Uneducated teachers

[geocup]

Again, AmyH, I agree with you. I so strongly believe that any one who enters a school premises should be checked. The school bus drivers at my school really make me nervous!

[AmyH]

I remember my son had a virus when he was 18 months old and his whole body came out in bruises. The doctors at the hospital were very good and diagnosed the issue quickly but the bruises needed to be documented by them in case of abuse etc... They sat my husband and I down and explained that the photographer had to take pics of my son naked, he was a male photographer and he has been vetted to ensure he was safe to do that job and the pics would be held by the hospital on a secure network etc... I had never considered that he was not safe up until that point!

[geocup]

Anyway, I wrote something and lost it. Ai ya! ...... basically, it is my job to check kids on their arrival at school and take note of anything on their face, arms, legs. Even a mozzie bite on the face I call the parents. It's my job to make sure they are ok.

[prone_to_wander]

I think it is ridiculous to make everyone who comes into a school have a background check. It is completely paranoid to go around thinking everyone might possibly harm your kid. I'm not suggesting we be lazy with our children, but there are few boogy men and we should (statistically) be looking within our own families/friends for anyone who would harm our kids.

And I am one of the unqualified teachers you are talking about. I have a degree, although it isn't in education. I think that although qualification has a place, there is too much emphasis on it. I think I'm a great teacher. I work hard educating my students. I have a great deal of experience teaching in different settings. However, if you were looking at qualifications only, you would miss out on all of the rich experience I have. Only looking at qualifications is a very narrow point of view.

As a side note: There is a great need for English teachers, which is why sometimes a warm, English speaking body is hired.

[AmyH]

I spent many months sitting in a hospital as my son was ill (premature) and observed all the work that the nurses were doing while taking care of my son and the other children in their care. I would not consider myself to be a nurse nor would I apply for a job as one.
I think I would make a great nurse and I believe that many patients miss out on my many skills and superior bedside manner but I fear that due lack of qualifications in this field I may kill a patient.
I am sure you consider yourself to be a great teacher but the big reasoning in why you should attain teaching qualifications is because "we don't know what we don't know".

[AmyH]

as a side note: On the basis that people are allowed to teach with no formal teaching qualifications, why is it that hong kong government forbid home schooling?

[TheQuasimother]

A doctor isn't allowed to be a doctor without proper credentials. Neither is a nurse, engineer, accountant etc.
A teacher is more than a warm English body.

I'm a fully trained an accredited teacher across 3 countries and it's bloody insulting to see 'teachers' walking around untrained and think they are better teachers because they THINK they are good at it. There is more to teaching than the warm and fuzzy feeling or making a child happy. Pedagogy, Methodology, Assessment (for learning, of learning), etc. are very important tools of the trade and people who think they can go into the class and get it right are just so darn wrong. No decent school would hire a teacher who isn't trained. How would you know what to write in for the curriculum development of a child. How would you know how to stretch a student? How would you know how to manage the development of a child. It's more than going into the classroom to create a warm and fuzzy feeling. It's more than ABCs or learning basic English. I would NEVER place my child in any situation where FORMAL school and curriculum management is concerned into a school with untrained teachers. Or even a school that doesn't invest in continuous professional development. Ask the principal of your school if s/he'd place his/her child in a school with an untrained teacher... the answer would probably is NOT!

Granted that there are good teachers who aren't certified. There are also a lot of lemons out there in the teaching profession. But when these folks go get their proper certification and seek continual professional development, they usually end up realising how they've gotten it wrong - that anyone can be a teacher - Just stick a person in the classroom and get on the job experience. I'm sure I'll be a great doctor that way too. Get me into a clinic now for on the job training! In X no. years, I can tell a trained doctor that I'm a doctor too as most doctors and nurses learn on the job too!

The QM
Accredited teacher
B.A. (Hons), PGDE, MEd, MAppLing
And continuously fulfills HOURS of professional development each year from local and international institutions/conferences just so that I can be better at my job!

[geocup]

I fully agree with you QM (your credentials are similar to mine)! I feel that many schools try to save money by employing clowns who have no regard for a child's educational development. Some schools really like to employ clowns as the children like this, however, there is really no learning taking place in their classrooms- just fun and games.