write an essay on teaching profession

Teaching Profession Essay

Teaching profession as it has been described by some people is a noble career. I sometimes believe that it is more of a calling than a profession because it really involves transforming the lives of people. This is not an easy task but rather a feat that calls for commitment and willingness to offer the best so that the learners succeed. Often teachers are faced with many challenges that compel them to employ and portray a high degree of professionalism in handling. A successful handling of a problem that arises within the education system proves the capacity of a teacher handle situations effectively. This essay will describe a challenging experience that I had with students and how I dealt with it.

The most challenging experience that I had with students is when the students in a school I was teaching went on rampage. They vandalized school property and many attempts from teachers who tried to implore them to restrain from the damage they were causing did not succeed. The students eventually gave a condition that I was the only teacher they would listen to for them to air their grievances. This experience was one of the most challenging experiences in my teacher career since calm and normalcy of the school was squarely lying on my hands. The students were gathered outside in a field so I had to apply all my wit and appropriate strategies in talking to them. The strategy I used to handle the situation was first to calm the students down because they were ready to talk to me because of my affable nature. Once they were calm, I first started by explaining to them that there are better ways of solving problems rather than engaging in violence.

The strategy I used was to pick a few students who seemed very outspoken and who definitely looked very disappointed with whatever they were complaining about to air the grievances on behalf of the rest. The selected students raised their concerns and aired their grievances as I carefully noted them down in a notebook. The argued that these were issues they wanted to bring to the attention of the administration because they had been complaining for long with no appropriate action being taken. The irate students informed me that they wanted to be sure that their concerns should be addressed once and for all. Consequently they said that they would only go back to class after I took their concerns to the administration. I convincingly talked to the students and promised them that everything would be fine as I was committed towards ensuring that their concerns were addressed. The outcome of my efforts was that the students agreed to go back to class and calm returned in the school which had witnessed chaos for a whole day.

I had the greatest impact in the outcome of the student’s decision to go back to class because they had refused to talk to the rest of the teachers. Through my diligent talk with the students, they could see the sense of having problems solved amicably. I tried to change their line of thought by informing them that chaos were not the way to solve problems. I also impacted on the outcome of the solution by assuring the rowdy students that once they presented their grievances to me, I would ensure that the due attention they deserved would be given and that an immediate appropriate action will be taken to correct the situation.

After a few days of the situation calming down, I wanted to determine whether the outcome was successful or not. To do this, I secretly talked to the student leaders and asked them whether the rest of the students were satisfied with the corrective measures that the school administration took. They confirmed to me that the rest of the students were happy and contended with the solutions that were provided. This confirmed to me that the outcome of my strategy was a great success.

One thing I would do differently from what many teachers do I the approach teachers take when a crisis such like a strike emerges. Some teachers believe that students are always wrong and most of the issues they raise are not legitimate. This is always the case because while at times students may raise illegitimate concerns, most of the times their concerns are legitimate and attention should be paid to them. This is because if teachers only think that students cannot raise legitimate concerns, they will not treat them as they are supposed to and problems will continue escalating.

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Essay on Teaching Profession & Its Benefits

Teaching is an often under-appreciated profession, but the impact of a good teacher cannot be overstated. Teachers are an essential part of society, shaping the next generation’s future.

But what makes a great teacher? There are many qualities that make someone successful in this role. Great teachers balance the needs of their students with their own needs for success; they work to create engaging lessons; and they prepare students for all aspects of life after high school.

Teaching also provides a chance for personal growth and development as well as the ability to make a difference in lives. This essay will explore some benefits of teaching profession.

Essay on Teaching Profession

Teaching is a noble profession. It requires a person to have a deep knowledge of the subject matter, be able to convey it to others, and have the patience for those who don’t learn as quickly as others.

A good teacher is not only knowledgeable on the topic but also has a set of relationships with the students that go beyond the classroom.

Teaching might not be an easy task but it is an important one. Teaching can change someone’s life by teaching them new skills or providing them with a more thorough understanding of something they were previously confused about.

1 – Why teaching is important?

Teachers make a real difference in the lives of people who are ill or suffering. Students learn to develop their own learning styles Students get to know one another and develop social skills and begin to know their place in the world.

The teachers serve the community because they are there to help educate the youth of tomorrow. By having a profound impact on the lives of students and their families, you are helping people reach their potential and providing them with opportunities they might not have otherwise.

Teaching is important because it makes a huge impact on development of society or a country. It is a profession that has the ability make a stronger nation.

2 – Reasons to Become a Teacher

The role of the teacher is to be a caretaker of others; responsible for bringing out the best in everyone you come into contact with. There may be a lot of reasons to become a teacher but some are listed here.

Teaching gives you the opportunity to teach and motivate others to do great things, even if it is a student in your classroom.
The ability to help others learn, both inside and outside the classroom.
Learning new skills and adapting your ways of teaching and learning in order to satisfy the needs of different students.
Learning how to work with others and collaborating to achieve a common goal.
Making a difference and positively influencing lives.
Get credentialed.

3 – Teaching is Great for Personal Growth

Teaching allows you to make a difference in students’ lives, which can be very rewarding for teachers themselves. Teachers can teach lessons about creativity, patience, perseverance, creativity, and responsibility, among many other things.

These lessons are crucial to a child’s life and can help mold the next generation of successful people. Teaching Makes you a better person. One of the best things about teaching is that it makes you a better person.

Children inspire teachers and, in turn, they can teach children to follow their dreams, achieve their goals, and be independent. By teaching students, you can inspire the students you once were. As a teacher, you have the opportunity to teach students the value of education and the joys of learning.

4 – Benefits of Teaching

The job satisfaction level of teaching is particularly high. Many teachers tell us that they are really able to connect with their students and share a passion for what they are learning.

In addition to developing other professional skills, teaching also allows students to learn the essential skills necessary for success in college and in life.

Research shows that children are more successful when they are taught at a younger age, and it is generally recommended that teachers serve from 6 to 18 years of age.

There are many rewards that come with becoming a teacher. Some people become teachers for the financial benefits but others choose it because they have a passion for the subject they are teaching and want to share that love with others.

Teaching also provides opportunities for personal growth and development.

5 – The Need for Teachers

Teachers are needed in all professions, but the lack of teachers in certain occupations, such as in the military, means that there are a lot of people who could benefit from a teacher’s presence. There are about 2.5 million teachers, or 18% of the total teacher workforce, in the U.S., but most of those people will never see the inside of a classroom.

In fact, the vast majority of students who need teachers are not even aware that they need them.

In a culture where children learn at a faster rate, they want more hands-on learning experiences. At present, America’s children spend less time studying and doing traditional lessons and more time doing research, in comparison to their counterparts in other countries.

The teacher’s role in this situation is to provide this hands-on learning experience. Being able to instill in children an enthusiasm for learning is what teachers do best, and the best teacher in the world is one who inspires children to learn.

6 – Challenges of teaching

Teaching is a stressful job, which means that some people are discouraged and turn down the opportunity to teach. However, teachers do not have much time off, since the students usually need to meet with them on a daily basis. Therefore, they have to be at their best and available. The job also requires a lot of patience, because students can be difficult to deal with. Experience of teaching Teaching requires a high level of knowledge, and a good knowledge of the subject of study is necessary. Many teachers also need a thorough knowledge of the educational system in the country they teach in. Teachers also have to be able to read and write in multiple languages, which may be a challenge in the Philippines.

Teaching jobs come with a lot of challenges and stress. Some of these challenges are occupational and some are related to age. Regardless of the challenges you face, the biggest challenges facing teachers are the following: Overcrowding Class sizes are high, especially in public schools. In addition to the extra people in your classes, some schools have open classrooms that are designed so that students can come in and out at will. As a result, teachers spend a lot of time with their students when it is not a class period. This is important to learn about so that you can set up a classroom that will be able to function well. You can train your students in the art of teaching so that they can accomplish more on their own. Relationships Teaching is a way to be in a community.

7 – Teaching as a career

You’ll be able to teach a variety of different things including preschool, home-school, and higher education. You could teach middle school or high school and teach at the college level or teach kindergarten or elementary school and work at the elementary or junior high level. It can be a career you can pursue in order to make a difference in lives. You can learn valuable teaching techniques and then use these techniques for your students. You can take up other interests after teaching. It’s possible to work in the summer to earn extra money. Teaching Essay: What do you need to know? If you’re thinking of becoming a teacher, then you must start reading a lot about the subject. This will help you to find out all the details about it, the job, the pay, and the work-life balance.

Teaching may be the most popular career option in the United States. Even though the job market has not been as favorable to young people as many may think, many remain devoted to teaching. Having a job as a teacher means that you can also be a job seeker. It is important to consider all of the factors before deciding on a career, especially if you plan on staying at one position for the rest of your life. Other careers Teaching may not be the most popular choice for young people, but it is not out of the question. Other options include becoming a police officer, a teacher in a foreign language, or a nurse.

8 – How to become a teacher

As the link between life and education, the teaching profession is not something that you can just wake up and decide to do. You must be attracted to the teaching field and have a great passion for it. In a market where many people are on the lookout for teaching jobs, you must be outstanding in what you do in order to win the position. In the last 15 years, there has been a steady increase in

Becoming a teacher can be simple and economical as well. You can learn the necessary skills in no time by getting some guidance and the proper materials. You can also find free tutorials online on how to become a teacher. You can also find online videos and books on teaching at all levels of education. With these, you can effectively teach the course you need to teach. What to expect when you become a teacher In addition to all these, there is a good deal of satisfaction when you teach because you enjoy teaching. But you can make your teaching life even more rewarding by meeting the students and giving them the experience of learning something from a person. You can give them what you did not have as a student, and then you can teach them more effectively.

9 – Conclusion

Teaching provides a way to give back to society and to help improve the lives of those who come after us. Since teachers have so much potential in the field, they should be given every opportunity possible to use it. Don’t let yourself be left out of the perfect opportunity. Be the one to bring change and be the one to inspire others. Become a teacher, and it will change your life.

Teaching is the profession of imparting knowledge and skills to students in a way that will help them achieve their full potential. As such, teaching can be an incredibly rewarding career. What’s more, teaching is one of the few professions that allow you to work with children and then retire from the same occupation while still young. Teaching gives you the chance to make a lasting impact on the world by inspiring a new generation of thinkers and leaders. Teaching is also a way for people to find meaning in their lives after struggling in other areas.

For some, the feeling that comes from helping others is a driving force that motivates them in life. If you enjoy helping others and have a desire to make a difference in their lives, teaching might be the right profession for you. Helping others, seeing them achieve their goals, and seeing them grow can build a lasting positive impact in your life. Job Security Some people worry about job security in this day and age. Teaching, while not the most secure of professions, is at least considered to be a stable career. There is always going to be demand for teachers because kids need an adult in their life who is always there for them. Teachers will always have a place in the workforce because they help children to learn.

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Teaching as a Profession, Essay Example

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A teacher is an influential person in the society because he or she contributes to imparting of knowledge to all members of the society who go to school. Therefore, teaching is a professional career that needs many skills and expertise for the process to be effective. Various factors define teaching as a professional career.

Teachings as a profession need adaptability. This is because teachers deal with a variety of abilities that students have. Teachers are required to have innovative lessons in order for their students to master their standards (McKenzie & Santiago, 2005). For example, teachers use various innovative techniques to make their lessons to be understood well by students. They employ the use of technology, music, art, physical activities and hands on activities to help students to have more understanding according to their unique learning styles. Teachers also modify their discipline plans because there are students who require extra behaviors support. Teachers also adapt to changes in teaching programs because the curriculum switches in different years. Therefore, teachers are always required to understand how to do things in new ways.

Teachers need to be motivated in order for them to be able to encounter negativity, not from students alone but, also from parents, frustrated colleagues or administration that is not supportive (Lunenburg & Ornstein, 2007). Teachers demonstrate motivation by giving encouragement to students, giving students meaningful feedback, personalized attention to help them succeed. Teachers renew their commitments daily in order to act as positive role model to the students and the larger school community.

Teachers need to be good monitors and evaluators. Teachers need to be able to make an assessment on the progress of the students (McKenzie & Santiago, 2005)Teachers in their day to day duty assess their students in order to find out if they understand the concepts taught. If the students show misunderstanding of the concepts, then teachers employs alternative teaching strategy that makes students understand the concepts taught.

Lunenburg, F. & Ornstein, A. (2007). Educational administration: concepts and practices, 2 nd edition. Belmont: Cengage Learning.

McKenzie, P. & Santiago, P. (2005). Teachers matter: attracting, developing and retaining effective teachers, 1 st edition. Paris: OECD Publishing.

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Chapter 1: The Teaching Profession

Unlearning Box

“Those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach.”

“It’s easy to become a teacher.”

“Teaching is an 8:30-3:00 job. You have it so easy!”

You may have heard people in your own life share quotes and comments such as these. These quotes are hurtful and untrue. Teaching is a profession. Teachers are capable, intelligent, and held to extremely high professional standards. Quotes and comments like these demonstrate gross misunderstandings of what it means to be a teacher in the United States.

