Thread: Whats a qualified teacher?

Originally Posted by Accidental Ajarn

So you are Mr. know it all English Teacher?

Never said I was, like anyone else on this forum I am stating my opinion, based on my training, experience and research into the field. Just that. I am entitled to my own opinion, am I not, or is that something I have to ask your permission for? It seems like you have set yourself up as adjudicator into who can and cannot express an opinion.

Originally Posted by Accidental Ajarn

"I have had the misfortune to work with and interview some of his graduates, though." Ah, are you trying to say because some people spent 4 weeks of their 30 or 40 years in Bruce's school they are now useless?

Never said that, I implied that they were not up to the standard I would have expected of someone who had completed an intense and comprehensive 4-week course...as I said before, that of a competent beginner.

Originally Posted by Accidental Ajarn

Fuck dude, get a life. You are taking your being an English teacher a little too seriously.

Thank you for your concern about my life. I have one, thank you. I also take being a TEFL/TESOL teacher very seriously. I am a professional, not someone that is just biding my time before my next big adventure. In addition to being a teacher and trainer, I've been a regional supervisor in an African country and helped develop that nation's national English curriculum, I've worked under contract to the Malaysian government as a curriculum and mulitmedia developer creating programs for local teachers to use in their classrooms, in addition to the numerous workshops I have helped develop and run over the years.

I don't say any of the above to toot my horn, but I want you to see, I do take my work seriously. If you have no respect for those of us in this field, then perhaps you are the one that needs to get a life, or at least a better perspective on some of us that do this for a living.

Originally Posted by Smeg

Do you have anything to say about what I wrote rather than sticking up for Bruce as usual by trying to discredit me?

Can you show me where I've stuck up for Bruce? Link please!!!!!!

And why would anyone try to discredit you? I only asked after your qualifications to deliver such an opinion.

So you've got some piece of paper about teaching, yet apparently never have been in a classroom. Almost like a doctor that has never seen a patient, an engineer that has never seen a construction site. With all the experience you have, your opinion means what again?

My experience....a part time teacher (part of my job responsiblities) for over 20 years. Many "train the trainer" and such seminars over the years and lots of experience in developing developing course curriculums and executing the course.

5+ years here in Thailand teaching IT, science and English. Today I saw 90 students...tomorrow I'll be seeing about 120 students and 4 more at a language center. But other than a few seminars here I have very little training in TEFL.

But the difference between us Smeg, is I actually DO the stuff I talk about here on this thread, as opposed to you, who don't or can't.

Today I saw 90 students...tomorrow I'll be seeing about 120 students and 4 more at a language center.

That's a light load, bro. Today I not only saw but taught 260.

Originally Posted by Smeg

University lecturers are not teachers!

Quite a blanket statement there, eh?

One of the reasons that I chose the university I did is that the professors in my major field of study had been pioneers in the field I had chosen. Almost all of them (with the exception of one hapless jerk who I testified against at his tenure hearing) had tremendous amounts of real-world experience in addition to the educational weight that their degrees brought them.

In both my major and minor fields of study I had some of the best people available to teach me...to say that university lecturers are not teachers is a generalization that is short-sighted and smacks of personal vindictiveness.

Perhaps your university lecturers weren't qualified, but mine sure as hell were.

Originally Posted by Camel Toe

Today I not only saw but taught 260

Today was a light day for me, I had a class cancelled. I only had 105. Most days are 120+...260? Big classes or a damned heavy schedule. My hat's off to you.

^ Don't argue with Smeg...he's the expert!

Originally Posted by CSFFan

Originally Posted by Smeg

Do you have anything to say about what I wrote rather than sticking up for Bruce as usual by trying to discredit me?

Can you show me where I've stuck up for Bruce? Link please!!!!!!

And why would anyone try to discredit you? I only asked after your qualifications to deliver such an opinion.

What an odd thing to write. You jump on my reply to Bruce's OP and try to belittle it by writing

A few hours teaching in a McDonalds? What do you know about teachers motivations since, from what I understand, you've never been a teacher?

Hardly " I only asked after your qualifications to deliver such an opinion". Then, when i provide the qualifications, you again try to belittle it. Your only intent here is to try to discredit me and somehow show that your opinion is more important. That makes you a complete twat.

As for your wonderful experience, I have never taught in Thailand because I have the intelligence to see what a joke doing so is. But good luck to you all the same

Originally Posted by CSFFan

^ Don't argue with Smeg...he's the expert!

Bah, I'm the expert, or haven't you heard of my latest coronation?

