4 ms·

UK teacher comment: can anyone explain what an 'educator' is? I keep reading this strange word on US Web sites and in forums. There are plenty of forums that d

UK teacher comment: can anyone explain what an 'educator' is? I keep reading this strange word on US Web sites and in forums. There are plenty of forums that discuss educational issues available to me. Most of them use 'noisy' forum software. Would be nice to have 'quiet' software like I find HN available that could run on ordinary hosted Web space.

ChuckMcM 14y ago
Generally the term 'educator' is used to describe an individual who has completed at least a masters level degree in Education, one or more state certifications, and is employed full time as a teacher. The original motive for this lingual shift was, as far as I can tell, to distinguish between 'lay' teachers (which is to say people who simply teach what that know) and 'professional' teachers who have studied the art and practice of teaching. However, in colloquial use, the term can be applied to anyone who is teaching students, regardless of their credentials much like folks will use the term 'engineer' to describe someone writing software even if they have yet to graduate from high school.
- corin_ 14y ago
  To me (and I'm not saying this means it is the correct definition, but I think the one automatically thought of by most people I know) the difference is that teacher implies someone who works with school children (up to 18), whereas educator would cover universities etc. as well.
  - ChuckMcM 14y ago
    Not disagreeing with you, but I find that to be an interesting take on it, Universities actually have a pretty well defined set of 'titles' associated with folks who teach there, things like 'lecturer', 'assistant professor' , 'full professor', Etc. I've known a couple of professors who would be hugely offended if you called them an 'educator' for the reason that one of the 'perks' of getting their PhD was that they could be called 'professor.' I will keep my eye out for that usage to see if I can spot it.
    - corin_ 14y ago
      I'd never specifically refer to someone as "an educator", unless I had no idea what they actually do, to me it's sort of a vague genre of job - definitely not as a synonym for actual titles.
Evbn 14y ago
"Educator" is inclusive of administrators and other such overhead people who throw money around and can cause trouble for teachers if they aren't included in the conversation. It is like saying "IT pro" so you include managers alongside techies.
- keithpeter 14y ago
  We call those managers. Summary: An educator is a teacher with a qualification in education and/or a manager in an educational institution below University level. In the UK we try to keep it simple, all teachers have a degree and have had training. Unless they work in 'academies' but that is another can of worms.

ChuckMcM 14y ago

Generally the term 'educator' is used to describe an individual who has completed at least a masters level degree in Education, one or more state certifications, and is employed full time as a teacher. The original motive for this lingual shift was, as far as I can tell, to distinguish between 'lay' teachers (which is to say people who simply teach what that know) and 'professional' teachers who have studied the art and practice of teaching. However, in colloquial use, the term can be applied to anyone who is teaching students, regardless of their credentials much like folks will use the term 'engineer' to describe someone writing software even if they have yet to graduate from high school.

corin_ 14y ago
To me (and I'm not saying this means it is the correct definition, but I think the one automatically thought of by most people I know) the difference is that teacher implies someone who works with school children (up to 18), whereas educator would cover universities etc. as well.
- ChuckMcM 14y ago
  Not disagreeing with you, but I find that to be an interesting take on it, Universities actually have a pretty well defined set of 'titles' associated with folks who teach there, things like 'lecturer', 'assistant professor' , 'full professor', Etc. I've known a couple of professors who would be hugely offended if you called them an 'educator' for the reason that one of the 'perks' of getting their PhD was that they could be called 'professor.' I will keep my eye out for that usage to see if I can spot it.
  - corin_ 14y ago
    I'd never specifically refer to someone as "an educator", unless I had no idea what they actually do, to me it's sort of a vague genre of job - definitely not as a synonym for actual titles.

Evbn 14y ago

"Educator" is inclusive of administrators and other such overhead people who throw money around and can cause trouble for teachers if they aren't included in the conversation. It is like saying "IT pro" so you include managers alongside techies.

keithpeter 14y ago
We call those managers. Summary: An educator is a teacher with a qualification in education and/or a manager in an educational institution below University level. In the UK we try to keep it simple, all teachers have a degree and have had training. Unless they work in 'academies' but that is another can of worms.