reading this, or know someone who didn't make it: NO, failing the LET - or any exam for that matter - should not dictate the course of your life. Four or five (six?) years in college, memorizing all those -isms and preparing lesson plans or learning logs and massaging your fingers after answering those FS journals and just keeping up with the voluminous requirements - then graduating with that college degree? That's already a source of pride. You've probably failed some of your exams in school, but I am sure you have also passed hundreds of tests, and all those mattered. Do not ever feel like this one exam - no matter how life-changing it may seem - should tell you that you do not deserve to succeed or that you wouldn't succeed in life.
The LET is NOT easy. No passer could say he/she simply breezed through it. In less than 8 hours, you have to answer 450 items, some of which you've never encountered in 15 years of school, while some would eat up 10 minutes just by reading one essay of an academic situation just for one item. And some items were just effin' confusing. So yes, congratulations to all the passers for making it.
For those who did not make it, keep your head up high. There's a bigger battle out there, and it happens everyday, inside the classroom, and the country needs more warriors like you. I am confident that you have been equipped with the arsenal to fight the real enemies of the present generation: illiteracy, apathy, and ignorance. Continue fighting for our youth; educate them the best way you know how.
Tell the LET you'll see it again in March.
- Sir KC TEJADA (BatStateU, CTE DEPT. FACULTY)
