To earn a teaching credential in Alaska is really not that difficult, and there are programs that will help. Having people who understand the material but have no knowledge of how students learn does not work. One of the problems with the current education system is that is turning more into a business, where the only thing that matters is how much money can it produce for the test makers, through the testing and remedial computer based programs that they offer. Children are not widgets, each one is an individual that is unique. The one size fit all programs that the districts/state/feds have adopted are a major problem. At one point the districts encouraged teachers to try unique things to engage students, know they sit the students in front of a computer and have them work on individualized computer programs. If you want a student to learn to read, they need to read. Educational games have a place, but they are a poor excuse for daily instruction for students.