Teaching As a Proffesional Career

             There are 5 dimensions which make an occupation a profession and each could be found in teaching and these are employed by teachers in the classroom everyday. One is that teaching, like other professions, utilizes a specialized body of knowledge. Teachers are required mastery of the subjects they are handling. The knowledge is translated into lessons for the students at a level they would understand and is continually improved upon through seminars and continuing education. Secondly, teaching places emphasis on decision-making. Teachers begin planning lessons by minding goals and objectives. These guide them in deciding as to how to conduct the class, the strategies to use, the sequence of classroom activities and how to assess the learning. Thirdly, teaching involves a lot of reflection for teachers to assess and develop themselves in the profession. They plan lessons carefully and analyze and critique them.

They continually seek to refine their skill. Fourthly, teachers, like other professionals, practice autonomy. In spite the presence of a curriculum and standards, in the classroom it is still the teachers who ultimately determine how they are going to teach the lessons indicated in the curriculum and how the students will be assessed. Finally, teaching is a professional career because it follows ethical standards for conduct. For instance, teachers follow the code of ethics defined by the National Education Association. As they conduct lessons and classes everyday, teachers have to be constantly conscious and aware of ethical principles that they have to exercise in the conduct of their duties such as making sure that they are respecting the views of their students even if these differ from their own personal views, not embarrassing students, and dealing with those who cheat during exams.