PE teacher taught mathematics without qualification at Hyogo junior high school

Sunday 31st August, 06:35 AM JST

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proxy at 02:09 PM JST - 31st August

He was probably the best math teacher that school ever had.
papaguy1980 at 04:08 PM JST - 31st August

To be a teacher in Japan, all you need is a book to read from and an answer key. It seems to me that all teachers do is set some work and then send the kids home to study and pain over the work themselves. A PE Teacher is probably better than a Maths teacher for doing this, as they're more likely to get the bored stupid kids motivated.
nutsagain at 06:27 PM JST - 31st August

memyselfi: That may be, but perhaps she could construct sentences better than you. My God, I hope you're not teaching English. Dreadful...
Englishesquire at 06:41 PM JST - 31st August

There are a lot of interesting commments here, I have to agree with most of them, but is it different from most developed countries. It would be a better world if one could achieve things on merit and not based on pieces of paper issued by some authority cetifying a person as able to do something. I guess it is just part of the rules of the game.
browny1 at 06:57 PM JST - 31st August

The article is light on in details but if he has the skill and know-how as other posters suggested, where is the harm?

From my experience in Australia, multi-majored teachers in completely different disciplines teach. A close friend is the vice-principal of a country high school, is the P.E. senior, a junior maths teacher and junior science.

Versatility is certainly an asset in the education field.
bamboohat at 09:34 PM JST - 31st August

you guys are all arguing from a theoretical point of view. Of course teaching ability is more important than certification. But to discover that he was teaching without certification and NOT punish him publicly would be admitting that certifications were NOT as important as ability, and NOBODY in this country is prepared to do that, unless they are well respected, retired and have nothing to lose. Or drunk and homeless.
DanManjt at 05:37 AM JST - 1st September

jwills79

From UNESCO.

And yes, literacy means, well, different things to different people. For example, USESCO rates the US as having a 99% literacy rate as well, and I think we all know there is more to literacy than a sixth grade edumication.

Be that as it may, Japan does rate at the top in the world for what we can term basic literacy. Which, considering its cumbersome writing system, is not something to sniff at.

As many of Japan's critics are wont to.
DanManjt at 05:41 AM JST - 1st September

Qualification to become a teacher in Japan is a joke.

I wonder from what data base you've drawn this conclusion. If you're operating off your experience, well... l have a much different experience. To be sure, when living in Japan, I largely lived in wealthier areas. And I found the teachers, on the whole, more than adequite.

A far cry form a joke.
bushlover at 09:12 AM JST - 1st September

adequate? or adequite? from? or form?... sometimes I wonder how people taking up a profession whether initially trained in it or not really do improve. I'm willing to bet this PE teacher did and that was... adequate.
Altria at 10:47 AM JST - 1st September

Plenty of folks teaching English here without qualifications.
n3312 at 11:09 AM JST - 1st September

In engineering and medicine, a license/qualification is there to prove you are capable of doing your job and if something goes wrong they can hold you accountable for it - in court or other places. I'm a bit divided on what to think about this. What concepts are taught in junior high school math in Japan?

I guess as long as they learn what they need to for that level, this shouldn't be an issue. If they're flunking, then blast him for it.
LIBERTAS at 03:53 PM JST - 1st September

Who gives a rat's rectum anyway? The kids will go to juku to learn what they really need to know anyway, how to pass exams!
borscht at 08:31 PM JST - 1st September

bamboohat,

Every Japanese citizen I have brought this up with has said the same thing: it's not the 'ability' that is important, it's the license. And this teacher lied about having the 'license' not the ability.

What I wonder is the person who released this to the media. Some lower level board of education flunky discovered the PE teacher didn't have the license. He or she told his or her boss. I would have thought someone would have suggested the school give the PE teacher a temporary qualification - he could teach math until he passed the test to be a math teacher. And all would be swept under the rug and no one would be the wiser.
Blue_Tiger at 08:34 AM JST - 3rd September

Just more fuel for the fire of the recent education scandals. If he was doign a good job, and the students were passing, then perhaps he ought to at least be given classes to take so that he can get his license. Still, his self-addition of the false Math License is a lie, and he should be punished for lying....
NetteMarie at 10:10 PM JST - 5th September

I would have to ask how do they certify these teachers. I believe that the guy probably graduated from a good high school where the mathematics were drilled into him as well. I will say he should be punished for lying, but not removed unless he doesn't teach well.

I have met a majority of Japanese English teachers that can't read write or understand the language when it's spoken to them. And people will argue that the teachers know English grammar. But, just knowing where the words should technically go and not what they mean in that order is a problem.

Granted they can't speak the language because they don't use it very often, fine. I'll give you that. But don't tell me how to speak the language or tell me I'm not qualified, cause I've been speaking, reading, writing English my whole life.

This guy taught PE. And I don't know how you get certified in teaching PE? He learned Math all through school, and he can apparently teach Math. Let him do it.