Originally Posted by Accidental Ajarn

You are Mr. know it all English Teacher.

Matter settled. AA has anointed me.

Originally Posted by Smeg

As for your wonderful experience, I have never taught in Thailand because I have the intelligence to see what a joke doing so is.

So, where have you taught? Or is it another sensitive area?

Originally Posted by Smeg

As for your wonderful experience, I have never taught in Thailand because I have the intelligence to see what a joke doing so is. But good luck to you all the same

So the reason you're posting in this thread is?

A. To continue to brow beat Bruce.
B. To continue to make fun of teachers in Thailand
C. To offer your very expert advice on teaching in Thailand
D. Because you're an insufferable asshole that needs confrontation to define your existance.

And the answer is!!!!!!!!!


Wait....




Wait.....











Come on now....wait......



All of the above!!!!!!

Originally Posted by MisterStretch

Originally Posted by Smeg

University lecturers are not teachers!

Quite a blanket statement there, eh?

One of the reasons that I chose the university I did is that the professors in my major field of study had been pioneers in the field I had chosen. Almost all of them (with the exception of one hapless jerk who I testified against at his tenure hearing) had tremendous amounts of real-world experience in addition to the educational weight that their degrees brought them.

In both my major and minor fields of study I had some of the best people available to teach me...to say that university lecturers are not teachers is a generalization that is short-sighted and smacks of personal vindictiveness.

Perhaps your university lecturers weren't qualified, but mine sure as hell were.

You seem very touchy about this. Did they or did they not have to undergo formal teacher training? It's pretty simple.

Moving between University and School Teaching - Career Development - jobs.ac.uk
Qualifications
You would think with so few differences between the sorts of things people in these professions do that there would be a lot of exchange of personnel between the two, whereas this is not the case. Why is that? The answer lies partly in historic gender roles associated with the two jobs that no longer apply (women became school teachers, men university lecturers). But today, the qualifications required to go into each profession are very different, meaning that, essentially, a school teacher would have to start training from the beginning to become a lecturer and vice versa.
As has been explored in many articles on this website, to become a lecturer at university you require a PhD and teaching experience gained while taking that qualification. Going into school teaching is very different. Rarely do schoolteachers stay on at university themselves and do a PhD; they are more likely to do a first, undergraduate degree and then pursue a teaching qualification such as a PGCE. Increasingly teachers are acquiring masters in their field of interest in order to supplement their own knowledge and to make themselves more employable. If you wish to become a schoolteacher after going down the academic route, the state education system will not recognise your PhD as a substitute for a teacher training qualification. It may be possible to enter teaching on a Graduate Teaching Scheme or a Teach First scheme, but if you wished to stay in the profession eventually you would need to do a year's teacher training qualification from scratch. Equally school teaching qualifications and experience, while counting for something when going into academic life, will not be seen as commensurate to a PhD and expertise in the university lecture room. The private school system is slightly different, although most do now require you to have the same teacher training qualifications as state schools. You would need to contact a private school directly to see what their policy is. If moving from school teaching to lecturing, the first step is to register for a PhD programme in your chosen field. You will be able to gain teaching experience at Higher Education level while working towards this qualification.
So, the large amount of time and money needed to swap between the two careers by acquiring other qualifications is the main reason why so few people make that change. Therefore make sure you are really committed to changing your teaching role before you do so. You have to be prepared for a lot of studying and hard work before your career dreams are realised. And of course there is no guarantee of a job at the end of your training either, although it appears that in the current employment climate teachers in schools have a slightly easier time getting secure, long-term work that teachers at university level. However, moving between these two careers is not impossible and a love of teaching and learning and self-development is vital to both. It is important also to be able to show that you have an awareness of government initiatives, both to improve your teaching practice and to perform well in interviews when looking for work.

Originally Posted by MisterStretch

Matter settled. AA has anointed me.

All hail the King!!!!! May the King live long and prosper and all that shit!

Smeg,

Once again, the difference between you and real teachers is we don't need to quote internet sources...we can discuss issues based on our experience.

Can you?

Originally Posted by jandajoy

So, where have you taught? Or is it another sensitive area?

Give me one good reason why I should provide details on my career history to a complete stranger on the internet who seems intent on finding out such things rather than discussing the OP.

Originally Posted by Smeg

You seem very touchy about this. Did they or did they not have to undergo formal teacher training? It's pretty simple.

Ah, so your little-minded contention is that a professional journalist can't teach someone else how to be a professional journalist unless they've taken education and teaching courses.

How small-minded. Sounds like someone trying to justify their own measly qualifications that doesn't have professional experience in their field.

