New and Old Teachers

I recently read an article that another blogger was buzzing about dealing with new and old teachers. The article insinuated that old teachers, or "vets" were not as savvy in the technical sense as new teachers. Also suggested in the article was the fact that new teachers have more enthusiasm and energy for the other duties that come with teaching. If you are interested in reading this article for yourself, you can find it at http://www.joannejacobs.com/ . I have some reservations dealing with the subject of young and old teachers. Or, in a more polite way of describing it, green and seasoned teachers. Either way you say it, it is still the same thing. Perhaps my feelings directly reflect my experience with teaching, being taught and learning to teach. The best teachers I have ever had have been the old, the seasoned and the veteran teachers. They have had the energy, the stamina and the dedication that only a truly good teacher will have. I have also had a handful of young, extremely green and very talented teachers. All of whom were just as effective, warm and on point as the older teachers. My point is this, it doesn't matter the age of the teacher and sometimes it may not even matter how many years of experience they have had. A good teacher, a truly gifted educator, is that way from the start. Good teachers begin good, stay good and end good.....sure, teachers can begin in all different ways and end the same, but in my experience, the teachers that are truly GOOD and the teachers that are truly GIFTED began that way, continued that way and ended that way.........