In this chapter, we will begin to peer behind the scenes of what it means to be a teacher in the United States. We’ll walk through a day in the life of a teacher, break down what is involved to become a teacher, and close with characteristics of effective teachers.

Chapter Outline

Elementary perspective, secondary perspective, special education perspective, profile of teachers today, undergraduate degree program, graduate degree program, accreditation of epps, provisional certification, residency programs.

Maintaining a Teaching License

InTASC Standards

Professionalism & dispositions, teacher beliefs, a day in the life.

To get started, let’s drop into three different classrooms to get a feel for a day in the life of an elementary teacher, a secondary (high school) teacher, and a special education teacher.

The school doors open at 7 AM, and you greet children as they enter the cafeteria for breakfast. Once morning duty is over, you hurry to your classroom to await the 25 students that will come filing in momentarily. You make sure materials and directions for tasks are ready and calming music is playing. As students enter, you gather signed forms and respond to notes from families, help students with their morning activities, take attendance, and hold a morning meeting. The rest of the day, you are simultaneously teaching the content areas–English, math, science and social studies–and social skills as students navigate groupwork and friendships. Various other educators drop in throughout the day: the reading specialist to work with a group of readers who need extra support, the occupational therapist to help a student with some motor skills still developing, the speech pathologist to help students with articulation and language development, the instructional coach and sometimes the principal to give you feedback on your instruction.

Female elementary students work on a poster.

Pauses throughout the day from the busy pace of classroom life include related arts, where students go to learn about music, visual art, library, P.E., and more while you meet with your grade level for team planning; and lunch and recess, which involve scarfing down your lunch while getting your students through the lunch line, figuring out who changed their lunch choice or left their lunch at home, opening mustard packets, reminding students to eat while they talk with friends, and hopefully scuttling off to check your school mailbox and take a bathroom break. After a post-recess water break, you return to classroom instruction, with a few interruptions for students leaving early for doctor’s appointments, a student needing to go to the nurse’s office, another teacher popping in to borrow a book, or sometimes even a whole-school assembly for a class play or anti-bullying program.

When it is time to pack up for the day at 2:30, you make sure all students know how they are getting home that day, have their materials packed and ready to go, and then you bid them farewell at the door with a hug, high-five, or handshake as they head to their dismissal area. Once your room is empty, you go to monitor a dismissal area to make sure everyone is safe. After school, you might have a faculty meeting, a debrief with an instructional coach based on today’s observation, or time to prepare tomorrow’s instructional materials. You marvel at how quickly yet another day has passed in the life of an elementary school teacher.

The bell rings at 8:15 AM, but you’ve already been at school for more than an hour–making copies, checking emails, and writing the plans and goals for the day on the board. As an English teacher, you’ve decided to work on writing fluency during this year, so as the students enter the classroom, they take out their journals and begin responding to the prompt on the board. Every day the class meets, the students will write for five minutes and then briefly discuss their responses with each other and as a whole group. You write alongside them to model what it looks like, and often share your own writing–at the beginning of the year, most of the students struggled to write for five straight minutes, but now nearly all of them have gotten the hang of it. The rest of the lesson involves a minilesson on figurative language, small group discussions about students’ literature circle books, and a whole group review game to prepare for the unit test on Wednesday.

The school adopted a block schedule last year, so your classes are 75 minutes long. You teach three of four blocks each day; today is an A day, so first block is 9th grade honors and the other two are 10th grade general English. Tomorrow, you will teach two blocks of 9th grade general and one block of 10th grade College Preparatory English. You hate these labels and what they do to the students in the room, and, as department chair, you have been working with your principal to remove such rigid tracking.

High school English teacher with three students

“Bear Block” falls between 1st and 2nd block, and ten students stream into the room to retake tests, make up missed homework, or just hang out and read. You glance at the learning management system and see that there are 45 essays waiting for you, but there won’t be time to look more closely at them until later tonight. During lunch, some of your journalism club students are in the room, partially working on stories and layouts, but mostly sharing the latest news about their friends and acquaintances.

For the Professional Learning Community (PLC) meeting during fourth block, you will meet with the other 10th grade English teachers to look at the results of a common assessment. At some schools in the district, the grade-level teachers all teach the same lessons, but luckily at this school you have more freedom in how you teach the material. There is a new teacher on the team who is struggling with classroom management, so the first 15 minutes of the meeting is spent discussing some strategies that have worked in other teachers’ rooms.

The end of the day comes at 3:15 PM, but it will be another hour or two before you head home–there are sub plans to finish for Thursday because you will be attending a district-wide training for working with English Language Learners, and you are hoping to send at least ten texts and emails to parents. The initial fear of parent contact faded quickly, and now it’s one of your strengths–you reach out early and often, connecting with families around student successes first. Later, if students begin struggling, contact is much more seamless. It’s been a long, exhausting day, but interacting with the students has made it all worth it.

You arrive early in the morning, an hour or so before teachers officially start the school day. You greet the office manager, principal, and custodian on the way to your classroom. Aside from these three, the building will be mostly empty for another half hour. You’ve found that this quiet morning time provides the best opportunity to catch up on Individualized Education Plan (IEP) paperwork, reflect on student data from the prior day, and make adjustments to instruction for the coming day. As the official start time for the school day draws close, you make a quick dash to the copy machine, fingers crossed that it isn’t broken and that there isn’t a line of teachers anxiously waiting their turn. It’s your lucky day. Your last photocopies shoot out of the machine just as the overhead announcement calls teachers to report to their morning duty stations. You quickly drop the copies off in your classroom, pick up your data binder, and dash out the door to the bus loop.

The bus loop is a flurry of activity. You greet students with high-fives, occasional hugs, and countless reminders to “use walking feet.” Amid all of these informal greetings, you are slipping in some IEP services by completing morning check-ins with several students who have behavioral or social-emotional goals on their IEPs. From an outsider’s view, these check-ins don’t look that different from your interactions with any other student. However, intermixed with those high-fives and hugs you quietly assess needs, remind students of the goals they are working on, offer supports where needed, and quickly make notes in your data binder. On this particular day, a third grader with autism reports that he is feeling like “a category 3 hurricane.” You know he needs some quiet time before joining his homeroom class, so you walk him to the computer lab where he has an open invitation to help the instructional technology specialist get the computer lab set up for the day.

The halls begin to clear as the instructional day begins. You spend the next six hours in constant motion, serving 18 students across four grade levels. You transition between co-teaching in general education classes and pulling small groups of students to your own classroom for intensive intervention in literacy, math, or social skills. When co-teaching, your job is to supplement the general education teacher’s deep knowledge of grade-level content with specialized instructional strategies that make content meaningful and accessible for students with disabilities and other learning differences. When providing intensive intervention, you implement research-based programs that target specific skills identified in your students’ IEPs. Data collection is on-going and individualized for each student, so your trusty data binder is by your side in all settings.

Normally, you would end the school day completing check-outs with the same students you saw in the morning. Today, you assign that responsibility to a teaching assistant so you can participate in a special education eligibility meeting. It is the initial eligibility meeting for this student and her family. A team of educators work with the parents to determine if the first grader has a disability and needs special education. Her parents feel overwhelmed by the process and fearful when the team concludes that their daughter has an intellectual disability. This is a moment when your job and your passion meet. You assure the parents that the future is bright for their daughter, that the educational label does not change who she is or who she will be, and that you will highlight her strengths and address her needs as you plan her education with them as equal partners. The decisions that you will make with this family are new to them, but for you they are a familiar and important part of your day as an elementary special education teacher.

Becoming a Teacher

The scenarios above describe some typical teaching days, but not all days are the same in teaching. In fact, each one will be different in some way. Deciding to become a teacher is an exciting commitment to shaping the future, and it is both demanding and rewarding. We’ll take a look at the profile of teachers today in the United States, and then discuss various routes toward earning the credentials necessary to become a classroom teacher.

The National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) collects data on various aspects of education, one of which is the demographics of teachers and students. In the 2017-2018 school year, there were 3.5 million full- or part-time public school K-12 teachers ( NCES, 2020a ). (K-12 means the range of grades public schools serve, starting with kindergarten in elementary school and culminating with 12th grade in high school.) Of those teachers, 76% were female [1] , 79% were White, 90% held a standard teaching license (more on that below), and 58% had earned a graduate degree (at the master’s level or beyond). A majority of teachers were in the middle of their careers, with 40% having ten to twenty years of experience in the classroom. The average salary of a full-time public school teacher was $57,900, with the average first-year teacher earning $44,200. (Note that salaries vary based on years of experience, highest degree earned, and location.)

Stop & Investigate

Check out the demographics of teachers in your state or school district. How do they compare? Find the salary scale for teachers in your local school district. How does it compare?

Let’s revisit some of those demographics on racial diversity. Figure 1.1 depicts specific racial categories of public school teachers in the 2017-2018 school year, compared with the 1999-2000 school year.

Figure 1.1: Racial Demographics of U.S. Public School Teachers, 1999-2000 and 2017-2018

This graph compares demographics of teachers approximately 20 years apart.

Note: Data for teachers who identified as Asian, Pacific Islander, and two or more races in 1999-2000 was unavailable. The 2017-2018 data for teachers who identified as Pacific Islander rounded down to 0.

The trends are clear: in the United States, we lack a racially diverse teaching force, and that trend has not changed much in the past 20 years. While the 2017-2018 school year included more Hispanic, Asian, and multi-racial teachers, teachers are still overwhelmingly White. In the same school year, however, students who attended public schools were only 44% White ( NCES, 2020b ). That means that generally, there are more White teachers and more students of color ( Geiger, 2018 ). This trend is concerning, given that research shows that having teachers of color benefits all students, not just students of color ( Wells, Fox, & Cordova-Cobo, 2016 ).

Seventh-grade social studies teachers gather for a meeting.

There are many reasons why teachers in the United States are not racially diverse. While the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1954 decision in Brown v. Board of Education (further explained in Chapters 3 and 5 ) demanded all schools integrate to address some of the inequalities between separate schools for White and Black students, it did have other consequences that directly impacted the diversity of teachers in the United States. This case caused 38,000 Black teachers (about one-third of the Black teachers in the country) to lose their jobs in the years following the case (Milner & Howard, 2004; Thompson, 2019 ). Even though this historical antecedent did limit access to teaching jobs for Black people, racial discrimination in the hiring process continues to compound this issue. D’Amico et al. (2017) found that despite equally-qualified candidates applying for jobs in one large school district, White teacher candidates still received a disproportionate number of job offers: of the 70% White applicants, 77% received job offers, while of the 13% Black candidates, 6% received job offers (D’Amico, Pawlewicz, Earley, & McGeehan, 2017; Klein, 2017 ). Beyond the hiring process, retention of hired teachers is lower for teachers of color than for White teachers. For example, between the 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 school years, only 15% of White teachers left their jobs, compared to 22% of Black teachers and 21% of Hispanic teachers ( U.S. Department of Education, 2016 ).

Critical Lens: Naming Races

You may have noticed in this section that races are capitalized (like White and Black). Capitalizing these names recognizes the people more than the color. In fact, the Associated Press recently changed its writing style guide [2] to capitalize Black and Indigenous when referring to racial categories.

Pathways Toward Teacher Certification

High-quality, well-prepared educators are the foundation of our educational system. Well-prepared teachers are more effective in the classroom and also tend to have higher rates of retention, meaning they choose to stay in the teaching profession (Darling-Hammond, 2010). There are several different ways that you can become a teacher, depending on where you are in your life and career. These pathways toward teacher certification fall into two general categories: traditional or alternative preparation. Traditional preparation involves an undergraduate or graduate degree program affiliated with an Educator Preparation Program (EPP) , while alternative preparation can take many forms, including provisional certification or residency programs like Teach for America. No matter how you obtain your teaching license , you will have to renew the license periodically.

Traditional Preparation: Educator Preparation Program (EPP)

The most traditional way to earn your teaching certificate is through an Educator Preparation Program (EPP). An EPP could offer a few different programs that would culminate in your teaching certificate. Two popular options are an undergraduate degree program or a graduate degree program.

In this pathway toward teacher certification, participants enter a 4-year degree program knowing that they want to become a teacher upon graduation. Exact majors vary: sometimes you might major in education, or in a specific form of education (like elementary education). If you want to teach elementary school, you are expected to be more of a generalist: you will likely teach all content areas to your students. Therefore, you will take education classes in all of these areas. If you want to teach middle or high school or become a related arts teacher (arts, language, etc.), you will major in your future area of specialization, such as history if you want to teach social studies, or music if you want to be a music teacher. Regardless of the exact structure of the specific program, participants take classes that help them learn about pedagogy (the art and science of teaching), along with specific methods of instruction (such as how to teach the structures of different disciplines like literacy, math, science, or social studies).

Completing coursework is just one part of becoming a teacher in a traditional undergraduate degree program. There are also tests that future teachers must pass to prove they are prepared to teach. Some of these tests occur early in the degree as entrance requirements to an education program to assess basic literacy and math skills; some of these tests occur at the end of the degree as a culmination of all courses. These tests, run by ETS, are called Praxis tests. Their website [3] has information about testing requirements in different states.