Kind of like someone who is 'qualified' to teach science but has no aptitude for it, has never conducted an experiment outside of the teaching classroom, has never gone on a research or field trip in their specialty or has no other qualifications other than the fact that they have a teaching degree in science.

Doesn't make you scientist, does it?

When I completed my degree one of the professors in my minor warned me about going on immediately to a masters and then a PhD. "In 10 years, go for your masters...get some real world experience first."

He was right. I've seen too many professors that only had academic credentials. Perhaps some of them could have used some education courses, but many of them already had them. What they needed was to learn about how the real world in their field worked, hence the idiot who didn't recieve tenure after I testified at his hearing. As a junior in college I already had more professional experience in our field than he did...I started at a very young age.

Originally Posted by Smeg

ive me one good reason why I should provide details on my career history

To qualify your statements and establish your authority to comment.

Originally Posted by CSFFan

Smeg,

Once again, the difference between you and real teachers is we don't need to quote internet sources...we can discuss issues based on our experience.

Can you?

So get on with it then! Lets hear your views on the OP. Becuase all I see at the moment is a trolling little shit intent on belittling me.

Why are you so foul mouthed and abusive?
Ironic in a thread on education.

Originally Posted by jandajoy

Originally Posted by Smeg

ive me one good reason why I should provide details on my career history

To qualify your statements and establish your authority to comment.

What a bag of crap.

Right, off you go and ask everyone who posts on any thread on the entire forum to provide details of where they have worked which is related to the OP, whatever the subject may be, or otherwise they have to get off the thread. Good luck.

It's interesting the way you react to questions and requests for clarification. Others here have happily described their experience, qualifications and so on.

You refuse. Simply curse and abuse.

Don't you see how that weakens your position and the strength of your views?

^ So you are entitled to tell me what I must talk about? FUCK OFF!

What a shame that people can't simply discuss the OP without sniping. CSFFan and Jandajoy, your clear intent is to turn this into a personal flame war. You are not discussing the topic whatsoever, and want to focus the thread on attacking and belittling people who do. Please grow up.

I have never taught in Thailand because I have the intelligence to see what a joke doing so is.

And you also had the intelligence not to buzz into Bruce's lil web. Thailand is a shit place to work, at least in my experience down south. Good and qualified teachers do come here though.

Unless they marry a Thai bird, collect and study spiders, snakes and bats, have a passion for beating off touts while sunbathing or sightseeing, like teaching a class-full of boys who have never heard the word no, they shouldn't stay too long, unless they like living in societies where it's not only good to be mediocre, it's best to be mediocre.

IMO

Originally Posted by Smeg

Becuase all I see at the moment is a trolling little shit intent on belittling me

And I've asked, as others, what experience you're basing your opinions on. Never really got that one answered, but as I'm actually a teacher posting in a teaching thread about teaching related issues with other teachers (you being the exception), I'm a troll?

Originally Posted by Smeg

Right, off you go and ask everyone who posts on this thread to provide details of where they have worked which is related to the OP, or otherwise they have to get off the thread. Good luck.

Belly up to the bar. I'm ready.

Are you?

Originally Posted by Camel Toe

Thailand is a shit place to work, at least in my experience down south

I worked in the South, have friends that worked there for many years before me, have friends that are still working there...only a shit place to work for shit teachers, like everywhere else.

Originally Posted by Smeg

^ So you are entitled to tell me what I must talk about? FUCK OFF!

What a shame that people can't simply discuss the OP without sniping. CSFFan and Jandajoy, your clear intent is to turn this into a personal flame war. You are not discussing the topic whatsoever, and want to focus the thread on attacking and belittling people who do. Please grow up.

Paranoid!

Originally Posted by Smeg

^ So you are entitled to tell me what I must talk about? FUCK OFF!

What a shame that people can't simply discuss the OP without sniping. CSFFan and Jandajoy, your clear intent is to turn this into a personal flame war. You are not discussing the topic whatsoever, and want to focus the thread on attacking and belittling people who do. Please grow up.

Read what I wrote. I didn't suggest that I was "entitled" to tell you what you must talk about"

Your abusive language lets you down.

The OP = "Whats a qualified teacher?"
(I've left off the missing) apostrophe.

Various "qualified teachers" have contributed interesting and thought provoking comments, observations and ideas. What makes them stand out, and validates their contributions is the fact that they have qualified their positions. They have described their backgrounds and experience.

You, to date have failed to do that and resort to childish abuse.

It's a shame. If you demonstrated some veracity people might listen.