Of Velvet’s observation I have no doubt. Unless we manage to put a stop to it before its too late.
I’m sure your intentions are of the best for all involved, Siegi, but if it’s such a good idea, why does it need the government to back it up with the threat of the sheriff and the courts and fines and jail?
Of course licensure does have two big advantages for those grandfathered in:
First, it keeps down annoying competition. Worked great for several other professions. (See below.) If I were insecure about my abilities or worried about competition, I might well be tempted to lobby for it.
Second, that it can allow the majority view to throttle those who disagree with their approach, and get rid of them by force. (Won’t it be fun to watch the public screaming matches between the NH people and the majority of traditional people in the State Licensing Board Hearing Rooms, once the majority discovers the possibility of putting an end to those NH heresies once and for all? It worked great for the AMA in getting rid of those pesky ‘quack’ homeopaths, chiropractors, midwives and the like. They almost pulled it off with the osteopaths, too, and actually managed to get away with it in some states. [Yes, of course I am being sarcastic but don’t want to train wreck the thread. No, I do not want the pro and anti NH factions to form up here. This is not the place, but it IS a good illustration of what can be expected, and we all know it.:yes:])
After reflecting on its nature, you don’t seriously want these outcomes, do you?
No it really won’t. See comment on the final quotation, below.
What choice do parents have unless they home school or send the kids away? Look at all those fine quality :no: public schools around the country we have with certification. But people with masters and doctoral degrees who (also:yes:) know what they are talking about in spades, cannot teach in primary or secondary schools unless they take all those fine courses on child development that qualify the present lot who are performing so very well whether they know their subject or not. (There are many excellent school teachers who, of course, also have obtained the credentials, by definition. They know who they are, and they also know the others of whom I speak. Everybody in every profession pretty well knows where they stand in the herd order and why, alphas, betas, epsilons and omegas.)
There is nothing whatever illegitimate about teaching riding or the profession, certificate or no certificate. It is no puffball endeavor and it does not need to be ‘legitimized.’ The only people who feel the need to prove something are those who are new and may remain a bit insecure while they have established themselves, and those who sense they may need a shield behind which to stand. Hooray for those who want to better their education. But it is naive to overstate the significance of any credential.
I personally know people with dual doctorates and walls of riding ribbons and trophies, people whose riding ability I could never equal in two full lifetimes, who can’t in my personal experience teach riding worth squat. And fine riders of notably lesser ability without a high school diploma who could. Been there, seen that, even if I didn’t ‘study’ with them.
Which of the incapable instructors you or I refer to would not have successfully obtained some kind of certificate from somebody?
So, if no parent walking in off the street without a magic decoder ring can tell which certificate means something and which does not, and if licensure is basically a political power play to exclude competition so as to lower supply and get rid of heretics (and the stray incompetent who quickly would be culled by the consumers anyway, credentials, licenses or not), then what is to be gained by this credentialing and licensure charade?
Make no mistake, I think that if someone wants to obtain a certificate for anything they have studied, that is fine. The process can be good for their professional development because it may make them more well rounded and highlight gaps, if any.
But certification (and certainly licensure) is no panacea for perceived problems. People who are good are good; people who are not, are not. (Recall that what works for some people does not work for everybody.)
From the standpoint of people who know nothing and want to learn or want their little kids to learn, at very best the presence or absence of a credential is equivocal. At worst it is a misleading and false reassurance that somebody is capable when they may not be.
We all arrived on earth with the ability to inquire, to reason and to evaluate. Nothing can substitute for that, or relieve human beings of the responsibility to do so. Any argument to the contrary is at best wishful thinking. At worst … All I can say is that you pays your money and you takes your choice. We see examples on every COTH forum every day, and if you think the horror story examples could have been avoided by pieces of paper, you’re a lot more trusting a soul than I ever will be.
And if grandma or grandpa wants to teach the grand- and neighbor kids to ride, would we send them off to jail?:eek:
