As an educator for the past four decades there is very little in the way of conversation that I haven’t discussed about what it is to be a teacher. In these discussions, over all of these years, there is one position taken by many people which always gives me cause to think less of the person with whom I am having the discussion. It forces me to question their bias on the subject. The statement that sets me off is usually some variation of,”teaching isn’t really a profession”.
The person at that point of the discussion would usually talk about the hours in the day and the weeks in the year that teachers work as if that had something to do with what a professional is. Ultimately, it always ends up with some comment about the idea that teachers belong to a UNION so they can’t be professionals.
I found two different definitions of Profession and neither mentions a disqualification of status because of time spent working or any union affiliation:
A calling requiring specialized knowledge and often long and intensive academic preparation…
A vocation requiring knowledge of some department of learning or science: the profession of teaching…
I have always taught in New York. There are many different requirements for teacher certification throughout the fifty states, but the common link is a higher education degree. That requires at least four years of college. Many states require a Master’s degree, which involves an additional two years of education. Teachers are required to be content experts as well as education experts all of which entails specialized knowledge and often long and intensive academic preparation to enter this vocation requiring knowledge of some department of learning or science. I would say that teaching meets all the requirements to be considered a profession.
It is the very lack of respect for teaching as a profession that forced teachers into considering unionizing in the first place. We are not far from the days of the Schoolmarm, when the work ethic and morals of teachers had a different standard than everyone else. Teaching was often viewed as a part-time job suited well for women because of the limited hours and an academic calendar. I remember back in the 50’s and 60’ teachers were forced to work second jobs in the summers to support their families. If one’s value to society was based on compensation, teachers had very little. People referred to it as a calling as if because of that calling a salary was of little consequence. Teachers, after all, were civil servants. That implied that they were servants to the people, and a servant is not a professional.
It was that very attitude that forced many teachers to organize. The result was not only a better job and working conditions for teachers, but, as a result, it created a better learning environment for students. The real effect of teacher’s union contracts By Matthew DiCarlo via Valerie Strauss Which was further supported by Teacher Unions Boost Student Achievement According to a New Study in the Harvard Educational Review . Essentially, it stated that states with teachers unions provide a better education for their students.
Of course the other more vocal argument these days is the “BAD TEACHER” cry. That is the label most often used in targeting teachers today. My contact with most teachers spanning 40 years as an educator leads me to believe that the vast majority of teachers are caring concerned and dedicated individuals who have answered a calling. Most are parents as well. They are not bad people or “Bad Teachers”. The profession however needs its professionals to constantly update their knowledge and maintain relevance. Schools need at the very least support this, and in the best case provide it. Professional development however is low on the priority list of schools in need of reform.
The public’s negative attitude toward my profession is further exemplified in its judgment of all teachers based on the actions of a few. It is always a headline story when some teacher does something really stupid. It is stupid to openly blog a rant about one’s own students or, any kids or their parents for that matter. Teachers who have done this are not in the majority. Those are stupid and thoughtless acts of individuals. They probably represent the smallest fraction of a percentage of teachers, yet as a result of the actions of this fraction, we now have places considering legislation banning teachers (only teachers) from having contact with students through social media.
There was a case in Los Angeles recently where two teachers were accused of child molestation. That is a heinous crime and the fact that two people in the same building may have committed it at the same time is astounding. Both of those individuals deserve to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. The district however decided to take it one step further and eliminate the entire faculty of that school before those individuals even went to trial. Again, this is a community that judges an entire profession based on the stupid or illegal actions of a very few.
Teachers are also probably one of the only professional groups to have their salaries printed in local newspapers at the whim of people looking for political gain. Maybe in the interest of transparency, every community member should have their salary posted in the local paper. I am sure that would have great support. That is only one of the indignities resulting in the fish bowl existence teachers must put up with from communities that lack respect for the profession of teaching.
I am a professional in the profession of education. I have worth; a great deal of worth. I am an expert in an area that required me to obtain and document years of education. I have proven my worth in my job every day as a professional teacher. Do not judge me by the actions of a very few. Do not label me a “Bad Teacher” because districts are not supporting fellow professionals with professional development. Many of my colleagues are civil servants, but they are serving a calling. They are not your personal servants. They are professionals in the Profession of Education.
It is really sad when people see teachers as a group that is there to be brought down so often. A profession that those at the, and I use the term loosely, top of society cannot decide whether are the good guys or the bad. When children and young adults “behave properly” we are the good guys and everyone loves us. When “something bad” happens in a community it is our fault. Take what happened last summer in London – that was our fault because the schools were closed!
Yet I defy any teacher to say that they have never had a thank-you from a student or their parents, who has seen someone arrive in their classroom with very little knowledge and understanding, nurtured that stunt through the year and has not felt proud at the end of it. Who has never come away from a tough day at school and said that they did not do their best.
THAT is the markings and makings of a professional. And a teacher that puts 150% into their work is exactly that!
Hi Tom – Agreed, teaching IS a profession. Now let’s get New York State to agree – the Office of the Professions lists 48 licensed professions, and teaching is not one. See http://www.op.nysed.gov/prof/
Nice post Tom! We understand your sentiments.
