Ch.2 - Teaching as a Profession

Is teaching a profession? Yes! The professionalization of teaching involves certification, accountability, ethical practice, high practice standards, collaboration and shared decision making, increased knowledge base, and challenging teaching. Chapter two introduces the various educational organizations dedicated to ensuring that every teacher candidate progresses to be highly qualified by setting high standards for maintaining certification.

For example, The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards lists it’s five core components as follows:

1. 
   Teachers are committed to students and their learning.
2. 
   Teachers know the subjects they teach and how to teach those subjects to students.
3. 
   Teachers are responsible for managing and monitoring student learning.
4. 
   Teachers think systematically about their practice and learn from experience.
5. 
   Teachers are members of learning communities.

I believe that it’s important for any profession to maintain a set of standards that is relevant to the times and to the society they live in. Things change, people change, therefore standards must change.