Are teaching credentials necessary? Or should I buy a certificate off of eBay?

Today I’d like to highlight an article written by a friend of mine, Andrew Zeller. When available, I’m going to try and invite others to write about their experiences in language learning or about other aspects of language that interest them. I’m hoping, if nothing else, that I will learn something new from their experiences (and hope that you will too!).

First off, I think introducations are appropriate. Andrew is an avid filmmaker and is currently teaching English in Korea. He graduated in 2010 with a Bachelor of Arts in Asian Language and Culture from the University of British Columbia (UBC), also receiving a Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) Certificate from UBC and Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, Japan. He has also worked on a variety of very interesting projects that you can read about here.

But, without further ado:

 

Are teaching credentials necessary? Or should I
buy a certificate off of eBay?
By: Andrew Zeller

How do you teach people how to teach? In other words, where do good teachers come from?

A friend of mine from Holland just recently earned his PhD in Computer Science. While we were chatting on the subject of teaching, he casually joked: “Because I’ve been a student for so long, I’m expected to know how to teach.  People see my degrees and think: ‘You’ve seen enough teaching in your life to know how to imitate it.’ And I guess they’re right.” (See note 1 below)

Most students can distinguish good teachers from bad ones. But the choice is subjective. How do you know when someone is a good teacher?

Parents of students in Arizona, USA, recently worried about this. This led to a controversy about whether or not teachers should undergo testing before being allowed to teach. The testing would include measuring English proficiency. Part of this debate arises out of the belief that “foreign” education is somehow lesser (foreign teachers included). If you google worldwide statistics in education and student performance, you will find this to be false. Despite being home to some “prestigious” universities, it is difficult to deny that the US is currently in an education crisis. How do you fix this problem? You need good teachers, which brings us back to my first two questions.

Where do good teachers come from? How do you teach people how to teach? If a student is to become a teacher, then a teacher should become a student for the student to practice teaching, right? It sounds like a paradox. But it actually happens. Let’s look at an example.

For English teachers, one particular credential is often talked about: the TESOL or TEFL certificate (See note 2 below). Last year, I was working towards this certificate at the University of British Columbia. A number of my friends have received it already as well from various other colleges and programs in Vancouver, and training for this certificate is offered around the world. Yet programs and course content vary significantly. Yet the end result looks the same: a certificate with your name on it.

It’s undeniable that a TESOL or TEFL certificate don’t guarantee or signify a good or even qualified teacher (the same can be said for a driver’s license). It does not guarantee that the owner is proficient or even comfortable with the English language. It would appear that this credential is meaningless and unnecessary. Or is it?

Why do most people study for this certificate? I would argue that the main reason is job-related. In my class, the majority of students were young people wishing to be hired as teachers, and current teachers who felt pressured by administration, parents, students, peers, or others to become “TESOL/TEFL certified”. For most of them, this certificate was viewed as practical and important, otherwise they would not have been there. I was humbled by classmates who had years of teaching experience, whom I could learn so much from.

As most people know, earning the TESOL/TEFL certificate takes much less time than earning a university degree (usually between 1 month to 2 years). In addition, most people pursuing the certificate already possess a university or college degree. I think this is the most important thing to consider when evaluating the TESOL/TEFL certification program or its graduates. The second is that most TESOL/TEFL programs are primarily theoretical: introducing major theories in the fields of linguistics and language education. So I think it’s safe to assume that most teachers learn how to teach elsewhere, usually AFTER they have already become teachers. The TESOL/TEFL program is meant to influence teaching, not to dictate it or provide a perfect blueprint of the perfect teacher (if anyone finds such a document, please share it!).

Let’s ask the question again: where do good teachers come from? When you talk to your friends or family about their favourite teachers, what qualities are mentioned? Are they always the same? No. Impossible. Good teachers are not all clones of each other. That we know for certain. Good teachers inspire us. Good teachers love learning, and they share that love of learning with their students. Good teachers are more memorable because bad teachers (unless they are really bad) typically bore us; they fail to engage us in learning. If you want to assess a teacher, assess their students.

I believe it is the teacher’s job to inspire students to want to learn. But not all students want to learn. In fact, many don’t want to do anything. This is why teaching is so challenging. This is why a good teacher can turn into a bad teacher, after years of struggling with students. It’s like watering seeds everyday and pulling weeds to protect those seeds. Finally, just when your students are ready to bloom, they leave, and you’re unable to see which seeds become flowers and which become trees. You just have to trust that it has all been worth it, and return to your gardening.

In the beginning, I was very skeptical of my TESOL/TEFL class. I wish (and still wish) that there were another type of class that dealt less with theory and more with practicality. Good teachers could mentor a student to follow in their footsteps. Good teachers could share their wisdom with other teachers and soon-to-be teachers. But I realized that I received this and more everyday in my TESOL classes. I do not doubt now that my teachers, classmates, and course readings have influenced my teaching and my beliefs about education.

Can we answer our first two questions? The answer I give might not be satisfactory in your view, but I would like to suggest that good teachers come from anywhere and everywhere. They are certified and uncertified (see note 3 below). They have different backgrounds and various levels of experience. How do you teach someone to be a good teacher? Well, you can start by listening to them.

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Notes:
1. This is a very rough paraphrasing of his words, more closely resembling my thoughts on the subject. I hope he will be forgiving of this.

2. Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) & Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL).

3. I do not condone or encourage the sale or purchasing of teaching certificates, since it is much less creative than designing and printing your own.

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