Critical Lens: Bias in Standardized Assessments

While standardized assessments have been associated with measuring intelligence and learning for many years, some schools are moving away from relying solely on standardized tests as a measure of aptitude. You or someone you know might not be a great test taker, and you may have experienced first-hand (or second-hand through an acquaintance) how standardized tests aren’t always a reliable measure of what you know. Beyond test anxiety, standardized tests also tend to be culturally biased. That means that some cultural norms are assumed to be shared by all test takers, but this isn’t necessarily the case. A passage in a reading assessment, for example, might assume that a test-taker can build on background knowledge of certain experiences, like going camping, that they haven’t had, or use vocabulary words that are more common in middle-class White households. Another standardized test of intelligence, the IQ test [4] , was used early on by eugenicists to argue that White test-takers scored higher because they were the smarter race, using questionable statistical analyses and overlooking that the tests were written to benefit White test-takers. However, these standardized tests were often used to choose “highly qualified” candidates for jobs such as military leaders, therefore limiting access to certain professions based on race and socioeconomic status.

One of the most important parts of preparing to become a teacher is getting practice working in actual classrooms with actual students. In a traditional undergraduate degree program, you will engage in two different types of field placements. The first types of field placements are sometimes called practicum , which are part-time placements that are often tied to specific courses (like methods classes, where you learn about how to teach specific content areas like language arts, math, science, or social studies). You attend practicum a few hours a week in between your other coursework. In these practicum placements, you get to try out what you are learning in class with actual classrooms, teachers, and students. Sometimes you are observing to learn more; other times you are actively leading instruction in one-on-one, small group, or whole group settings. Your various practicum placements typically will be in different schools and different grade levels to give you experience working with many different types of students and teachers. The second type of field placement is called student teaching or an internship . This full-time placement occurs at the very end of your degree program. You spend all day, every day at your placement, just like the classroom teacher does. As the semester progresses, you will take on more and more responsibility for planning and teaching. By the middle of the semester, you will usually be responsible for all of the planning and teaching for all content areas for several weeks. After those few weeks, you begin passing the instructional responsibilities back to the classroom teacher. Both practicum and student teaching will require you to work closely with the classroom teacher, who may be called your mentor teacher . Neither type of field placement is an official job, so you should not expect to be paid for these experiences.

After you have completed all of your undergraduate coursework, your field placement hours, and your state’s required testing, you will earn your teaching certificate and be ready to apply for your first teaching job.

The first graduate, or post-baccalaureate, degree programs were developed in the 1970s as Masters of Arts in Teaching (MAT) programs (Darling-Hammond, 2010). A post-baccalaureate degree program is designed for people who want to become teachers, but who have already completed their undergraduate coursework in a field other than education. Therefore, a post-baccalaureate degree program allows people to learn how to become teachers while earning a master’s degree. In a post-baccalaureate degree program, courses are often offered in the evenings to cater to the needs of adult students who may be working or have family commitments during the day. Even though its structure is a little different, a post-baccalaureate degree program also has the field experiences explained above (practicum and internship).

After you have completed all of your post-baccalaureate coursework, your field placement hours, and your state’s required testing, you will earn your teaching certificate and be ready to apply for your first teaching job. The master’s degree you will earn in a post-baccalaureate program can result in higher pay for teachers in some states. (Even if you earn your teaching credential in an undergraduate program, you can still earn a master’s degree in education and get a pay increase in many states.)

Research has shown that teachers who earn their teaching certificate through an educator preparation program (EPP) feel significantly more prepared to meet their students’ needs than those that pursue other routes toward licensure (i.e., Darling-Hammond, Chung, & Frelow, 2002). One reason for this finding lies in the high standards that EPPs must meet. EPPs must be accredited by either state or national agencies. Accreditation means that the programs have met specific standards of high-quality teacher preparation programs.

The first national credentialing agency was the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), which was founded in 1954. By 2016, NCATE was replaced by CAEP (pronounced “cape”), which stands for the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation. In their mission, they state: “CAEP advances equity and excellence in educator preparation through evidence-based accreditation that assures quality and supports continuous improvement to strengthen P-12 student learning” ( CAEP, 2020b , “Mission”). To receive CAEP accreditation, EPPs have to demonstrate evidence of their success in five areas, or standards [5] : (1) content and pedagogical knowledge; (2) clinical partnerships and practice; (3) candidate quality, recruitment, and selectivity; (4) program impact; and (5) provider quality, continuous improvement, and capacity. When you enroll in an EPP with CAEP or state-level accreditation, you know you are in a high-quality program that has provided evidence of meeting rigorous standards to prepare teachers.

Alternative Preparation

Sometimes, you decide to become a teacher after you have already earned an undergraduate degree in another field. Perhaps you’ve even worked in another field for several years, and you realize that you would like to become a teacher instead. While each state has different policies and programs for preparing teachers beyond undergraduate coursework, a few common approaches include provisional certification and residency programs like Teach for America.

Some schools face shortages of teachers in certain content areas or in more urban settings, which mean they need teachers as soon as possible–even if those teachers aren’t officially certified just yet. A provisional teaching license allows an individual to become a teacher temporarily, while they work with their employer to arrange to meet the requirements of earning a teaching license (such as taking the required Praxis tests). These licenses might be valid for a period of time ranging from one to three years and typically are not renewable, meaning that if you do not meet the licensure requirements before your certificate expires, you will not be able to continue teaching. Sometimes provisional certification is also called emergency certification, since it is designed to meet an immediate need.

Residency programs are another alternative pathway to receive a teaching credential. Typical participants in a residency model already have a bachelor’s degree prior to beginning a residency program. During the residency program, future teachers work simultaneously on a master’s degree in education while being placed in a school full-time. Typically residents do not serve as the teacher of record in the classroom, meaning they are not solely responsible for all instruction. Residency programs are particularly popular in high-needs areas where there is high teacher turnover and recruitment and retainment of teachers is challenging, such as urban centers. Some critiques of residency programs center on the short-term, intense nature of the experience: while a traditional undergraduate pathway toward a teaching credential takes around four years, a residency may last only one year, with the field experience occurring concurrently with coursework ( NYU Steinhardt, 2018 ).

Teach for America (TFA) is one well-known residency program. TFA recruits from undergraduate completers, mostly from programs other than education, to complete intensive training in the summer immediately following their graduation and prior to assuming their teaching position. Teach for America places candidates in higher-needs areas, while incentivizing the program by offering candidates a free master’s degree in education while they complete two years of teaching in the program. However, fast-tracked, alternative certification programs like Teach for America do tend to have lower rates of retention ( Hegarty, 2001 ). Retention refers to how long teachers stay in the field of education. Higher retention rates lead to higher-quality teachers, since you will keep growing in your competency as a teacher the longer you stay in the profession. Therefore, some alternative certification programs like Teach for America receive critiques for their short-term placement of teachers in schools for a couple of years instead of long-term teaching careers.

Maintaining A Teaching License

Once you have earned an initial teaching license, you will be able to teach for a period of time before you have to renew it. Usually, you will have to renew your license every three or five years; each state sets their own regulations, and different licenses sometimes have different timespans. Renewing your teaching license is important because teaching and learning are constantly changing and evolving, and you will best serve your students by being up-to-date on the latest information. You can earn renewal credits in a variety of ways, including taking graduate courses, attending conferences, attending professional development opportunities offered in your district and beyond, and more. The year your license will expire, you will have to submit a request to renew your license to your state Department of Education, including evidence of how you met your continuing education requirements. You cannot be a teacher with an expired license, so it is important that you remember to keep your teaching license current.

Each state has their own policies for becoming a teacher, so what happens if you earn a teaching license in one state and then have to move to another state? Many state Departments of Education have reciprocity with other states, meaning that your license could be transferred to a new state without having to start over completely. You might have to meet a few additional requirements unique to your new state, such as Praxis tests, but you don’t have to go back to school to get another degree in education. Learn more about reciprocity from the Education Commission of the States [6] , including a state-by-state comparison of reciprocity conditions [7] .

Look up the licensure and reciprocity policies for your state. Here is Virginia’s licensure website [8] . What do you notice about your state’s policies?

Characteristics of Effective Teachers

First of all, what does it mean to be an effective teacher? Effectiveness can be hard to define. Some ways to measure effectiveness include student achievement, such as test scores; performance ratings from supervisors, like administration members observing a lesson; or informal feedback in the form of comments from students or other stakeholders. Defining effectiveness is further complicated by the reality that there are many variables that a teacher cannot control that still impact these various measures ( Stronge, 2018 ).

Pause & Ponder

Who was a teacher who positively influenced your life? What did they do that left this impact? Was it how they approached instruction, interacted with you as a person inside or outside of school, or facilitated an extracurricular club? Now, think about a teacher who negatively affected you. What did they do that caused you to have a less than desirable experience?

As you yourself have experienced as a learner, there are certain characteristics that effective teachers share. Even though all teachers have distinct personalities and instructional approaches that they bring to the classroom–since teachers, like students, are still individual people–here are some practices that effective teachers have in common.

Over the span of 15 years, Walker ( 2008 ) asked college students what made effective teachers in their own experiences and found twelve recurring characteristics.

A high school student is outside with her teacher, examining a plant.

Prepared. Effective teachers were ready to teach every day and used time efficiently.
Positive. Effective teachers were optimistic about their jobs and their students.
Hold high expectations. Effective teachers believe everyone can succeed and challenge students to do their best.
Creative. Effective teachers come up with new, innovative ideas to teach content.
Fair. Effective teachers establish clear requirements for assignments, give everyone what they need to succeed, and recognize that learners are unique.
Display a personal touch. Effective teachers connect with students by sharing stories about themselves and participating in their students’ worlds, like going to a performance or sporting event.
Cultivate a sense of belonging. Effective teachers make students feel welcomed and safe in the classroom.
Compassionate. Effective teachers are sensitive and empathetic to students’ situations.
Have a sense of humor. Effective teachers bring humor into the classroom, but never at a student’s expense (i.e., laugh with, not at, students).
Respect students. Effective teachers maintain privacy and don’t embarrass students in front of the class.
Forgiving. Effective teachers don’t give up on students and start each day without holding grudges about how previous days have gone.
Admit mistakes. Effective teachers apologize when they make mistakes and make adjustments accordingly.

In addition to these personal qualities, there are specific ways to structure learning that are more effective than others. Creemers and Kryiakides (2006) called this the “dynamic model of educational effectiveness.” The dynamic model focuses more on teaching and learning than other factors that are beyond the teacher’s control in the classroom. Eight factors that tend to have an impact on student learning are explained in Table 1.1 (adapted from Muijs et al., 2014 ).

Table 1.1: Eight Factors that Impact Student Learning (Muijs et al., 2014)

As you can see, while we all bring our own personalities to our own classrooms and instruction, there are some practices that have consistently impacted student learning. We will continue discussing those specific practices throughout the rest of this book, and you will continue honing those skills as you continue on your pathway toward becoming a teacher.

Common characteristics of effective teachers can be found in ten InTASC standards . A nonpartisan, nationwide group of public officials with leadership positions in U.S. K-12 education called the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) created a subgroup called the Interstate Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (InTASC). InTASC created a list of ten standards that cover model core teaching practices that high-quality K-12 teachers should be able to demonstrate as effective teachers. These standards were originally released in 1992 to guide early-career teachers, but the group realized that these characteristics were actually applicable to all teachers. Therefore, in 2011, InTASC revised the standards and expanded them to all teachers. Table 1.2 breaks down the 10 standards into the four overarching categories.

Table 1.2: InTASC Standards by Categories

The last category of InTASC standards focuses on professionalism. Teachers are held to very high standards as professionals because of their influence on shaping students’ learning, outlook, and futures. Teachers are expected to be role models, both within and beyond the classroom. Therefore, there are certain interpersonal skills–sometimes called dispositions –that teachers are expected to demonstrate as professionals.

In your own experience as a student, what are some behaviors or actions you have observed from teachers that made you respect them or lose respect for them? How will this impact how you practice professionalism in your future classroom?

A challenge related to dispositions is that research has not yet established an exact set of non-academic qualities that teachers need to demonstrate in order to be successful ( CAEP, 2020a ). Therefore, expectations of which dispositions should be observed will vary. Overall, here are a few examples of dispositions that you should possess as a future teacher.

Communication. You will be expected to demonstrate mastery of oral and written communication with a variety of stakeholders, including students, co-workers, administration, and families. Communication should be respectful and positive, and teachers are often expected to demonstrate mastery of conventions of standardized English.
Professional image. Related to communication, you are expected to portray a professional image in words and actions. You will be expected to dress professionally. You will be expected to avoid documentation of overly reckless behavior, such as photos on social media of drinking to excess at a party. As a teacher, you are a representative of your school district, and you are expected to maintain that professionalism within and beyond the classroom.
Organization. While there is no one “correct” way to be organized, you will be expected to manage your time, complete tasks by deadlines, and show up to work on time. You will also need to be able to organize student records (including assessments) and return assignments to students in a timely manner.
Collaboration. You will be expected to collaborate with a variety of stakeholders, including students, co-workers, administration, and families. Many times, you will be interacting with people whose backgrounds differ from your own, and it is very important that you respect the contributions of others, even if you would not approach a situation in exactly the same way.
Reflection. You will be expected to reflect on your instructional practice and adjust your next steps accordingly. Rarely does an instructional activity go perfectly, and that’s OK! Teachers must be able to reflect on what went well and what to change going forward.

