Is anyone else fed up with the latest 'buzz' words and fancy names for things that, I feel, already exist? The latest 'in' word seems to be 'pedagogue'.
Unsure of its exact meaning, I looked it up in the Illustrated Oxford Dictionary: 'Pedagogue - School-master, teacher (usu. contempt). Pedagogy - Science of teaching.' Does that mean the word is often used in contempt? And surely the science of teaching is taught in teacher training?
It seems to me that within a few years, all childcare practitioners will need a degree. Once they have their 'pedagogue' degree, will the childcare sector be willing (or able) to pay the rate that one would expect with a degree? Sadly, I think not.
People seem to want a grand label these days. We started with playgroup assistants, nursery officers, nursery assistants, supervisors. Now we have titles such as manager, deputy manager, team leader, SENCO, playworker and childcare practitioner.
As an NVQ tutor/assessor, I agree that qualifications and training courses are necessary to make sure high standards are in place. But I am sure there are hundreds of people like me, who just want to get on with the job we love - enriching children's lives and helping them to learn through play and just being able to use our common sense.
Jeannette Stone, Portslade, East Sussex
