“The public trusts professional teachers because they have the qualifications, including specialized knowledge, skills and judgment, to serve students’ educational needs. In turn, teachers have a responsibility to act at all times in a manner that is worthy of this public trust and consistent with the teaching profession’s expectations.”
In this quote, the words public and trust are extremely important. The trust held between a teacher and the public is something that must be maintained. If there is no trust, the public will not want or allow a teacher to teach their children. This trust has to be maintained at all times, just as trust has to be maintained at all times within other relationships in order for them to be long lasting and successful. The public trusts that teachers will follow the standards of professionalism that have been set out for them at all times. I have been able to see this professionalism in action through observing the teachers in the schools I grew up in. They respect everyone they encounter, they continue to learn and educate themselves on the teaching profession, they strive to gain credentials to allow them to better serve their students, and they strive to meet the needs of every student they teach.
As a student in the Faculty of Education, now is the time to start abiding by the standards of professionalism and the codes of conduct. Number 8 and 9 under the Commitments to Standards of Practice state, “To reflect upon the goals and experience of professional practice and adapt one’s teaching accordingly. To work with colleagues in mutually supportive ways and develop effective professional relationships with members of the educational community.” As I am starting my journey to become a teacher, I feel these are things I should be starting to do now as I will need to be doing them when I become a teacher. I need to reflect upon the goals of professional practice to be able to learn to teach accordingly. I need to build supportive and professional relationships and work with colleagues. I know that the more experience I get now, the easier it will be for me to do these things in the future. As a student in the Faculty of Education, and later a teacher, professionalism needs to be upheld and maintained.