Critical Lens: Linguicism

You’re heard of lots of -isms: racism, sexism, classism. What about linguicism? Fain (2008) cites Skutnabb-Kangas (1988) to define linguicism as “unequal treatment of languages based upon power structures that privilege certain languages as having legitimacy” (p. 205). People often assume that “Standard English” is right and everything else is not (Wheeler & Swords, 2006). Standardized English received this position as a “prestige dialect” (Wheeler & Swords, 2006) about 500 years ago, when the self-declared “superior” Europeans came to the Americas and began interacting with the so-called “inferior” native people. Linguistic discrimination, therefore, is a result of the “racist project of colonialism” (Otto, 2004, p. 3). Linguicism can be applied to languages, such as Spanish, or dialects, such as African American Language or Southern English. As Wheeler and Swords (2006) remind us, “while language varieties clearly differ, difference does not signal deficit” (p. 14). (Note: We use the term “Standarized English” instead of “Standard English” to highlight the artificial construction of one language as the “standard” and all others as “substandard” [Wheeler & Swords, 2006].)

Many of these dispositions and expressions of professionalism are culturally bound. For example, tattoos may need to be covered in some school districts, while others do not mind if age-appropriate tattoos are visible. It is important to know the expectations within your local context so that you can act accordingly. In Chapter 5 , we will discuss more about your legal and ethical protections and expectations as a teacher.

Explore the purple “Critical Disposition” boxes in the InTASC standards document [9] (starting on p. 12). What trends do you see? What will this mean for your future classroom?

In the teaching profession, it is also important to be aware of our beliefs. Awareness of our own beliefs can be particularly challenging because sometimes we are socialized into certain beliefs and do not even realize we hold them until we meet someone who holds different beliefs. Furthermore, in education, “Whiteness is the invisible norm” (Derman-Sparks & Ramsey, 2006, p. 35). As we established earlier in this chapter, most teachers in the United States identify as White. That means that the majority of teachers share certain aspects of mainstream cultural backgrounds and bring them into their schools and classrooms, often teaching next door to other teachers who share those same mainstream cultural backgrounds. That is how one cultural background can become the invisible norm.

We teach who we are. We bring our identities into our classrooms on a daily basis, just like our students do. Who we are involves many different facets of our identity, called intersectionality . Legal scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw ( 1989 ) invented the term “intersectionality,” and it has since been applied in varied contexts, including education. The idea behind intersectionality is that many different aspects of our identity–including characteristics such as race, economic class, gender, and more–overlap and “intersect” with one another. Our identities–and our students’ identities–are greater than any one isolated characteristic. In this short video, Kimberlé Crenshaw explains intersectionality and its impact in educational settings.

Where do some of your identities lie in this diagram of intersectionality? Which groups within each characteristic tend to have the most power? (For example, which racial groups tend to be the most empowered or disempowered?) What other characteristics would you add to this diagram?

Intersectionality considers how different characteristics, such as race, ethnicity, or gender, intersect.

As human beings, we have a natural desire to belong in order to survive. This drive to survive results in our grouping people–both consciously and unconsciously–based on their similarities or differences to us. Unfortunately, those same survival skills mean that we may think less of people who are different from us. We may think they aren’t as smart, or aren’t as good at what they do, or don’t do things the “right” way (the way we do them). Judging or evaluating another culture based on your own culture is called ethnocentrism . If we aren’t careful, we can let ethnocentrism interfere with our professionalism as teachers. We might think a student is less capable of success in our classrooms or beyond based on our own cultural beliefs about certain characteristics. Sometimes we assume people from certain racial, socioeconomic, ability, and other demographic groups are less capable, simply because of our own expectations or cultures. We might consciously or unconsciously believe certain stereotypes –sweeping, oversimplified generalizations about a group–and those stereotypes will filter into our interactions with our students, our expectations of our students, and our teaching in general. As Gorski (2013) reminds us, “no amount of resources or pedagogical strategies will help us to provide the best opportunity for low-income students to reach their full potential as learners if we do not attend first to the stereotypes, biases, and assumptions we have about them and their families” (p. 69).

Therefore, an important aspect of being an effective teacher is knowing yourself. Freire (1973) discussed the importance of critical consciousness, the ability to see beyond one’s own limited realm of experiences. Members of mainstream groups must be especially aware of their identities and how these identities impact their teaching (Gay, 2010; Harro, 2000).

In this chapter, we surveyed the teaching profession in the context of the United States. You learned that teachers today are mostly White females with 10-20 years of experience in the classroom. Pathways toward preparing high-quality teachers can be traditional, such as earning an undergraduate or graduate degree in education, or alternative, such as provisional certification or residency programs like Teach for America. No matter how you earn your initial teaching license, you will need to renew it periodically. Finally, the teaching profession depends on characteristics of effective teachers. InTASC standards remind us of ten common characteristics of effective teachers across four domains, and dispositions relate to our general professional demeanor as teachers. Additionally, we must be aware of our beliefs and how they consciously and unconsciously contribute to our instruction. In the rest of this book, we will continue to explore the complexities of the teaching profession.

The demographics from NCES are only broken down by male/female. ↵
https://apnews.com/71386b46dbff8190e71493a763e8f45a?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=AP ↵
https://www.ets.org/praxis ↵
https://www.businessinsider.com/iq-tests-dark-history-finally-being-used-for-good-2017-10#:~:text=The%20first%20of%20these%20tests,basis%20for%20modern%20IQ%20testing. ↵
http://caepnet.org/standards/introduction ↵
https://www.ecs.org/50-state-comparison-teacher-license-reciprocity/ ↵
https://c0arw235.caspio.com/dp/b7f93000c5143bf0c78540a0bfa4 ↵
https://www.doe.virginia.gov/teaching/licensure/index.shtml ↵
https://ccsso.org/sites/default/files/2017-11/InTASC_Model_Core_Teaching_Standards_2011.pdf ↵

Abbreviation for kindergarten through 12th grade, the traditional span of public schools in the United States.

Landmark Supreme Court case in 1954 that declared separate educational facilities were not equal, ending segregation in schools.

One way to earn a teaching license through completing coursework at an Educator Preparation Program (EPP).

Programs offered through colleges or universities to earn teaching credentials.

Pathway toward earning teaching certification that does not involve undergraduate coursework and might involve residency programs or provisional certification.

Earned after meeting state-established requirements (such as courses and testing) in order to become a teacher. Requires periodic renewal.

Term referring to teachers in areas like music, visual arts, drama, etc.

The art and science of teaching.

How to teach the structures of different disciplines like literacy, math, science, or social studies.

Series of teacher certification tests offered by ETS.

Part-time field placements that are often tied to specific courses to give preservice teachers experience in classrooms.

Full-time practicum experience, usually situated at the end of an educator preparation program. May also be called internship.

Full-time practicum experience, usually situated at the end of an educator preparation program. May also be called student teaching.

Teacher of record in a practicum placement. Mentors preservice teachers by modeling effective instruction and sharing classroom responsibilities.

Process of formal review of an Educator Preparation Program by an outside agency, such as CAEP.

Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation.

Teaching license that is temporary, usually with certain stipulations or provisions attached. Sometimes called an emergency teaching license.

Alternative pathway toward teacher certification in which future teachers work simultaneously on a master’s degree in education while being placed in a school full-time.

Agreements among different states to honor teaching licenses earned in other states, sometimes with additional requirements added (like testing).

Framework designed by Benjamin Bloom and colleagues in 1956, and later revised in 2001. Divides educational goals/cognitive processes into six categories of increasing complexity: remember, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, and create.

10 standards from the Interstate Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium that cover model core teaching practices for K-12 educators.

Interpersonal skills expected of teachers as professionals.

Unequal treatment of languages based upon power structures that privilege certain languages as having legitimacy.

Term coined by Crenshaw (1989) meaning many different aspects of identity--including race, economic class, gender, and more--overlap and intersect with one another.

Judging or evaluating another culture based on your own culture.

Sweeping, oversimplified generalizations about a group.

Foundations of American Education: A Critical Lens Copyright © by Melissa Wells and Courtney Clayton is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Our Mission

Redefining the Role of the Teacher: It’s a Multifaceted Profession

A closer look at what being an educator really means.

Imagine a school where teaching is considered to be a profession rather than a trade. The role of teachers in a child's education -- and in American culture -- has fundamentally changed. Teaching differs from the old "show-and-tell" practices as much as modern medical techniques differ from practices such as applying leeches and bloodletting.

Instruction doesn't consist primarily of lecturing to students who sit in rows at desks, dutifully listening and recording what they hear, but, rather, offers every child a rich, rewarding, and unique learning experience. The educational environment isn't confined to the classroom but, instead, extends into the home and the community and around the world. Information isn't bound primarily in books; it's available everywhere in bits and bytes.

Students aren't consumers of facts. They are active creators of knowledge. Schools aren't just brick-and-mortar structures -- they're centers of lifelong learning. And, most important, teaching is recognized as one of the most challenging and respected career choices, absolutely vital to the social, cultural, and economic health of our nation.

Today, the seeds of such a dramatic transformation in education are being planted. Prompted by massive revolutions in knowledge, information technology, and public demand for better learning, schools nationwide are slowly but surely restructuring themselves.

Leading the way are thousands of teachers who are rethinking every part of their jobs -- their relationship with students, colleagues, and the community; the tools and techniques they employ; their rights and responsibilities; the form and content of curriculum; what standards to set and how to assess whether they are being met; their preparation as teachers and their ongoing professional development; and the very structure of the schools in which they work. In short, teachers are reinventing themselves and their occupation to better serve schools and students.

New Relationships and Practices

Traditionally, teaching was a combination of information-dispensing, custodial child care and sorting out academically inclined students from others. The underlying model for schools was an education factory in which adults, paid hourly or daily wages, kept like-aged youngsters sitting still for standardized lessons and tests.

Teachers were told what, when, and how to teach. They were required to educate every student in exactly the same way and were not held responsible when many failed to learn. They were expected to teach using the same methods as past generations, and any deviation from traditional practices was discouraged by supervisors or prohibited by myriad education laws and regulations. Thus, many teachers simply stood in front of the class and delivered the same lessons year after year, growing gray and weary of not being allowed to change what they were doing.

Many teachers today, however, are encouraged to adapt and adopt new practices that acknowledge both the art and science of learning. They understand that the essence of education is a close relationship between a knowledgeable, caring adult and a secure, motivated child. They grasp that their most important role is to get to know each student as an individual in order to comprehend his or her unique needs, learning style, social and cultural background, interests, and abilities.

This attention to personal qualities is all the more important as America continues to become the most pluralistic nation on Earth. Teachers have to be committed to relating to youngsters of many cultures, including those young people who, with traditional teaching, might have dropped out -- or have been forced out -- of the education system.

Their job is to counsel students as they grow and mature -- helping them integrate their social, emotional, and intellectual growth -- so the union of these sometimes separate dimensions yields the abilities to seek, understand, and use knowledge; to make better decisions in their personal lives; and to value contributing to society.

They must be prepared and permitted to intervene at any time and in any way to make sure learning occurs. Rather than see themselves solely as masters of subject matter such as history, math, or science, teachers increasingly understand that they must also inspire a love of learning.

In practice, this new relationship between teachers and students takes the form of a different concept of instruction. Tuning in to how students really learn prompts many teachers to reject teaching that is primarily lecture based in favor of instruction that challenges students to take an active role in learning.

They no longer see their primary role as being the king or queen of the classroom, a benevolent dictator deciding what's best for the powerless underlings in their care. They've found they accomplish more if they adopt the role of educational guides, facilitators, and co-learners.

The most respected teachers have discovered how to make students passionate participants in the instructional process by providing project-based, participatory, educational adventures. They know that in order to get students to truly take responsibility for their own education, the curriculum must relate to their lives, learning activities must engage their natural curiosity, and assessments must measure real accomplishments and be an integral part of learning.

Students work harder when teachers give them a role in determining the form and content of their schooling -- helping them create their own learning plans and deciding the ways in which they will demonstrate that they have, in fact, learned what they agreed to learn.

The day-to-day job of a teacher, rather than broadcasting content, is becoming one of designing and guiding students through engaging learning opportunities. An educator's most important responsibility is to search out and construct meaningful educational experiences that allow students to solve real-world problems and show they have learned the big ideas, powerful skills, and habits of mind and heart that meet agreed-on educational standards. The result is that the abstract, inert knowledge that students used to memorize from dusty textbooks comes alive as they participate in the creation and extension of new knowledge.

New Tools and Environments

One of the most powerful forces changing teachers' and students' roles in education is new technology. The old model of instruction was predicated on information scarcity. Teachers and their books were information oracles, spreading knowledge to a population with few other ways to get it.

