Though it does not make them the be and and end all of ESL knowledge then now does it?

Fair enough, a valid point. I personally do not feel there is any one individual on these boards who can claim to be an "absolute authority" when it comes to teaching ESL. I knew people with masters degrees and PGCE's and they still could not teach a class full of uni aged chinese students, yet I only had a degree and felt comfortable doing it, and was good at it. Knowing mandarin also helps, but you get those with too much education, who think they need not learn mandarin, as they are there to teach english only and other such reasoning.

There is something to be said for a teacher who can keep the attention of young kids while actually teaching them something.

Again, fair enough, just I would not like to teach the little horrors myself.