Professional Expectations
Teachers Must Always Exhibit Professionalism
The importance of exhibiting professionalism for a teacher.
Teachers are role models for their students and in the community. Because they are role models, they must exhibit professionalism and be ethical in their behaviors and decisions. They must work collaboratively in their school and communities as professionals.
Professional Expectatons
- Contribution - Teachers must contribute to their profession and their students. It is important that teachers are willing to grow and learn with their careers. If teachers expect students and colleagues to put time and energy into school, they must be willing to do so as well.
- Mastery of Subject - In order to impart knowledge, teachers must strive to master the subjects they teach. Effective teachers always work to increase their knowledge and mastery of the subjects they teach. By having a thorough and in-depth understanding of a subject, the teacher has more to offer to the student.
- Thoughtfulness - Teachers must always be thoughtful in what they teach, how they behave and how they interact with their students. Thoughtfulness allows one to effectively communicate and assist students with different learning styles.
- Reflective - A reflective teacher is a teacher who is willing to be flexible and change approaches when needed. By being reflective, a teacher is able to make any necessary changes in their classroom either immediately or over time.
- Willing to Give and Receive Help - Teachers do not teach alone or in a vacuum. Teachers are part of a larger community and must be willing to give and receive help. We are all on same team when it comes to helping our students and one another learn.
Supplemental Standards
- Values Others - Without valuing others, one cannot truly understand or appreciate the complexity of teaching or learning. One must not only value and respect the individual but also the culture and greater learning community. By valuing others, the teacher allows both diversity of culture and diversity of thought to be embraced.
- Committed to Growth and Development - A teacher must be dedicated both to the growth and development of the student and to their own growth and development. By being aware of the developmental stage of the child, the teacher can better present learning and be sensitive to the current and future needs of the student. By evaluating their own ideas and teaching, a teacher can adapt and provide the student with the best possible learning environment.
- Responsibility and Ethical Judgment - Teachers are role models for children and the community. In order to work with the best interest of others in mind, one must be responsible and ethical in their thought and judgment. Teachers have the trust of the community and children and must always be diligent to maintain that trust. By using good and responsible judgment, trust can be maintained.
- Values Continued Learning and Development - Teachers teach and learn all the time. They must value both their own learning and development of that and of the student. One does not learn something to completion. There is always more learning to do. By developing oneself, one has more to offer to the greater learning community.