Professionalism in Teaching

"The only way to keep our kids foolproof is to keep them away from fools."

-Will Rogers

Is Teaching a Profession? Yes• commitment to serve• unique skills• autonomy

No• students have many

teachers• limited training• constraints on autonomy

• It's a good idea to be prepared, unexpected situations may test your professionalism

 • Not only are you working

with students, but with a group of people who have similar responsibilities and concerns as you

 • While support is available to

you, you must be support for others 

Recognizing Excellence in

Teaching

Teaching as an Evolving Profession

Better Preparation

Greater Self-Determination• Teachers must

take on a larger roll in the governing of their career affairs

• Direction of the schools and the curriculum?

• Teachers must demand higher standards of preparation

• Teaching will appear better because they are better!

• Define the career of teaching and set high standards• Teachers must aspire to the definition of a committed

career teacher and a majority must reach the standards for teaching to be taken as a professional

Professional Attitude and Ethics of a Teacher

A Teacher with a Professional Attitude...• learns every aspect of job• discovers what is needed• is focused and clear-

headed• has a promising future• jumps to difficult

assignments• keeps work area clean and

orderly• is level-headed and

optimistic• does not let mistakes slip

by 

"What office is there which involves more responsibility, which requires more qualifications, and which ought, therefore, to be more honorable than that of teaching?"-Harriet Martineau

Levels of Professionalism• Level One (initiative-maintenance) : mechanical, keeps students busy,

teaches to the test, no response to unique needs of students

 • Level Two (meditative) : similar to level one, stays on course and goes a

little beyond, little innovation

 • Level Three (generative-creative) : focus on individual

students, educational goals as launching pads, uses interests and talents, expectations go beyond test scores, goal is to create desire to learn

Professional Attitude and Ethics of a Teacher

Competence• preparation and

knowledge of content area

 Performance• effectively teaches

concepts and life application

 Conduct• initiates and maintains

quality communication with students, teachers, administration, and parents

 

Professional Development • growth of new knowledge

and demand for new skills • teachers as continous

learners (independent study, graduate study, mentoring)

 • teachers as the object and

artist, transforming vision to reality

 • teachers must make a

lifelong commitment to be an artist 

"The improvement of understanding is for two ends: first, our own increase of knowledge; secondly, to enable us to deliver that knowledge to others." -John Locke

Support For Professionalism 

National Board For Professional Teaching Standards • supports level three teachers

 • works to set new standard

 • offers salary bonuses for

      certification assessments • five distinguishing characteristics and

core propositions

National Education Association• assists  retired teachers, teachers

aides, administrators, and future teachers

 • offers publications on salary scales

and teacher attitudes

 • special services including travel

programs, mutual funds, and insurance policies