In a system held hostage by credentials, the number of unfit teachers will only continue to rise. The crisis on the front lines of education stems from looking solely at superficial qualifications while ignoring the core competencies and internal mastery a teacher truly needs. When tragedies occur, they are actually the result of a structural, systemic failure.

If you want to become a teacher at an infant care center, the bare minimum requirement is to obtain a babysitter certificate. Of course, you can take it a step further, study for two more years, and qualify as a child care worker.

If you want to become a preschool teacher, the minimum requirement is to secure child care worker qualifications through various available pathways. Of course, you can put in a bit more effort, pass the teacher certification exam, and bump your salary up a little higher.

Every single practitioner holds a piece of paper called a "license" or "certificate." It is viewed as the symbol of professionalism because obtaining it requires attending classes, studying, and passing exams. You spend the time to complete the procedure, and the certificate supposedly declares that we have advanced to the rank of "professionals." But let’s put our hands on our hearts and ask ourselves: Is every certified, qualified teacher truly a capable and competent one?

The absolute core of early childhood education is the ability to interact with children in a friendly, skillful manner over extended periods of time. The true expertise of early childhood education lies in the ability to nurture capable children. Now, here is the catch: Can a written, paper-and-pencil certification exam truly detect whether a teacher is capable of sustaining a healthy, long-term relationship with children? Can a certificate alone guarantee that a teacher possesses real capability?

Children are not products; therefore, teachers cannot view themselves as salespeople, following standard operating procedures (SOPs) just to keep children neatly arranged on a shelf. A teacher must provide fully "customized" care tailored to each individual child. This is a highly sophisticated skill. It requires a deep understanding and application of child development, psychological principles, collaborative communication with fellow teachers, pedagogical research, preparing an environment that meets the child's needs, understanding family dynamics, and mastering the art of routine scheduling. More importantly, it requires the teacher to have deep self-awareness and control over their own emotional state.

Becoming a well-rounded human being requires a long developmental period and a massive amount of learning—even more so when our role is to guide other human beings into becoming who they are. Early childhood educators desperately need a supportive training environment and professional backing, allowing them to transcend the level of mere "caregiving" and become true guides.

Certification—a relic of the imperial examination era—carries embedded connotations of "standardization" and "fairness." Yet, upon closer analysis, what children actually need is an "adult's heart"—a heart capable of total acceptance and understanding. Secondary to that is having excellent interaction skills. Think about it: all parents are essentially "driving without a license" (meaning they don't hold a parenting certificate), yet a teacher can never replace a parent. This is because biological parents are born with an innate "catalyst" for nurturing their young—they will exhaust every possible method just to connect and be with their child. Early childhood teachers need to be immersed in an environment that acts as this very catalyst, allowing them to naturally radiate love from the bottom of their hearts. That is the true standard by which children judge a teacher.

The certificate—a product of the system—acts like a tightening curse on administrators. In an industry plagued by a widespread shortage of quality talent, directors are forced to grit their teeth and tolerate those who are unfit, mediocre, misaligned in philosophy, or poor in attitude—and sometimes even those who have already caused issues. They do this not to make a little extra money from tuition fees, but because they simply cannot simultaneously handle severance pay, regulatory investigations, and parental contract disputes. Certification has become a monstrous entity on the front lines of early childhood education—completely indispensable, yet dragging everyone down into an abyss.

When a child's heart gets hurt, this entire system is an accomplice.