Can Anyone Teach?

Posted on 26. Feb, 2009 by Koichi in Education, Revolution, Teachers

anyoneteacher

In short, I think the answer is yes, but I really look forward to seeing what you have to say as well, in the comments! This can be a touchy subject – I’ve seen lots of debate go back and forth on this. I’ve seen “old school” (haha! pun!) teachers argue that in order to become a teacher, you must go to teacher’s school, and you must get a masters in teaching. If you don’t, then you don’t have the know-how or experience to become a teacher. On the other hand, I’ve seen others argue that anyone can teach. It’s not something you necessarily have to go to school for, and everyone has something that they can share with the world. Everyone has something that they are an “expert” in. I think they’re both wrong.

Anyone can Teach

To put it literally, anyone can teach. It’s a fact. Not everyone, however, can teach well. But, it’s not always a matter of experience. I have had so many terrible teachers who were longtime veterans. They knew all the ins-and-outs. They’ve had 20 years to “perfect” their lesson plans. And yet, they were uninspiring, unpassionate, and I didn’t learn very much at all. I didn’t want to learn. When I think back to my teachers, the best teachers weren’t necessarily good because they had been doing it for a long time. My best teachers were good because they were passionate about teaching. I’ve had awesome teachers in their twenties, and awesome teachers in their fifties. Despite their complete difference in experience and age, they were both great teachers… because they loved what they were doing, and it showed.

Not Everyone Can Teach

Unfortunately, not everyone is going to be a good teacher. I do think, however, that there are a lot of people out there who have no idea that they’d be a great teacher. A ton of people who have never thought about teaching, but would be fantastic at it nonetheless. These people didn’t get their Masters in Teaching. They are just passionate about something, and through that passion, could do an amazing job sharing it with the world. I think everyone knows someone like this. Someone that you wish would share everything they know with the world, because you know there’d be a line of people waiting to listen.

That’s why I love eduFire. It’s an open platform, which means anyone can join and start teaching right away. There’s no screening process, and anyone, no matter their location or experience, can be a part of our teaching community. If there was a screening process, there’s no way I would have gotten in. I have no real teaching experience, and have been learning along the way (and I think… well, I hope, my students are enjoying their classes).  Great teachers will rise to the top, and not so good teachers won’t. Some veterans of teaching might have the advantage, and some might not. Some greenhorn teachers will hit superstar teaching status, because they inspire others to learn. I haven’t seen any correlation between experience making a teacher good. The only thing I’ve seen so far is passion, and teachers who can stay passionate their entire teaching career are going to climb to the top. If I were to put it into math terms (which I’m really really bad at, because I’ve had a lot of terrible, but very experienced math teachers…)

Experience /= Win

Passion = Win

Experience + Passion = Double Win

So what do you think? Am I just blabbering on like an old fool? Like I said, I’m really looking forward to your perspectives in the comments below!

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  • I think you have a good point here. Everyone can teach, but not everyone can teach well. I learn more from passionate teachers, than from "plain" teachers.
    On the other hand, I've gained more from classes with (normally) boring teachers, but with engaged students who ask interesting questions, and then the teacher too gets more involved and inspiring. So, maybe even the students have to be engaged to learn too? That would be Tripple win ;)
  • That's a really good point, and not something I thought about at all! Students that want to learn can definitely re-inspire a teacher... something like that deserves its own article, very smart!
  • Gihan
    Not anyone can teach. Teaching is a talant from Allah. So who feels this talant in himself, he can teach and benefit others with it. Also who likes teaching can teaches better than who takes teaching as a proffesion only, because when he likes teaching, he'll be creative in it.
  • Miss_igirisu
    There are lots of untrained English teachers out in Japan who are living proof that with 2 days' practice, anyone can teach, but you are right in saying that some of those people cannot teach well. I worked with an ex-Nova man who was a good teacher generally, but as a TESOL-degree holding person, I could see things like how his language was far too complicated for the students, and his teaching technique was a little off.
    Teaching can be done with no training but for it to be done well, teacher-training is a must, I think.
  • I am working on a post with this topic for my own blog for quite a while now.
    I think it depends on your definition of teaching. Yes, anyone who can read can "repeat" what is written in a school book. But is this really teaching?

    It's like Formula 1 (or Nascar for you in the US). Everybody can make a driver's licence but only a selected and naturally talented group of people can handle a car (a class / a student) with 300 mph ;).

