Jeff Duncan: “I rise tonight because occasionally I still read articles or hear news reports about a teacher shortage in this Nation.…”

“I rise tonight because occasionally I still read articles or hear news reports about a teacher shortage in this Nation. This is a government-induced, contrived or special interest produced shortage, because this is a problem that could be solved very simply and very quickly if we would do a few simple things. Many, many years ago, I taught American government and journalism at T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria, Virginia, the school that the famous movie ``Remember the Titans'' was made about. I have had many, many teachers in my family. My grandmother taught for 40 years. My older sister taught for 30 years. Nobody admires teachers, I suppose, more than I do. But I think some of the certification requirements are warped, are out of whack. It makes no sense, for instance, that people who have Ph.D.s or master's degrees and long experience and great success in a particular field cannot teach in most of the public schools of this Nation.”