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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