But today's world is awash in information from a multitude of print and electronic sources. The fundamental job of teaching is no longer to distribute facts but to help children learn how to use them by developing their abilities to think critically, solve problems, make informed judgments, and create knowledge that benefits both the students and society. Freed from the responsibility of being primary information providers, teachers have more time to spend working one-on-one or with small groups of students.

Recasting the relationship between students and teachers demands that the structure of school changes as well. Though it is still the norm in many places to isolate teachers in cinderblock rooms with age-graded pupils who rotate through classes every hour throughout a semester -- or every year, in the case of elementary school -- this paradigm is being abandoned in more and more schools that want to give teachers the time, space, and support to do their jobs.

Extended instructional periods and school days, as well as reorganized yearly schedules, are all being tried as ways to avoid chopping learning into often arbitrary chunks based on limited time. Also, rather than inflexibly group students in grades by age, many schools feature mixed-aged classes in which students spend two or more years with the same teachers.

In addition, ability groups, from which those judged less talented can rarely break free, are being challenged by a recognition that current standardized tests do not measure many abilities or take into account the different ways people learn best.

One of the most important innovations in instructional organization is team teaching, in which two or more educators share responsibility for a group of students. This means that an individual teacher no longer has to be all things to all students. This approach allows teachers to apply their strengths, interests, skills, and abilities to the greatest effect, knowing that children won't suffer from their weaknesses, because there's someone with a different set of abilities to back them up.

To truly professionalize teaching, in fact, we need to further differentiate the roles a teacher might fill. Just as a good law firm has a mix of associates, junior partners, and senior partners, schools should have a greater mix of teachers who have appropriate levels of responsibility based on their abilities and experience levels. Also, just as much of a lawyer's work occurs outside the courtroom, so, too, should we recognize that much of a teacher's work is done outside the classroom.

New Professional Responsibilities

Aside from rethinking their primary responsibility as directors of student learning, teachers are also taking on other roles in schools and in their profession. They are working with colleagues, family members, politicians, academics, community members, employers, and others to set clear and obtainable standards for the knowledge, skills, and values we should expect America's children to acquire. They are participating in day-to-day decision making in schools, working side-by-side to set priorities, and dealing with organizational problems that affect their students' learning.

Many teachers also spend time researching various questions of educational effectiveness that expand the understanding of the dynamics of learning. And more teachers are spending time mentoring new members of their profession, making sure that education school graduates are truly ready for the complex challenges of today's classrooms.

Reinventing the role of teachers inside and outside the classroom can result in significantly better schools and better-educated students. But though the roots of such improvement are taking hold in today's schools, they need continued nurturing to grow and truly transform America's learning landscape. The rest of us -- politicians and parents, superintendents and school board members, employers and education school faculty -- must also be willing to rethink our roles in education to give teachers the support, freedom, and trust they need to do the essential job of educating our children.

Judith Taack Lanier is a distinguished professor of education at Michigan State University.

Teaching as a Profession

First Online: 01 January 2014

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According to international and national reports and studies, the overall status of the teaching profession is not very prestigious (and indeed far from it), as already mentioned. Underlying its widely degraded status—and being decisive for its future—is the crux of grasping its very identity. Teachers should consider themselves and be considered as professionals of the right to education and of pedagogic communication, the centre of gravity of their professionalism being interpersonal relationship. At the core of the teaching profession is its unique and far-reaching ethical dimension. The improvement of its quality should therefore begin at … the beginning. The human quality of the candidates to exercising the profession should be taken into account when deciding on the criteria for entering professional education and evaluating professional performance. Besides selection, education and evaluation, improving the quality of the teaching profession should also include other aspects of its professional and social status, such as working conditions, as well as pay and career perspectives, without overlooking the relevance of school management. The future of the teaching profession is obviously tied to that of the school. Teachers should become professionals of example. Professional exemplarity should be understood as an exceptional incarnation of a blend of qualities, values and knowledge. The teaching profession should be principally responsible for attracting the best human beings. How? by means of outstanding professional self-governing bodies, composed of people holding a passionate and inspiring vision.

Teaching profession status
Teaching profession identity
Professional ethics
Teaching profession quality
Teaching profession future

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The Ontario’s New Teacher Induction Program (NTIP) is a good example.

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In connexion with this, the Report of the 2013 International Summit on the Teaching Profession notes:

Jaakko Meretniemi, a teacher from Finland, struck a different note. He said that teachers in Finland are well educated – all have master’s degrees. He did not see the need for a formal teacher-evaluation system. Teachers get plenty of feedback from their students and colleagues. He worried that the Summit was going in the wrong direction, that increasing teacher inspections might kill teachers’ passion for their work. (Asia Society 2013 , p. 17).

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Be mindful of their position as a role models to students; and Both in their personal and professional life, be mindful of their behaviour and attitude, being that these may have an impact on the profession they represent.

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Teaching as a Profession Essay

Teaching is a respected profession which demands consistency and patience. Educators are not only seen as knowledge distributors but also mentors and role models. This article “ Teaching as a Profession Essay” sheds light on the value of such teachers and what the world would be without them. Let’s get started with the importance of teaching profession.

Many teachers dedicate all their lives to empowering students and making them better and more successful human beings in their lives. Furthermore, they even help them financially so that they’re not left behind in life. These are those children who can never afford to be admitted to coaching classes for competitive exams. Anand Kumar teaches, guides, and motivates students to dream big and fulfil those dreams.

Table of Contents

Some Respected Teachers in History

The first Anand Kumar from Super 30 (played by Hrithik Roshan) made a record of selecting 18 students for IIT out of 30 students.

The next example in front of us is Siva Subramania Iyer. He was the teacher of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam and he was responsible for giving India its Missile Man. He taught him to fly high and inspired him to make it big.

Thus, not only teaching a profession a thing to pursue but also a passion that can take you to heights.

What is a Teaching Profession?

We all know what it is teaching profession. But still, we need to be aware of the importance of teaching profession. They mentor and motivate students to perform well in their studies and be passionate about their careers.

Let’s explain teaching as a profession. Teaching is a job made to make students more capable and teach important academic and life lessons even about values like respect, sharing, ethical values, and cultures.

Teachers are the ones who teach students to live life with discipline and high value and also play a crucial role in shaping the minds and lives of students, allowing them to attain knowledge, skills, and values crucial for personal and intellectual growth.

Importance of Teaching Profession

Teaching is the most desirable Profession nowadays. The importance of the Teaching Profession incorporates tomfoolery and learning together. Being in the teaching profession doesn’t mean you have to share your knowledge.

Teachers play a vital role in student’s life by assisting them with achieving their goals. Therefore, choosing the Teaching Profession offers perpetual career opportunities. However, Teaching isn’t the only Profession; in fact, it is the activity to serve education. Let’s check out the reasons explaining the importance of teaching profession in this “Teaching as a Profession Essay”.

Improves Communication Abilities

Teaching is a systematic strategy to communicate with more and more people. In this manner, being in the teaching profession will improve communication abilities. Therefore, one can interact more confidently with others.

Fun and learning together

Among all careers and professions, we found teaching much better. The Importance of the Teaching Profession is that one can have fun and learn together. Other than training students, teachers can be involved in other educational program activities.

Experience To Handle Various Youngsters

School or college is a place where various students with various mentalities reach. The teacher should have the ability to handle all youngsters normal, savvy, or physically disabled.

Brilliant Organization Abilities

The teaching profession makes one multi-tasker; notwithstanding teaching academics to students, teachers, and Organizational abilities. Being organized means one can manage time and resources proficiently and really for improved productivity.

Ethical And Restrained

One characteristic of the teaching profession involves morals and discipline. Teachers teach ethical values which make students more focused.

Setting up Role Models for Others

Being a teacher isn’t a lot of complex however being a favorite of all is what matters. Teachers should inspire students to find their secret talents and achieve their aims. An inspired teacher can make students motivated by setting up Role models.

Assemble Future Leaders

Teachers are the source of affecting tomorrow’s leaders.

Inspire and Influence

Teachers have the added responsibility of shaping the future generation and also have an opportunity to make a distinction. They will have the exceptional opportunity to guide a mass in the correct direction.

Improvement and Learning

It will associate with young, curious, personalities all day, you would actually want to propel yourself and get better consistently. At the point when you are in an environment that asks a lot of questions and is curious, you grow and develop consistently.

Work Satisfaction

Teaching provides job satisfaction that resembles no other and the joy of making a distinction and making a change in the correct direction is like no other.

Teaching is a deferential job and look up to teachers for work. They guide and direct students and also they inspire and shape future generations.

Potential for Growth

It is a clear career path with a lot of opportunities and with online teaching apps and virtual classrooms on the rise you can teach from the comfort of your home and without any geographical restrictions.

Role of a teacher

While writing an essay on teaching as a profession, the role of a teacher must be included. Teachers should find different ways to teach students and apply them in teaching so that the maximum information and knowledge reach the students.

They are responsible not just for teaching the syllabus but also for inspiring students by exchanging thoughts, sharing a bond, and being with them in every up and down.

Teaching skills, knowledge, personality, and ways of imparting pieces of information are some factors that affect the learning patterns of students. It helps teachers to become successful teachers and mentors for their students.

Academic Path For A Teacher

To pursue teaching as a profession, you can follow some of the below-mentioned ways:

Nursery Teacher

To become a teacher of pre-primary, you should complete your 12th and pursue a Nursery Teacher Training (NTT) course of 1-year duration. You can also go for a Kindergarten Training Program or a Montessori Teacher Training program for about 9 months to 1 year. Even after completing graduation, you can opt for these courses. With the right qualifications and skills, you can try your career in teaching.

Also, by pursuing the child development program of Anganwadi Workers (AWW) – Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), you can begin your career as a teacher in Anganwadi.

Primary School Teacher

In the primary section of teaching, you can have the chance to teach students a variety of subjects and enhance the learning experience. If you want to make your career as a teacher for primary classes, then you have the following options:

The option of a Primary Teacher Training (PTT) program of a 2-year duration is also available for pursuing.

You can also take part in the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) to get recruited as Primary School Teachers in Government schools and Government primary schools.

Secondary and Higher Secondary School Teachers

If you want to be a teacher of higher secondary classes then you can do a Master’s degree after graduation and then pursue a B.Ed. degree.

If you want to qualify as a teacher for central government-run schools, then the Central Teacher Eligibility Test (CTET) will be the option for you. CTET is conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) for applicants to be eligible to be a teacher at the secondary and higher secondary levels.

You can also opt for the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) or a State Level Eligibility Test (SLET) for recruiting secondary-level and higher-secondary-level teachers.

College and University Teacher

If you want to teach students in colleges or universities or want to be called a lecturer in government or private colleges and universities, then follow the available options:

How to Become a College or University Teacher?

If you want to choose teaching as a career in a college or university, you must get a degree in a Master’s program.

Once you complete a Master’s degree, you can apply for the National Eligibility Test (NET) conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA). NET requires a postgraduate degree and a certification of eligibility for entrance.

It is an essay on the teaching profession that can help you on your pathway to becoming a teacher.

Characteristics of Teaching

However, many teachers teach in schools/academies/Institutions or colleges, yet not all may prevail with regards to being great teachers for students. So, what are the characteristics of the Teaching Profession that make teachers more successful in the classroom?

Those who enjoy investing energy with youngsters and will make others educated with their abilities can choose Teaching as a Profession.

To become an exemplary teacher, one may possess relevant qualities like creating a dynamic environment, being adaptable, and kind, classroom management, a good comical inclination, an active personality, being Innovative, calm demeanor, experience, and so on.

Teachers’ unions and teachers’ associations

In most countries, there is one major teachers’ organization to which all or nearly all teachers belong and pay duty. Sometimes participation is obligatory, sometimes voluntary.

In the former Soviet Union, where a significant part of the political and social existence of the people had been organized around unions, there were three teachers’ unions — preschool teachers, primary and secondary school teachers, and teachers in advanced education. These unions provided pensions, vacation pay, and debilitated leave pay and in this way touched the welfare of teachers at many points.

England, for example, has two distinct associations for male and female secondary school teachers, two unique associations for male and female headmasters of secondary schools, and a separate Association of Teachers in Technical Institutions.

These associations are parallel to the National Union of Teachers, which is open to any qualified teacher from nursery school to college level. The National Union has no political affiliation except for being politically powerful by its own doing.

France, in contrast, has a wide variety of teachers’ organizations, with various political leanings, however, they do not manage everything well together and are politically less successful.

In this “Teaching as a Profession Essay”, we learn the importance of teaching profession and how to explain teaching as a profession. Teaching provides a way to give back to society and teachers have so much potential in the field, that they should be given every opportunity possible to use it.

Teaching is a profession of imparting knowledge and skills to students in a way that will help them achieve their full potential and such as teaching can be an incredibly rewarding career. Teaching is one of the few professions that allow you to work with children and then retire from the same occupation while still young.

