Apparently, this is my fifth year as a English teacher. Whilst not strictly true (this year I’ve been taking paternity leave), I am both surprised and impressed with the length of time I have held down a job. On the other hand, I enjoy teaching immensely, and really feel I have found a vocation.

It being a Friday night, and having nothing better to do, I’ve just surfed to the Swedish school inspectors site, to glean some information about the potential effectiveness of my teaching, and found a report based on last year’s visit.

In Sweden there is a national test for all children nearing the end of year five, being 11 years of age. This test includes Maths, Swedish and English, which are considered to be the most important subjects. Information regarding the pupils’ results is freely available (here), and on page fifteen the results speak for themselves:

63% passed Mathematics
84% passed Swedish
89% passed English

Nearly all the pupils have Arabic as a mother-tongue, so it is not as impressive as it looks, but 89% is still more than acceptable. This is due, in part, to Sweden hosting English/American programs on TV, but this alone cannot account for such a high pass-rate.

The best thing of all is that I have no teaching qualifications at all. In fact, I have fuck all education. I am interested in languages, though, and I do seem to be able to connect with the kids, both as an equal and teacher. So, a big “go fuck yourselves” to those in Sweden who are trying to ensure the nation’s children are taught by properly educated teacher.