Introduction to "The Culture of Teaching".

The culture of teaching continues to evolve with changing times, but the need for high-quality educators remains a constant. One of the greatest challenges education faces today is training future educators in a highly supportive and facilitative environment. The paradox of teacher education and student learning is that there are many differing criteria among teacher education programs, states, and local school districts. The coursework, field experiences, and mentorship requirements also vary tremendously. Additionally, state standards and high-stakes testing contribute to the many discrepancies. The debate continually rages over whether education should focus on current politics and mandated, financially supported programs or on the cultivation of innovative teaching methods.

Early childhood and elementary education continue to be influenced by these various factors. The field of education is intrinsically diverse, both economically and geographically. As a result of this diversification, educators have much to glean from one another; yet teacher education varies drastically from one institution to another. Once they enter the work force, novice teachers are expected to perform to district standards, with or without the help of mentors. Furthermore, mentorship programs vary greatly--certain districts provide appropriate training, while many others fail to provide training or even mentors.

A persistent and deep-rooted incongruency exists among perspectives regar ing educators a professionals. Educators who are trained and certified view themselves as professionals, yet they are seldom accorded the respect commonly given to those in other professions. Finally, more culturally responsive teachers are necessary to provide authentic instruction for increasingly diversified communities. Teachers vary greatly in style as well as delivery and instruction. This factor should be embraced and utilized as a tool within educational systems.

The estimated turnover rate for novice teachers is one third during the first year. A much more startling statistic is that nearly 50 percent of teachers leave the profession within their first five years (Hunt & Carroll, 2003). This issue of Childhood Education addresses all these circumstances and concerns and provides both meaningful insight and practical methods to support the continuously changing culture of teaching.

Our theme, "The Culture of Teaching," originated at the annual ACEI Publications Committee meeting in January 2002. It generated overwhelming response and support from the committee members, who agreed that many current problems of education lie within differing perspectives on how to train and mentor preservice teachers. The collaboration of educators can bridge the gap between teacher education, novice teachers, mentors, administrators, and educational frameworks. As co-editors, we invited members of the education community at large to address these underlying issues as well as to formulate a framework of ideas to assimilate into current educational practices. The articles in this issue have a common thread: each one focuses on issues related to educating, attaining, mentoring, and retaining high-quality teachers who will be willing and able to perform in diverse settings.

"Excellence in Teacher Preparation: Partners for Success," co-authored by Laura McDonald Hooks and Linda Randolph, discusses an innovative teacher training program that involves professional development schools (PDS). This article reviews a unique university collaboration with a PDS and the development of a partnership between a university and a child development center. It considers student reports and reflections on the partnership's impact. Moreover, the authors examine the impact of the relationship on preservice teachers after graduation and find a highly positive correlation. The PDS is organized to support exemplary student and preservice teacher education, with a true collaboration among educators and colleagues, as well as accountability for quality teaching and learning. This true collaboration includes staff, faculty, administrators, and parents, and facilitates higher quality training for preservice teachers and better overall preparation, compared to the customary student teaching experience.

Tata Mbugua, Professor of teacher education at the University of Scranton, Pennsylvania, and coauthors Jean Wadas, Mary Ann Casey, and Jessica Finnerty explore preservice teacher training in "Authentic Learning: Intercultural, International, and Intergenerational Experiences in Elementary Classrooms." This article expounds upon how the culture of teaching requires both creative and practical initiatives in a given location. A collaborative partnership of preservice teachers, cooperating teachers, and the university supervisor can support and prepare teachers to be culturally responsive through intercultural, international, and intergenerational experiences.

A third article exploring the need for high-quality teacher education is "Learning To Teach in Urban Settings," by Valerie Duarte and Thomas Reed of the University of South Carolina Spartanburg. Teacher education programs in the United States are attempting to address the need for more culturally responsive teachers to raise the level of achievement in diverse communities. Statistically, 1 in 3 children are of minority background, yet there is a continuous downward trend in urban achievement levels. Challenges for teachers and students include language barriers, issues associated with poverty, and racial and ethnic differences between students and teachers. Public and private schools find it difficult to attract and retain high-quality teachers. Believing that preservice teachers need to be more culturally aware and responsive, the authors performed a study that provides meaningful conclusions. They demonstrate the need for a well-designed teacher education program that addresses the need for teaching in culturally diverse settings and leads to better prepared and trained candidates.