Important Principles of Teaching
Basic Requirements Of Teaching
Level of Teaching – Memory, Understanding & Reflective Level

Example Of Teaching Profession Essay

Type of paper: Essay

Topic: Mistakes , Teaching , Education , Students , Profession , Learning , Skills , Training

Published: 07/12/2021

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What is Teaching as a Profession

“Teaching is the noblest profession of all.” This is commonly heard from different people around the world. Teaching is fulfillment and contentment in terms of service to others especially the learners. Teaching is interesting and challenging. There many reasons why I want to teach and become a teacher. I believe that becoming a teacher is a matter of choice and not by any accident. It is a personal decision to make. A decision involves many months of thought or it comes in an instant. For others they know it early that teaching is what they want. Some realizes it after going to college. Some follow a different path before becoming a teacher.

Teaching is a profession and not a job. A teacher possesses personal drive; skill set, motivation, patience, and knows how to motivate others. Teaching with passion earns a good living; it allows you to be more creative, you incorporate new ideas to enhance your subject matter and competent enough. There is variety and flexibility in teaching. It provides the teacher to mentor students some areas that are outside the scope of a classroom setting that is coaching a sport or being a school club adviser. Usually, a teacher has always the chance to make lasting impressions and make a difference each every single day. The opportunity to be strong at all times with positive influences from students over the course of the career; a unique influence that other professions cannot provide.

Teaching Profession is a Portable

Teaching is considered as a portable profession. It is a fact that schools exist throughout the world and every nation. Being a teacher, you can bring your profession with you anywhere when the situation calls for your service. A teacher can explore various types of institutions over the course of the career, in private or public schools, urban or rural areas, suburban, and religious or non-religious institutions. A teacher can develop skills set within an institution or system, the chance to become the head of the school or principal. The skills are transferrable, in other words you can apply it on public speaking, time management, and the ability to work with different groups of individuals. In addition, a teacher can study and earn a masters or doctorate degree.

Teaching Professions is a Friendly

Teaching is a friendly profession to your personal life. Despite some busy hours given on daily session, in general schedule, a teacher can spend enough time to do personal matters after work especially during Saturdays and Sundays. Teachers have many benefits and privileges like extended vacation during summer and continue to pursue some areas of interest outside the scope of the school obligations; the general schedule is very convenient.

There are many things to teach students for them to learn more. Students learned many things through tests or examinations, writings or essays, completing assignments, and some extracurricular activities. One of the objectives being a teacher is to show the students the primary purpose of learning. These are the learning on the subject that the teacher is teaching, guidance on how to do the process that is to facilitate the students in their lessons properly, and from the participations of the students, the teacher can learn more things that help the teacher more effective, efficient, and competent.

Teaching as a Profession - My Own Experience

During my own education, my goal in class is to get not only good grades but also high grades on every test or examination and assignments in every subject given by the teachers. I always make sure that I performed every task, if not in excellence it is a satisfactory one. Every semester, I always look at my scores on all my subjects. If I noticed mistakes, I viewed it a challenge for me to strive more. During my practicum, I created a better learning environment for my students to strive consistently. I make sure that my students are not intimated or feel afraid by the mistakes they committed rather view those mistakes as challenges as I used to when I am still a student like them. I assisted them what necessary steps and techniques for a deeper understanding and learning as a whole. It gives them the ability to analyze the problem and apply the appropriate process to obtain an accurate solution.

In the course of professionalism, there are sets of standards of practices. The standards of practice for the teaching profession provide a structure of principles that merely describes the skills, knowledge, and values in teaching profession such as implemented in Ontario College of Teachers. The standards are clear in terms of its purposes and objectives of the profession. The purposes of the standards of practice for the teaching profession; to motivate a vision contributed by experts and educators for teaching profession, to recognize the skills, knowledge, and values that are typically unique to the teaching profession. In addition, to lead the professional judgments and action of the teaching profession and to encourage a universal language that promotes comprehension of what it means to be a part of the elite group of the teaching profession.

In my own personal educational teaching experiences, I will apply the standards of practice for the teaching profession. In this manner, I will determine the potentials of my students and the things they learned in the class. This is my starting point to make any changes that help enhance my students’ learning. In addition, evaluation feedbacks of the students are useful enough to improve my strategies in teaching. In addition, there should be conducive and stimulating classroom environment; to encourage more opportunities for more improvement. Let the students feel the power and beauty of learning. For teachers, students are treated as their own kids because students are not just kids in the class list, students become part of the life of the teachers.

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Teaching As a Profession - Professional Ethics for Teachers

Promoting professionalism among teachers, professional ethics for teachers: introduction, professionalism: its’ meaning, what is professionalism.

meaning of professional, meaning of professionalism, Characteristics of Profession and Professionalism, duties of a teacher, responsibilities of a teacher, code of ethics for the teacher, how to promote professionalism among teachers, What is Professionalism? PROMOTING PROFESSIONALISM AMONG TEACHERS, Definition of Professionalism and Profession, Strategies to Promote Professionalism among Teachers, activities of teacher, essay, paragraph, notes, pdf, ppt, Slideshare, Wikipedia, b.ed, education notes on teaching as a profession and professional ethics for teachers free download

Line of work,
Occupation,
Discipline,
Livelihood,
Employment, etc.

Definition of Professionalism and Profession

Vollmer and Mills (1996) define profession as “an occupation based upon specialized intellectual study and training, the purpose of which is to supply skilled service or advice to others for a definite fee or salary”.

Cogan (1953) has given a very comprehensive definition of ‘profession’ as “a profession is a vocation whose practice is founded upon an understanding of the theoretical structure of some department of learning or science, and upon the abilities accompanying such understanding. This understanding and those abilities are applied to the vital practical affairs of man. The practices of the profession are modified by knowledge of a generalized nature and by the accumulated wisdom and experience of mankind, which serve to correct the errors of specialism. The profession, serving the vital needs of man, consider its first ethical imperative to be altruistic service to the client”.

Characteristics of Profession and Professionalism

It requires a high degree of general and systematized knowledge
It requires a long period of specialized intellectual training
It is characterized by work that is essentially intellectual
It provides a unique social service
It controls its standards of entrance and exclusion
It grants practitioners a broad range of autonomy, and
It develops and enforces a professional code of ethics.

Teaching as a Profession

Duties of a teacher.

A teacher as a professional is required to acquire knowledge and skills in his/her teaching field.
He/she needs to update himself/herself with the changing knowledge base of a particular field.
Teaching as a profession cannot be specialized overnight. Mere knowledge of the content of a particular field cannot make a teacher a professional .
He/she requires a long period of specialized intellectual training both at the pre-service and in-service level. Then only the work he/she will perform could be characterized as intellectual.

Code of Professional Ethics for Teachers

Responsibilities of a teacher.

In relation to students , a teacher should always strive to foster the intellectual, social, and moral growth of his/her students.
He/she should treat all students with love and affection and impartial irrespective of caste, creed, sex, status, religion, language, and place of birth.
He/she should respect the moral and religious beliefs of his/her students.
He/she should respect the rights of all children enacted in the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child (1989).
In relation to parents/guardians, a teacher should provide essential information about the progress of the child to the parents.
He/she should establish and maintain a cordial relationship with parents and seek their cooperation towards improving the teaching-learning process as well as improving the child’s ability.
In relation to its profession and colleagues , a teacher should win public trust and confidence by providing quality education to all the students.
He/she should update his/her knowledge and skills on a continuous basis.
He/she should always transact the curriculum effectively after making thorough preparation for the lessons to be taught.
He/she should avoid derogatory comments about the students and colleagues especially in front of the students and management.
He/she should cooperate with the principal, management, and colleagues in and outside the school in both curricular and co-curricular activities.
In relation to management, he/she should have awareness about the legal and administrative rights and responsibilities towards the management.
He/she should carry out instructions from management and also raise his/her rights through the clearly determined procedure and channels.
He/she should develop mutual respect and trust through his/her professional activities.
In relation to a professional association, a teacher should be a member of a teacher association at the local/state/national/international level.
He/she should participate in the activities organized by the teacher association for his/her professional growth.
He/she should be constructive towards criticizing the activities of the association.
In relation to society and the nation at large, a teacher should strive to understand the social problems and take part in activities that would be conducive to meet the challenges of social problems.
He/she should refrain him/herself from the activities which promote hatred and enmity among different communities.
He/she should be loyal to school, community, state, and nation.
He/she should be a potential agent to promote national integration.
He/she should also encourage students to discharge their rights and duties enshrined in the constitution.

Strategies to Promote Professionalism among Teachers

Self activity.

A teacher should be highly intrinsically motivated . His/her primary concern is learning to grow.
He/she should be a life-long learner.
He/she should continuously be involved in conducting action research while encountering a problem in the classroom. This will help him/her to get updated on content knowledge as well as pedagogical skills.
No external agency is responsible to supervise his/her work. It should be self-supervised.
He/she should be involved in intellectual discussion with peers, seniors, and experts; attend seminars, conferences, workshops; and disseminate his/her innovations/thoughts.

School-level Activity

Schools should provide a congenial environment for teachers to grow as a professional.
Enough autonomy should be given to teachers to conduct an experiment with students, and to do action research in the classroom.
They should be motivated to write books and articles ; attend seminars, conferences, and workshops, and present papers.
There should be continuous interaction among teachers, management, and parents so as to know each other's difficulties and problems.
The teacher should get a decent salary in order to maintain a standard quality of life in society.
They should also be given incentives from time to time for preparing teaching aids, conducting experiments, and action research.

Association level Activity

Apart from lobbying the government for the welfare of the teachers, the teacher organizations should be involved in professional development and in-service education of teachers.
From time to time they should conduct subject-specific workshops , seminars, and conferences.
They should also update the pedagogical knowledge of teachers from time to time.
Teacher organizations should publish periodicals, reports, and handbooks and circulate them among teachers.
Whenever there is a change in curriculum or policies at the government level, the information should be disseminated to teachers and suggestions should be sought from teachers through the organization of meetings, workshops, seminars, panel discussions, etc.
Vollmer, H.M., and Mills, D.L. (1996). Professionalization. New Jersy: Prentice Hall, Inc. Englewood Cliffs.
Cogan, M.L. (1953). Towards a Definition of Profession. Harvard Educational Review, Vol.23, 33-50.

Role of A Teacher Essay: Write It Easily

Table of Contents

Teachers stay in the lives of their students forever: either in memories of carefree times or in the form of knowledge they received from a certain teacher. All of us are influenced by teachers from high school or university. And everyone has a different experience. So how to write essays about teachers ? Let’s find out together.

What Is the Role of a Teacher Essay?

This is a type of essay in which students describe the role of teachers in their lives. Many courses will assign you to write an essay about this theme. Also, it may serve as a strong personal statement when applying for college. So no matter what the purpose of the role of the teacher essay is, students always struggle with what to write in this academic piece of writing. If you are one of such students, you definitely need to go on and make it clear for yourself.

What to Write About in Teacher Essays ?

There are a lot of ideas on what should essays about teachers consist of. Because this is a huge field of discussion, it might be quite challenging to structure the information properly. Let’s get to the simple question: who is a teacher for you? By defining what role a teacher plays in your academic and personal life, you will be able to get your essay written in an appropriate manner. Here are the roles teachers occupy:

Teachers give knowledge. First of all, a teacher is a person who teaches. It might sound simple but people in that profession are responsible for improving their student’s knowledge in a certain field.
They support. Another mission of a good teacher is to support students in their educational journey. Sometimes it is harder, other times it is easier and you can definitely feel that teachers are those who are going along with you through the challenges.
Teachers inspire. Who is the first standard of knowledge for students? Of course, their teachers. Good ones always inspire students to learn more through their examples. So why don’t you share your experience in having a teacher that is a standard for you?
They evaluate. Constructive criticism is what is needed for growth. Dedicated teachers always find a way to motivate students for better results. They don’t just put an F grade but explain the growth zones.

How to Write Essays About Teacher

Essays about teachers don’t have a specific structure or flow. Unless you are given a manual on what to write about in your work, you can be creative in your own way. The following ideas will help you in writing your role of a teacher essay.

Think About a Real Example

When writing your essay, think over the teachers that are standards for you. Analyze what skills they have, and how they teach the material and influence you. You can describe your own example as providing real-life experience in an essay is always a good idea.

Consider This Profession From Different Angles

As we mentioned above, a teacher is not only a person who shares expertise in a certain field. This is a motivator, influencer, evaluator, and supporter in one profession. Describing a teacher from a different perspective will greatly complement your work.

Imagine That You Are a Teacher

In essays about teachers , you can also write about how you would teach if you were a teacher. Thus, you will apply this profession to yourself and see how challenging it might be to become a teacher, even imaginary.

Essay About a Good Teacher: Final Words

Writing the role of a teacher essay requires thorough preparation. Even though this piece of writing is more flexible than other ones, you have to conduct deep analysis to write a professional essay. Use your own examples and look at this theme from different perspectives and you will write a high-quality essay.

What is the role of the teacher essay?

The role of the teacher essay is an essay in which the profession of a teacher is described. Its purpose is to provide readers with a clear understanding of how teachers are valuable and important in our lives.

