Professional Standards of Behavior
Posted by PLB Blogger · 3 Comments
“I’m a teacher.” I proudly replied.
In fact, I felt such pride in my response that I didn’t give any thought to the question that was asked: “Are you a professional or a teacher?”
Initially I wasn’t even bothered by the question because I was confident I understood the asker’s intent. But as I thought about it further, I wondered… Were they asking if I have a “real job?” Did they merely want to know if I was still working with students in a classroom? Clearly being a professional is not contrary to being a teacher…..
I realized that although we as teachers are professionals, we might forget about it, and sometimes don’t carry ourselves as professionals. We kind of live as if the high professional standards of behavior are only for the doctors, or those who are part of the justice system. We may fail to remember that we too, are making important choices that can change the lives of the students with whom we work.
Professional Learning Board now has a new course called Ethics for Education Professionals, and I love what this teacher said after looking through it… “I only got through 1/10 of the course and I was moved to tears because it reminds me of the honor that comes with our profession and how educators owe it to the children they serve to protect and provide for them at all times.”
What do you think? As teachers, are we living up to the honor that comes with our profession?
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I am starting to write a book about experiences of substitute teachers. I would love to have anyone contribute interesting stories. Some teachers are true professionals. Others just follow the latest trends and don’t value each student’s potential etc…
The reason I want to write the book is that we as substitute teachers see the overall view of schools and districts as we are in and out of many classrooms. .We have a unique point of view to share with Principals and teachers and others. We can’t say some of the things we think some time s because we want to keep our jobs.
I’ll bet like me, you have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly.
It used to be that teachers were a valued profession. When our salaries did not increase commensurate with the labor market, naturally teachers were devalued. As long as legislatures and school boards do not realize the value of teachers, it will always be hard to be treated as highly valued professionals. In recent years, financial officers and systems management experts hired by the district get more money than some of the more seasoned teachers. As a result, teachers are not seen as a “profession”.
Maybe some day, people will realize that without teachers, academic success will not happen. Football coaches even get more than classroom teachers. Figure that one.
Is it more valuable to be viewed as a professional by external entities or from a personal standpoint. Regardless of the profession, my belief is that is is dangerous to feel validated by someone other than yourself. If you truly value the work you do as an educator and believe in your heart that you are making a difference, why does it matter what naysayers think? Remember the proverb, “as a man(kind) thinketh, so is he.” If you think you’re not a professional, then…