Bill wrote:
Mike Marlow wrote:
Bill wrote:


I am Not saying that only a professional teacher can teach. I am
saying that my department is not willing to take the chance on
someone that has never taught a class before. It's just a matter of
"prudence". Plenty of things go astray every semester even without
taking
such
risks.

Understand that - but... what is your your department going to do when
the
last experienced teacher (professor) dies? That really strikes me as
an odd
position for an academic institution.

People routinely change jobs or retire. The tenured faculty members
represents both an asset and a liability to a college or university and
their number is carefully monitored. The supply-demand situation, in
general, favors academic institutions over job-seekers. Teaching
experience is not difficult to get, at least in popular courses, if
someone is really interested in acquiring it.

Mere acceptance in many
graduate programs will bring that teaching opportunity.

Sorry: I meant "admission", not "acceptance".



Getting
experience teaching in areas like "history" may (will) be more difficult.