As co-editors, we decided to include a narrative of a difficult student teaching experience, which the author aptly titled, "Making Lemonade From Lemons: Reflecting on Difficult Experiences." Sue Grossman from Eastern Michigan University offers her personal narrative of a seemingly negative student-teacher experience. Her cooperating teacher focused on control and quiet as a measure of success, which conflicted with the student-teacher's enthusiasm and active learning approach. Grossman overcame the adversity of her experience--a negative classroom learning environment for the students and the student teacher, as well as lack of guidance from her university supervisor--by maintaining idealistic hope. Grossman concludes that the difficulties she endured only heightened her knowledge and success as a teacher. She since has served as a cooperating teacher and as a professor of teacher education.

While this issue examines teacher education in depth, it also maintains that strong and high-quality mentorship programs need to be implemented for all novice teachers. "The Pot of Gold at the End of the Rainbow: Mentoring in Early Childhood Education" presents the need for more highly qualified and culturally sensitive mentors in early childhood education. Lauren Cummins, Assistant Professor of early childhood teacher education at Youngstown State University, enumerates the various traits required of high-quality mentors. The author includes meaningful assessments to evaluate the impact of this particular mentoring course. She found an enormously positive response from those mentored, in areas of efficacy as well as encouragement and self-value. It appears that both the mentor and novice teacher have the ability to grow from this reflective practice.

Paula E. Weaver's submission, "The Culture of Teaching and Mentoring for Compliance," discusses the impact of the No Child Left Behind Act and high-stakes testing and its relationship to the culture of teaching. She demonstrates that the culture of teaching honors children, while standardized testing detracts from the focus of learning. Furthermore, a heightened fixation on testing limits teachers' professional growth opportunities.

Author Lea Lee, Assistant Professor of educational curriculum and instruction at Old Dominion University, Virginia, wrote the "The Culture of Children's Reading in Korea and the United States," which offers a comparison of literacy education in the United States and Korea, and thus a comparison of the different level of competence that teachers face in the classroom. Many school-age children in the United States read below grade level, which contrasts greatly with corresponding reading levels in Korea. The author states that four factors contribute to these differences. First, Koreans have a strong belief in academic achievement. Second, Korean parents believe that children should learn a significant amount of knowledge before entering kindergarten. Third, Korean parents believe they have the responsibility of spending considerable time in quasi-formal preschool activities. Finally, Korean parents heed what they feel is their financial obligation to provide children with educational books, tutors, and supplemental materials. The author provides specific examples of a traditional Korean environment with a young child, and states that American parents have the ability to provide more support for early literacy and educational support.

Finally, we included a narrative that touches on the art of education: "Teaching From the Heart .... It's About Max and Maureen," written by Lynn E. Nielsen, Professor of Education. This is a personal narrative of how two teachers affected the author's professional life. Max was a nurturing 4th-grade instructor who inspired the author to teach. Maureen was a generous mentor in Nielsen's novice teaching experience. The article explores students and colleagues making connections, and demonstrates how the practice of good teaching comes from the heart, rather than from traditional standards and benchmarks.

Co-editing "The Culture of Teaching" has proven to be insightful and rewarding. We were impressed with both the quantity and quality of submissions. More important, we are encouraged by the positive experiences our preservice teachers are getting in many parts of the world. Unfortunately, the emphasis is often placed on what is wrong about education as opposed to what is right and working well. As co-editors, we represent the two ends of the professional spectrum of education. Lauren Ventimiglia is a fifth-year teacher with a bachelor's degree in both elementary and early childhood education. She has worked for four years for the Board of Education in Wayne, New Jersey, and for one year in a bilingual school in Paris, France. Tom Reed is a former kindergarten teacher and holds his doctorate in early childhood education; he has participated in the supervisory/mentor role, curriculum development, and teacher education preparation and practice at the University of South Carolina Spartanburg. Combined, our educational experiences have provided us with a unique perspective on the culture of teaching and mentorship. We would like to take this opportunity to thank each of our authors as well as acknowledge the continued support of ACEI's Publications Committee. We hope that this compilation of articles provides a meaningful and introspective view on the profession of teaching and training and on the diversity of society. We believe that highly qualified teachers and strong educational institutions, combined with the focus on understanding the culture of teaching and mentorship, provide the key to the future.

Reference

Hunt, J. B., & Carroll, T. G. (2003). No dream denied: A pledge to America's children. Washington, DC: National Commission on Teaching and America's Future.

Lauren Ventimiglia is a classroom teacher, Wayne, New Jersey. Thomas Reed is Associate Professor, Early Childhood Education, University of South Carolina, Spartanburg.