    Btw, Jon send an interesting link to a speech of Bill Gates on Twitter a couple of days ago. Gates speaks about deseases (of course) but also education.
    Two of the main points are:
    1) a Master degree does not affect your teaching at all
    2) the top 25% of the teachers (most of them very young and "unexperienced") are able to lift the average in a class up to 10% per year!

    Follow the white rabbit: http://www.ted.com/talks/bill_gates_unplugged.html He starts talking about education at the middle of the presentation ;)
  • Hi Koichi!

    I'd just like to highlight three of the things you said:

    "My best teachers were good because they were passionate about teaching."
    "They are just passionate about something, and through that passion, could do an amazing job sharing it with the world."
    "Some greenhorn teachers will hit superstar teaching status, because they inspire others to learn."

    I think it was the great Victorian educationalist (!) Matthew Arnold who said that the job of a teacher is not to teach, but to teach the pupils to teach themselves. Teaching isn't about passing on facts, teaching is about inspiration and motivation and pointing the way. You don't even have to be a teacher to do that: Probably anyone who's learnt a foreign language could give some very useful advice (not to mention inspiration and motivation) to someone who's just starting.

    I suspect that interest and enthusiasm are infectious: If you're interested in what you're teaching (that text you're reading with the students), you'll probably find that your students will find it interesting too. If you don't even like the book you're using, how can you expect your students to?

    One question comes to mind: What is teaching? If I've learnt one thing as a teacher, it's that teaching is a two-way thing. Sometimes I think I learn more from my students than they learn from me! Nobody likes being talked down to, most people have something to say and enjoy being listened to. Perhaps that's the quality a teacher needs: The ability to listen, the willingness to learn.

    Not everybody is willing to listen: Not everybody can be a teacher!
  • My daughter thinks I should be a teacher in school because she sees only teachers at school and mum at home. But I am Montessorian trained, teacher and have not been working since I have to look after her. She can sense there is value in the way I guide her on her schoolwork.

    A teacher needs to become the fascilitator between the environment and the student. One cannot think of the student as an empty vessel to be filled in with knowledge. This thought will lead one to become the expert who has no time to help the student in any way in his journey. Yet an expert opinion is always good to have because experts spend many years studying just one field of knowledge and pursue it till he finds solutions to problems. He in turn passes on the knowledge to teachers.
  • Michelle
    KOICHI! Yes I think that everybody can't be good at teaching, lol.
    But in the 9th grade I had a REALLY great teacher. I loved the way he taught, and the things he taught. He always kept thing interesting, and I learned A LOT. But, the thing was that I really sucked at his class, haha. It was amazing that he kept me so interested even when I was almost failing xD
    Then, this year my science teacher, is a really bad teacher (I guess my opinion?? but... not really, lol) She throws us worksheets every class, and doesn't even bother to tell us where to look. She just tells us the answer? Even to tests. She goes over the test questions right before the test as a "review" Lol. But I'm making an A so there's no need to complain. But its not one of my favorite classes...
    But I've always felt that teaching a language is EXTRA hard >_<"
    My first Spanish teacher was REALLY confusing, my second Spanish teacher was REALLY good, and then my third Spanish teacher makes it fun. It takes a while to find a great teacher, lol. Anyways... yeaaaaaahhh!~~
    I'm done saying random things ;D
  • DamonBarnhurst
    I believe anyone can teach, but not everyone can teach all things well. No teacher knows everything. Just like everyone can learn, but some are better at being a more persistant and dedicated learner. Teaching is an art that requires constant work and dedication to be the best. To be great at anything requires dedication. I like that passion was mentioned. Passionate teachers are what inspires students, not the knowledge they have.
    I also believe that anyone can teach, but not everyone is a teacher. To be a teacher today is much more than just dispersing knowledge. Those of you that are teachers know what I am saying. I know many people that are great (teachers) presenters and they are very inspiring. However, I know they would never step foot in a school classroom because they don't have the other intangibles of an effective teacher. How many of you have heard things like, "I could never do what you do." Or perhaps you have heard, "They really should pay you guys more for what you do." Some of these intangibles would include patience and flexibility. Teachers don't just prepare a lesson and share it with the class. There is so much more to being a teacher.
  • You are very correct. It takes experience and passion to teach well. Some people do it just to make a living and the do the students an injustice. Those that have the passion leave a positive impact on the student that lasts a lifetime.
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