How about NO, indeed. Here in CA, math teachers (even with PhDs in MATH) are required to take 10 courses (!) in ‘how to teach math.’ They are taught by the union teachers, of course, through the State’s NCLB ‘program.’
The one I started to take (rolling eyes) was taught by a gal with a BA in DRAMA!! ... who wanted us to ingest/ spew fuzzy math — ‘there are many ways to get the right answer.’ The PhD in math guy was absolutely convulsing; I got those brain-headaches when your brain knows something is beyond the pale. My scientist-husband said, “Those things she is teaching you are not correct. Get out!”
It is a wonder any child in California learns math, and the teachers are part of the problem. The textbooks are THE WORST! etc. etc. This should NOT be rewarded.
I had the same experience in the "Math Education" college classes. When we went on a practicum to teach math to small groups of Middle Schoolers, we were supposed to be doing an exercise in which the kids spent an hour "rediscovering" a principle of geometry. Our professor actually announced to the kids that we were not allowed to tell them if they were right or wrong, and that we would get in trouble if we did.
In this type of curriculum, the kids spend weeks "discovering" the Pythagorean Theorem with string, etc. ,but never actually do the repetitive problems necessary to master it. Then of course they don't have time to learn everything they should, because they have to rediscover everything. It's absolutely ridiculous.