What is the role of a teacher in the life of a student essay?

In this type of essay, you have to write about teacher-student cooperation. Teachers play a crucial role in the lives of their students. Sometimes they become their “school parents’’. That is what should be described in this type of academic writing.

What is a good sentence for a teacher?

The best way to describe any teacher is to look at his profession from different angles. Teachers don’t only teach. They perform a lot more functions in the educational process. Describing these functions will be a good sentence for a teacher.

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31 Teaching—A Declining Profession?

Avantika Manikandan

Click here to listen to this infographic

In the multimodal essay “Teaching – a Declining Profession? (with Julie and her aunt),” Avantika Manikandan features a comics-style mode with image and text to continue her examination of why fewer people seem to be interested in pursuing teaching as a career. Along with characters in conversation about the issue, Manikandan effectively illustrates primary research through a series of infographics, clip art, charts, and graphs, conveying key information in an accessible way. As with her Adding to a Conversation essay (included in this SWA ), Manikandan provides suggestions about what could and should be done, and in this Circulating Multimodal Texts piece, she closes with an encouraging message from her central characters.

ENGLWRIT 112: College Writing

Day Month Year

Teaching—A Declining Profession?

Access the infographic in PDF form by clicking the link: Teaching A Declining Profession Infographic

Teaching—A Declining Profession? Infographic Descriptive Transcript

An eight-page infographic. This description starts at the top and moves down.

Title is displayed in yellow text on a green background: “Teaching—A Declining Profession?: With Julie and her Aunt.” The green background covers the entire page.

Three rows of two comic panels each:

Panel 1: Black text on a yellow background: “Its Career Day at High School. Julie—an aspiring teacher here is eager to meet with professionals who can guide her.” A cartoon of “Julie” waves.

Panel 2: Julie looks confused; behind Julie, silhouettes of students line up. Black text in a white thought bubble: “All I see are engineers, doctors, lawyers, and entrepreneurs?! Does no one want to become a teacher?”

Panel 3: Julie talks with her aunt. Black text on a yellow background: “Back at home in the front yard with her aunt.” Julie says: “I feel lost, I could not find anyone with whom I could talk to about my career plans at the fair today.” Julie’s aunt says: “What’s the matter dear?”

Panel 4: The panel “zooms” in on Julie and her aunt. Julie says: “You’re a teacher, is being a teacher all that bad?” Julie’s aunt replies: “Obviously not, teaching is inspiring.”

Panel 5: Julie says: “Then why is it that none of my friends want to become one?”

Panel 6: Julie’s aunt says: “Now that’s a long story to cover in the little time we have, but let me give you a gist.

Blue heading: “4 Reasons Why teaching is a declining profession”

Julie’s aunt points to 4 yellow boxes.

Box 1: An icon of a scale with $ on one side. “Salary gap: As it is, other professions earn twice as much and some even get paid overtime. Despite putting in more hours, teachers don’t get paid enough. (US Bureau of Labor Statistics). There is no standard irrespective of qualifications. Discrepancies in salaries intensify burnout.”

Box 2: An icon of a person with a red “X” over them. “Lack of self-confidence in future teachers: Schools in today’s world hardly design their curriculum to include confidence-boosting activities”

Box 3: An icon of a skull and crossbones. “Toxic work environment: Teachers lack autonomy and are hardly taken into consideration while the administration takes decisions. (Reshawna Chapple, TalkSpace Blog)”

Box 4: An icon of a stressed person. “Teachers are not being valued enough: Exhaustive daily routines, next to no holidays, bad student behavior, and dealing with

difficult parents all lead to BURNOUT. (Reshawna Chapple, TalkSpace Blog)”

This page’s background is shades of blue. At the top left is Julie’s aunt with hands raised in a shrug-like action. To the right: “The teacher shortage stems from a long-standing disrespect for teachers and their profession, as evidenced by decades of low pay, constant scrutiny, and poor working conditions. This is what is driving existing and prospective teachers away.”

A line graph titled “A Supply and Demand Graph of teachers,” displaying the years 2005-2025, shows that supply is decreasing while demand is rising. A graph caption reads: “Sutcher, Leib et al. “A Coming Crisis in Teaching? Teacher Supply, Demand, and Shortages in the U.S.” (2016).”

“Why Does This Matter?”

An icon of a document with an award ribbon is next to: “Employing Inadequately Qualified Teachers endangers students’ learning process, the money invested is a waste of resources and could be better deployed elsewhere.”

“Diminishing Respect—The teacher shortage makes it more difficult to establish a solid reputation for teaching and to professionalize it, which contributes to the shortage.” This text is next to an icon of two people shaking hands with a down arrow next to them.

“Remember!” And, written on a chalkboard icon where a person icon is pointing to it: “Teaching is the MOTHER of all professions.”

“Do we really want to live in a world without other occupations?”

This page has a light green background.

“Let’s Look at the Stats”

An icon of someone inserting a ballot into a ballot box. Text on the right reads: “Voters in the age group 18-29 are the most pessimistic about the teaching profession. Only 24% are “very likely” to encourage a friend or family member to become a K-12 teacher today.[4]”

Julie’s aunt shrugs. Text to the right reads: “$61, 820. Median Annual Pay for High School Teachers in 2021 [2]. Scientists/doctors/engineers earn almost twice this amount per annum. 82% of respondents currently or previously worked multiple jobs to make ends meet as a teacher.[5]”

A bar chart titled “Teacher Salary Vs Other Professions [2].” Teachers earn the least while airline pilots/flight engineers, physicians, computer research scientists/engineers, and business analysts make more.

“Effects of Covid” Ten people icons with seven a darker color and three a lighter color. “7 in 10 teachers have experiences stress or burnout from spending more time with students to regain lost ground after quarantine [3]”

An icon of two elderly people. Text nearby reads: “5,644 teacher retirements in the last six months of 2020 a 26% increase from the same period of the previous year. [1]”

“Works Cited:

California State Teacher’s Retirement System
US Bureau of Labor Statistics
Reshawna Chapple, Talkspace Blog
Valerie Strauss- The Washington Post
Salaries Shortages Report–Teacher Salary Project”

Page has white text boxes on a dark blue background.

“What should be done?”

“1. Governments should allocate specific funds to improve pay. By providing stipends,

scholarships, financial aid, and a competitive and livable wage, including increasing starting salaries and salary caps for teachers.” An icon of a dollar sign with an arrow pointing up.

“2. Unions and concerned administrations and departments in universities should bridge the gap between teaching and other programs and establish respect for teacher education programs.” An icon of two hands holding a heart.

“3. Starting from a high school level, curriculums should include mandatory leadership and teaching classes that focus on preparing children for the real world while also boosting confidence alongside.” An icon of a person standing confidently.

“4. Actively spreading awareness will help people realize what teachers really go through and they may advocate for better pay by voting for leaders who make new or redesign existing policies to reverse this crisis.“ Icons of someone submitting a ballot leading to a crowd of people leading to legislation.

Page has a light green background.

“Flipped Classroom Approach is a collection of several effective methods to boost confidence amongst students. One of its methods involves role reversal”

Julie stands in front of a chalkboard.

“The student teaches”

Julie’s aunt sits at a table.

“The teacher listens, evaluates progress, and provides feedback. This allows students to think from a different viewpoint, actively participate in activities, and develop more comprehensive ideas about specific subjects.” An icon of a person with their hand raised and people behind them.

This page has a dark green background.

“It is a common perspective that the teaching profession is not attracting new teachers as it is not on par with other “high-status” lucrative professions. What is so special about Singapore’s and Finland’s education system?” Icons of Singapore and Finland.

Julie’s aunt holds up a hand. Text nearby reads: “These countries have boasted about their student-friendly education system, but did you know? Annual national opinion polls in Finland consistently show that teaching is the most admired profession in the country.”

“The competitive selection process contributes significantly to the profession’s attractiveness. It was harder to gain entry to the University of Helsinki’s teacher education program compared to the law program or the medical school in 2016. Teaching is a highly desirable profession in Singapore, thanks to starting salaries nearly equivalent to those of accountants and engineers.” Icons to the left are people climbing up a mountain with a flag on top and someone pointing to a board with a heart and up arrow on it.

“Similar strategies must be implemented worldwide for positive results.”

Icons of eight people and a crowd with a sign reading: “Equal Pay for Equal Work”

“Singapore admits to teacher education programs”

“Works Cited: NCEE – National Center on Education and the Economy”

This page has dark blue text boxes on a light blue background.

“What is USA doing? The country is using effective strategies, but these are fairly new for collecting data and analyzing results.” Graphics to the right are an icon of a USA map with the American flag in it and Julie’s aunt looking toward the text.

“1. President Biden encouraged leaders to use pandemic relief and recovery funds from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP) and other federal funds to address teacher shortages—including the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER), Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER), and Higher Education Emergency Relief (HEERF) funds to help with these efforts.” An icon of a money bag.

“2. Establishing teaching as a Registered Apprenticeship Dallas College in Texas launched the state’s first paid teacher residency apprenticeship in the fall of 2022. Dallas College students will serve as residents 3 days per week and will then either tutor or act as a substitute 1 day per week. Students will be strategically placed in underserved schools with mentors.” Icons of two people.

“3. At University at Buffalo, State University of New York, teaching residents receive stipends and serve as co-teachers in partner school classrooms 4 days per week for the duration of the school year.” Icon of coins in a hand.

“4. Establishing or expanding loan forgiveness or service scholarship programs. California signed into law a 2021-2022 state budget that includes a total of $350 million in state funding for the Teacher Residency Grant Program to help address areas of shortage by funding efforts in the state to recruit, support, and retain a diverse teacher workforce.”

“5. The Detroit district Public schools boosted starting salaries by 33 percent, from $38,000 in 2017 to more than $51,000 in the fall. It offered $3,000 in hazard pay to work during the pandemic and is now offering $15,000 annual recurring bonuses for teachers in hard-to-fill areas such as special education.”

“Works Cited: US Department of Education https://www.ed.gov/coronavirus/factsheets/teacher-shortage”

“Does Julie still want to pursue her dreams?”

Two panels. In the first panel, Julie’s aunt asks: “Do you still want to become a teacher Julie?” In the second panel, Julie says: “Of course, it’s the only way I can hope for some change.” Julie’s aunt replies: “Thank God! I was hoping you’d say that.”

“Their message to you”

Two panels. In the first panel, Julie’s aunt says: “To all prospective teachers, I hope this did not dissuade you from pursuing teaching.” In the second panel, Julie says: “I urge you to discover the bright side of teaching. Moreover, having a voice and encouraging peers to have one too can help us move forward and put an end to this seemingly endless cycle.”

Four icons: A head with a gear; a head with a lightbulb; a head with a heart; and a finger knocking down vertical objects. Text nearby reads: “Teaching is inspiring, it gives you an opportunity to share passion and knowledge. You get to make an impact on young minds.”

Two panels: In the first panel, Julie says: “To my peers, next time you find yourself giving your teacher a tough time, pause, reflect, and be considerate.” In the second panel, text on a yellow background reads: “Julie and her Aunt signing off!” and Julie and her aunt wave goodbye.

UMass Amherst Writing Program Student Writing Anthology by Avantika Manikandan is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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It’s ‘a Passion, It’s Not Just a Paycheck': Teachers’ Advice on Joining the Profession

Fourth grade students have fun interacting in a math class taught by Helen Chan at South Loop Elementary School on Nov. 15, 2023, in Chicago, Ill.

Teachers, on average, are not likely to recommend their profession to a loved one.

Just 21 percent of teachers say they are likely to advise their own children—or the children of close family members or friends—to pursue a career in K-12 teaching, according to EdWeek’s The State of Teaching survey , which drew from a nationally representative sample of nearly 1,500 teachers. Teachers say they work long hours for low pay and little public respect and that they’re expected to tackle a wide variety of student needs without adequate support.

But when Education Week reporters asked five teachers from across the country what they would say to someone who’s interested in becoming a teacher, they gave a more nuanced perspective of the job.

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New national data on the teaching profession, vivid reporting from classrooms, and resources to help support this essential profession. Explore the Exclusive Report .

Yes, the job is time-consuming, challenging, and overwhelming at times, the teachers said. But it’s also rewarding, fulfilling, and interesting.

Read on for the teachers’ advice for those considering the profession. Their answers have been edited for length and clarity.

‘There’s going to be ups and downs’

“How do I explain this roller coaster in a way that highlights how wonderful it really is? I just feel like teaching gets such a bad rap. It’s so difficult in a lot of ways, and I feel like those difficulties are the main thing that people hear about. But it’s so beautiful in a lot of ways.

“Today I spent how much of my day laughing? These kids are goofballs. [It’s rewarding] even just having a conversation with them, getting to see who they are as individuals. And what I’m now starting to get to experience is, as they start to grow up a little bit, continuing to be a part of their lives. The way that they light up whenever they see you, because you hold a special memory for them, too. It makes it so, so, so worth it.

Jacqueline Chaney ask her 2nd graders a question during class at New Town Elementary School in Owings Mills, Md., on Oct. 25, 2023.

