There is a debate going on about the preferred qualifications of teachers. Should the primary qualification be a Master’s Degree, or even a PhD, or should teachers be identified for their experience, skills of communication, love of their subject and enthusiasm?
It must be natural for head teachers to treat a further degree as a pre-requisite. To get an MA, and especially a PhD, takes hard work and determination, and there is a presumption that, after all that labour, the candidate must be very familiar with the subject. On the other hand, if someone loves teaching, challenges the children and makes the process fun, then which type of teacher will the children remember, and which subject are they likely to pursue later on? Of course the two types of teacher can be rolled into a single person – academically qualified as well as inspirational. That’s great, but not very common, I suspect.
Epicurus wants us to takes pleasure out of life, learn how to learn, and learn throughout our lives. By whom would you like to be taught?
In Finland, all teachers are required to have a masters degree, and the selection process is highly competitive. But this is possible because Finnish teachers, unlike their British and American counterparts, are paid a salary that a masters degree could typically command. Also, the Finnish culture values education very highly, and as an end in itself- unlike most of the rest of the world, where education is seen as nothing more than a way of training people to work.