Learn to swim by swimming

One of the quotations in Mao Zedong’s Little Red Book says, “Learn to swim by swimming.” Here, Mao was referring to the importance of experiential education; that you can read and talk about swimming for as long as you like, you won’t learn how to do it until you try. In short, learn by doing.

Thanks to China’s emphasis on English language acquisition, I got to do just that. Without formal qualifications or prior teaching experience, I found myself in a Shanghai kindergarten, suddenly responsible for a classroom full of children. Was I ready? Probably not. But that didn’t matter. I learned how to teach by teaching, and it’s an opportunity I remain grateful for. I remember talking to friends at the time who did their teacher training in the West, and it sounds like I was given a lot more freedom than they were. Many of them were also aghast when they found out I was in charge of a group of children without any kind of pedagogical stamp of approval!

Despite the hands-on approach I experienced in China, I often encountered the same underlying belief—that you can’t truly be effective with children unless you’re certified. Someone without formal qualifications but with a clear talent for working with children would do something that was quietly criticized by more experienced staff. Did you see the way she moved that chair? Did you hear how she asked him to put that material away? These were not mistakes that harmed the children—often, they were just small deviations from what was considered the “proper” way to do things.

The question I have is: should certification and experience be held in competition? Why is it that in some settings, experience is dismissed if it doesn’t come with a formal certificate, while in others, formal training is not required or appreciated? In many cases, both are essential and interdependent—experience helps you understand what training you need to supplement your learning; and training can help expose your mind to theories and ideas you don’t happen to come across day-to-day due to your particular set of circumstances. The phrase isn’t, “Learn to swim by swimming AND NOTHING ELSE.” In the case of teaching in particular, certified teachers bring knowledge and structure, but teachers who have learned by doing bring flexibility, creativity, and fresh perspectives.