Professionalism

The tag line at the beginning of this blog mentions the word professional. That is a loaded word in teaching. Many teachers bemoan the fact that the public does not treat teachers as professionals. If asked to elaborate, those same teachers will include the fact that teachers are not paid on a scale with other professionals. Teachers spend an equivalent amount of time in college, especially if it is taken into consideration that teachers must continue to accrue credits to renew their credentials. So, where is the break-down in perception?

I have heard the argument that everybody goes to school and therefore, everybody has an idea of what a teacher's job entails. Many will argue that this entitles the public to an opinion on how best to do a teacher's job. Certainly that argument negates the public from second guessing doctors or lawyers. In fact, I can think of no other professional career in which the majority of the public has participated. But, I'd like to explore another side to the break-down of why teachers may not always be considered professionals.

The best definition of professional that I've come across comes from some of the literature I've read on professional learning communities. A professional is someone who understands that they are building a career on an ever-changing, ever-expanding body of knowledge. A professional realizes that it is imperative to remain current on the trends and research of their profession. If a doctor was not reading their professional journals and keeping up with the latest developments in their field, I doubt their practice would remain vibrant or viable. Patients have a tendency to want the best and most recent treatments available. Those patients (clients) change doctors when the care they are receiving is perceived to be lacking.

I recently asked a secondary mathematics teacher what he was reading. He started to describe a NY Times best seller. I stopped him to clarify that I was asking what he was reading professionally. He said, "I don't read that crap". WOW...really!? There's a professional. I told him that he may as well have slapped me in the face. It seemed like a real affront to all the teachers who try to keep abreast of the changes in their field of expertise. I gave him my analogy about a patient being able to change doctors when becoming aware that your doctor is about to bring out the leaches (yes, I know that some doctors are taking a new look at using leaches). I asked him what recourse his students have when their teacher is still teaching as if it's 1954. There are very few students who can change their schedule to change teachers. And then there's no guarantee that when you get the better math teacher you won't get the antiquated science teacher.

If teachers are ever to be considered professionals on par with doctors or lawyers, they are going to have to seriously consider the rights and responsibilities of the designation. They are going to have to become a community of learners who understand that the profession as a whole is only as strong as the weakest link. There are so many professional organizations for mathematics teachers. A great beginning would be NCTM. I strongly recommend that mathematics professional educators start to embrace the changes in mathematics education. Engage in a conversation based around an article in a journal. Start to talk about what your classroom will look like as the United States transitions to the Common Core State Standards. How will the Standards for Mathematical Practice and the ideas of what it means to be a 21st century learner change your practice?

Honestly, I see how my 20 year old son learns. He has little patience for sitting without opportunities to engage in the discussion. He wants to obtain information on his own and use it to discuss and solve problems. If teachers continue to "stand and deliver" without giving students opportunities to fully participate, I think there will be two outcomes; the United States will stand firmly in 25th place in the world and teachers will make themselves obsolete. In the 21st century, information is easily obtained. Teachers need to be the ones who help students take the information overload and put it together in meaningful ways. That's what I think a professional understands.