“Anytime those lightbulbs go off, anytime they invest in the lessons that you’re putting together, it feels like you hit the lottery—literally. You feel like you’re making such a difference in the world.

“If I had advice, it’s just—be prepared for that roller coaster. There’s going to be ups and downs. You’re going to get frustrated. You’re going to get rip-roaring mad. Sometimes personal boundaries will be crossed, but for the most part, you’re going to have a really wonderful time, and you’re going to meet some of the best people that you could ever meet—[I’m] talking about the students, but also my colleagues.”

—Sofia Alvarez-Briglie, a 7th grade science teacher at Alcott Middle School in Norman, Okla.

‘Know when to stop working’

“Always try to tie in what you find interesting into your job. Everyone has a niche. Some people are very creative; some people like to do the arts. They want to tie in what is special to them; it’ll keep things interesting, motivating.

“This job is very taxing. It could really drain all your energy. It could be an around-the-clock job. It’s difficult for many teachers to separate personal and professional lives because we deeply care about our students. They are a part of us, and we want them to succeed. It’s important for new teachers to set boundaries for themselves and know when to stop working, a skill I am still honing.”

—Helen Chan, a 4th grade math teacher at South Loop Elementary School in Chicago

‘You can’t be a perfect teacher’

“I would say pursue it. But be aware of the many different flaws and difficulties that exist.

“Are you going to be able to financially support yourself? Is that something that you’re going to be able to do, given the restrictions that are placed [on salaries]?

“When teachers talk about having too much to do on their plate, it’s because there aren’t enough people paid to be in the profession. One teacher is asked to fulfill so many roles. We’re asked to be educators, certainly to plan curriculum, of course, to instruct students. But increasingly we’re also asked to be things like counselors, to be guards.

“Before last year, there was a state-mandated training, ... the same kind of training that Navy SEALs do. We had to learn how to stuff bullet hole wounds with gauze. The fact that I had to learn how to do that as a 7th grade and freshman and senior year English teacher is horrifying to me. It’s so strange. It’s surreal.

“Teaching offers the ability to work with kids, and the ability to have a positive impact on the world around you. But it comes with the politicization, the overwhelming pressure that I think teachers are under.

“It’s not for the control freak, it’s not for the perfectionist. You can’t be a perfect teacher. I don’t think that’s possible. You can be better than you were the day before. You can be better than where you were a year before. But it’s got to be something where you’re always trying to seek improvement, because there’s always areas for improvement to exist.”

—Frank Rivera, a middle and high school English/language arts teacher at Chaparral Star Academy in Austin, Texas

Collage of a teacher, students, clocks, lockers, school buildings.

‘It can be very rewarding to see that growth’

“You have to love it. It can be very overwhelming when you have behavior issues in the classroom, the amount of paperwork—you have to keep on going, and it is time consuming. You have to have the passion. But it can be very rewarding to see that growth. It doesn’t matter how many months—just to see that growth from one aspect of the kids to the other.”

—Griselle Rivera-Martinez, an English-for-speakers-of-other-languages teacher at Enterprise Elementary School in Enterprise, Fla.

‘Put the kids first’

“Do it for the right reasons. Make sure you have a love of young children. I put the kids first. They are someone’s sunshine. These are someone’s children. You have to be mindful of that.

“Teaching is a passion, it’s not just a paycheck. You can’t fake it. I love what I do. It’s more than just a job to me. I want to be the best. You have to commit to that.”

—Jacqueline Chaney, a 2nd grade teacher at New Town Elementary in Owings Mills, Md.

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Lessons from a Teacher of The Year: Professional Growth and Development

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Published: Apr 17, 2023

Words: 1592 | Pages: 3 | 8 min read

Introduction, the teaching profession, teacher of the year, profile of the south carolina graduate.

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Essay on Teaching As A Noble Profession

Students are often asked to write an essay on Teaching As A Noble Profession in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Teaching As A Noble Profession

Why teaching is important.

Teaching is a very special job that helps shape the future. Teachers share their knowledge and help students learn new things every day. This job is important because teachers help students become smarter and guide them to be good people.

The Joy of Teaching

Teachers feel happy when they see their students learn and grow. It’s like planting a seed and watching it bloom. This joy comes from knowing they are making a big difference in someone’s life.

Teachers as Role Models

Teachers are like guiding stars for students. They not only teach subjects but also teach how to be kind, honest, and hardworking. Students look up to their teachers and often follow their footsteps.

Teaching is more than just a job; it’s a noble profession that helps build a better future for everyone.

250 Words Essay on Teaching As A Noble Profession

Teaching: a noble profession.

Teaching is a noble profession that plays a vital role in shaping the lives of individuals and society as a whole. It is a calling that requires dedication, passion, and a deep commitment to making a positive impact on the world.

The Power to Transform Lives

Teachers have the unique opportunity to shape the minds and hearts of their students. They can ignite a love of learning, inspire creativity, and instill values that will stay with students for the rest of their lives. Through their words and actions, teachers can empower students to reach their full potential and make a difference in the world.

Creating a Positive Impact

Teachers have a ripple effect on society. By educating and inspiring their students, they are helping to create a more knowledgeable, compassionate, and responsible generation. Teachers play a crucial role in preparing students for the future, equipping them with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in life.

Respect and Recognition

Teaching is a highly respected profession. Teachers are often looked up to as role models and mentors by their students and the community. They are recognized for their dedication, hard work, and the positive impact they make on society.

Challenges and Rewards

Teaching is not without its challenges. Teachers often face large class sizes, limited resources, and increasing demands. However, the rewards of teaching are immense. Seeing students learn, grow, and succeed is an incredibly fulfilling experience. Teachers also have the privilege of making a lasting impact on the lives of their students, helping to shape the world for the better.

In conclusion, teaching is a noble profession that requires dedication, passion, and a commitment to making a positive impact on the world. Teachers have the power to transform lives, create a positive impact on society, and inspire future generations. It is a profession that is respected and rewarding, and it offers the opportunity to make a real difference in the world.

500 Words Essay on Teaching As A Noble Profession

Teaching: a respected and fulfilling career.

Teaching is widely regarded as a noble profession that holds a special place in society. It is a calling that shapes the lives of young people and plays a vital role in molding the future of our communities and nations. In this essay, we will explore why teaching is considered a noble profession and the various aspects that contribute to its significance.

The Importance of Education

Education is the foundation of a prosperous and just society. It empowers individuals with knowledge, skills, and critical thinking abilities, enabling them to contribute positively to their communities and the world at large. Teachers are the cornerstone of this educational process, as they are responsible for imparting knowledge, fostering intellectual growth, and nurturing the development of well-rounded individuals.

Teachers serve as role models for their students, both inside and outside the classroom. They embody the values and behaviors that they aim to instill in their students, such as integrity, compassion, and perseverance. Through their words, actions, and interactions with students, teachers have the power to inspire and motivate young minds, shaping their character and worldview.

The Impact of Teaching

The impact of teaching extends far beyond the classroom walls. Teachers have the privilege of influencing the lives of their students in profound ways. They can ignite a passion for learning, nurture creativity, and help students discover their unique talents and abilities. The lessons learned in school often stay with students long after they graduate, shaping their personal and professional lives.

Teaching is not without its challenges. It requires patience, dedication, and a willingness to adapt to the ever-changing needs of students. Teachers must be prepared to face obstacles, such as limited resources, diverse learning styles, and the demands of a fast-paced educational system. However, the rewards of teaching far outweigh the challenges. The opportunity to witness the growth and progress of students, the satisfaction of making a positive impact on their lives, and the joy of nurturing young minds make teaching a truly fulfilling profession.

The Importance of Recognition and Support

Recognizing and supporting teachers is crucial for maintaining the nobility of the teaching profession. Society should value and appreciate the contributions of teachers, acknowledging the important role they play in shaping the future. This can be done through fair compensation, professional development opportunities, and public recognition of their achievements.

In conclusion, teaching is a noble profession that holds a special place in society. Teachers are entrusted with the responsibility of educating and shaping the minds of young people, playing a vital role in building a better future for all. The challenges they face are outweighed by the immense rewards and satisfaction that come with witnessing the growth and progress of their students. As a society, we must recognize and support teachers, ensuring that they have the resources and recognition they need to continue their important work.

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Essay on Teaching Profession

Everyone in this world has his own likes and dislikes. So is the case with choosing one’s profession. There are many professions to choose from. But most of the people have got some pet profession that they like most.

In childhood, everyone talks of becoming a barrister, a doctor or an engineer but some like to become politicians, statesmen, officers in army, navy and air force. It is quite difficult to choose a profession.

Upon a profession depends on the whole life of a man and so one must have an aim in his life. An aimless life is just like a boat or a ship that is not aware of its destination or is a letter without an address.

Hence, there arises the necessity of choosing a profession. Although I am not fit enough at this age to choose a profession, yet I would like to take up teaching as a profession.

Teaching is a noble profession. I want to become a professor. Ours is still more or less an illiterate country. So, to take the masses from the darkness to light, from ignorance to knowledge, from illiteracy to literacy is really a pious task.

That is way, I want to take up teaching as my profession. Teaching has many advantages over other professions. First of all, it is free from all the corrupt practices prevalent in other professions.

It is an ideal and noble profession in the sense that a teacher remains honest and studious in his profession. He gives the gems from his mind to his students. The words of wisdom are far more valuable than all the riches and everyone can get benefit out of them.

Teaching stands out due to its long-lasting impact on individuals and society. Teachers are not just transmitters of knowledge but also mentors, guides, and friends who inspire and motivate students to achieve their fullest potential. Many also feel a sense of fulfillment and purpose in cultivating the next generation’s minds.

A professor remains in touch with various books. This keeps his knowledge up-to-date. He is the storehouse of knowledge and information. He is the picture of wisdom. A professor has to read books of eminent authors, philosophers and literary figures.

So, his maturity is deep. His ability to solve complex problems is remarkable. Almost all the great men of the world started their lives as teachers. Dr S. Radhakrishnan, our former President, was a university professor. Acharya Kripalani was also a college teacher.

Our late President, Zakir Hussain, was the Vice Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University. Dr M. M. Joshi our present HRD Minister, has also an academic background. A teacher is the true builder of a nation.

It is he who moulds the characters of tender children and creates in them noble qualities of service, sacrifice and patriotism. A teacher is the pillar of the nation’s progress.

It is he who guides the students in their most critical periods, He is the maker of their lives That is why I like this profession most. A teacher is held in high esteem by everyone-students as well as the society.

Teaching, while rewarding, is also fraught with challenges. The responsibility of shaping young minds is enormous, and teachers often navigate through diverse learning needs, behavioral issues, and varying socio-economic backgrounds of students. They must continuously update their knowledge and adapt to new teaching methodologies to cater to the changing educational landscape.

The field of education is ever-evolving; hence, teachers are perpetual learners. They often undergo various examinations and certifications, such as the Praxis 2 , to enhance their qualifications. They participate in professional development programs, attend workshops and conferences, and collaborate with peers to stay abreast of the latest educational research and developments. This continuous learning enriches their teaching practices and contributes to their professional growth.

The teaching profession is multifaceted and immensely rewarding. It is instrumental in shaping the future of individuals and, by extension, the progress of society. Challenges may strew the path, but a teacher can have a profound and enduring impact. It’s a profession that necessitates a blend of knowledge, passion, and empathy, making it one of the most revered professions globally.

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Teaching Profession Essay

Essay on Teaching Profession & Its Benefits

Essay on Teaching Profession

1 – Why teaching is important?

2 – Reasons to Become a Teacher

3 – Teaching is Great for Personal Growth

4 – Benefits of Teaching

5 – The Need for Teachers

6 – Challenges of teaching

7 – Teaching as a career

8 – How to become a teacher

9 – Conclusion

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Chapter 1: The Teaching Profession

Chapter Outline

InTASC Standards

Becoming a Teacher

Stop & Investigate

Critical Lens: Naming Races

Pathways Toward Teacher Certification

Traditional Preparation: Educator Preparation Program (EPP)

Critical Lens: Bias in Standardized Assessments

Alternative Preparation

Maintaining A Teaching License

Characteristics of Effective Teachers

Pause & Ponder

Critical Lens: Linguicism

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Redefining the Role of the Teacher: It’s a Multifaceted Profession

New Relationships and Practices

New Tools and Environments

New Professional Responsibilities

Judith Taack Lanier is a distinguished professor of education at Michigan State University.

Teaching as a Profession

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Teaching as a Profession Essay

Some Respected Teachers in History

What is a Teaching Profession?

Importance of Teaching Profession

Improves Communication Abilities

Fun and learning together

Experience To Handle Various Youngsters

Brilliant Organization Abilities

Ethical And Restrained

Setting up Role Models for Others

Assemble Future Leaders

Inspire and Influence

Improvement and Learning

Work Satisfaction

Potential for Growth

Role of a teacher

Academic Path For A Teacher

Nursery Teacher

Primary School Teacher

Secondary and Higher Secondary School Teachers

College and University Teacher

How to Become a College or University Teacher?

Characteristics of Teaching