In ‘music’ education it seems the battle is even tougher. Part of the definition of a ‘profession’ assumes there is a ‘body of people engaged’… Many music teachers however work alone, often isolated from other teachers in general and almost always apart from other music teachers.
This is one of the main reasons we began The Dallas School of Music 20 years ago (and more recently Discover, Learn and Play.com). We wanted to work closely with colleagues, to share ideas, and to develop and learn as a team to create new and exciting ways for folks of all ages to learn music. It simply could not have been done within the confines of an academic (especially musical) setting. The ‘professional development’ we needed to be successful in this endeavor could only have taken place as part of a business model. Sad but true.
Hi Tom,
I agree, 100%, with every single word in this post. Well said, and well done.
Regards,
Thomas
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I really couldn’t have said this better myself.
As a fellow teacher I totally agree with what you are saying. I teach in Australia and the common misconception is it’s an easy job with lots of holidays and shorter working hours. It’s only when someone lives with or really knows a teacher that they realise the endless hours we put in at home after n before school, on wends n holidays, marking, programming writing reports, completing professional development. I challenge the critics to take their work hone with them every night then do work on wends n in their holidays, I think that might change the perspective of people. For the few sickos who do the wrong thing n use Internet porn or abuse kids, they r a small minority n not many other pple who comment such offences have their profession publicized! Great article, well written!
Yes,,,,,teaching is a profession that should not be taken for granted.it marks the beggining of somone who is taught to understand more and make their thinking advanced.Infact,teaching should be given first priority above all
Thank you for that post. I have taught for six years and I wish I had a nickle for every time a person said “Those who can’t, teach”…..right in front of me! I want to pretend I am above it but it does hurt. Just the other night someone tried to convince me that every teacher was a failed author, chemist, linguist, athlete…the list went on. The supposition was that because we aren’t doing something else, we had to “fall back” on teaching. Teaching was always my first choice and I do it not because I failed at speaking Spanish, in fact I EXCELLED at it! I CHOOSE to help others do it. Most professors are in fact very gifted writers-they have to be. We do not criticize people who choose to be nurses that they failed to be doctors. It is time for this attitude to change.
Tom– Agree. I enjoyed the historical perspective. I have been thinking how much I took for granted those who fought to have teaching recognized as a profession the decades before I arrived. Been thinking, too, that is time to gear up for a fight to restore it.
Tonight I thought of my friends who seem more impervious to Wisconsin’s cuts than I am, and I note that most of them are married to a fairly affluent person. It is a sad thing if we weed out those who might consider education because it becomes impossible to raise a family on the salary/benefits.
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Excellent points – great job, Tom!
Well said, Tom.
This is an issue around the world, I suspect, having taught in the UK and Australia, and seen the same attitudes you relate.
The other attitude that bugs me right now is the government one that thinks the “problem” with poor school results on PISA, TIMMS, NAPLAN, etc., can be fixed by putting more pressure on teachers. Right now in Australia we are looking at huge increases in state scrutiny of teachers and universities that produce them. And all the time, there is this underlying theme that teachers and universities are “servants” of the state, to be treated as such.
Your blog is doing its part to remind those prepared to read that teaching is an honorable profession and a calling that deserves respect and acknowledgement from those it serves.
Wow! What a powerful message! Coming from a new (young) educator, I hope that I have gained the insight and wisdom after 4 decades of teaching as you have. Its nice to know that there are still those standing up for “good teachers.” I’ve had my fair share of conversations, even with close friends and family, who’ve argued that teaching was a profession.
Your post reminds me of this video by Taylor Mali…
Its time for society to begin supporting teachers, rather than limiting them – to appreciate teachers instead of criticize them.
Chris Mitchell
Very well said. You know out in the public when people find out that I am a teacher they will start asking me about their child and what I think they should do if the child is behind or if they should register a younger 5 year old in kindergarten. Now I meant know bout you but when you are consulting with a Professional regarding advise then obviously have a great profession! You think of that happening to doctors and lawyers which are regarded as very skilled professionals. Teachers are equally skilled and gifted!
Fact is teaching is not a profession, and never was. Professionals have power over their work and workplaces. Doctors and lawyers choose the hours they work and who they work for. They have strong, respected representative bodies while teachers are treated like semi-skilled labourers and forced to defend themselves against bosses and the government through trade unions. The notion teachers are professionals is disingenuous spin used to sell teaching to students who then spend decades working their backsides off in long, underpaid hours and very little to no control over how they practise their craft and how it is governed. And yes, I’m a qualified teacher and when I see powerless teachers being pushed around by admin and the system but convincing themselves they’re professionals because a handful of parents look up to them to defer to them I cringe and wonder at how a microcosm can have intelligent people behaving so naively.
I’m a middle years teacher and so is my aunt. By definition, teaching IS NOT a profession, not matter how much you want it to be, or how offended you are when told otherwise. I understand lots of people think the label makes you special and above other workers, and so some teachers want to go around calling themselves professionals. But professions, if the exist at all, must include setting your own hours, terms of work, pay and autonomy; none of which typical classroom teachers have. Teacher’s are not professionals, but the good news is most other “professionals” are just workers trying to sound middle class too.
Reblogged this on Freethinkers Notes and commented:
“Those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach.”
Learning how to learn
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