https://www.change.org/p/u-s-house-of-representatives-acknowledge-teachers-as-professionals?utm_medium=email&utm_source=victory_fund&utm_campaign=sponsorship_confirmation&utm_content=facebook_link&email_id=HIPNPWWWXCJHASRIKGKX&share_action=invite

1. TEACHERS AS
PROFESSIONALS
Justine Garcia
Doctoral Student-Educational Leadership

2. Purpose
Teacher’s deserve the respect of being considered a
professional. Parents and citizens would start to look at
teachers in a different light if the title of professional was
attached to their job title. With the title, the teacher will
feel appreciated in a way they have not felt and work with
a sense of pride they have not seen before.

3. Definition of Professional
Definition of Professional as per the merriam-webster dictionary
 : relating to a job that requires special education, training, or skill
 : done or given by a person who works in a particular profession
 : paid to participate in a sport or activity

4. Previously
In the past, a teacher taught at age 16 and only needed to pass a test.
In the past, a teacher had to be single and female.
In the past, a teacher did not need any college course to become a
teacher.
In the past, a teacher had to be of high morality and up standing citizen.
In the past, a teacher had to quit teaching once they married.
Teaching has come a long way.

5. Currently
Currently teachers hold a Bachelor's degree or higher.
Currently teachers are certified and tested in order to
teach.
Currently teachers and educators alike are not
considered professionals like lawyers, doctors, and
engineers.
There are roughly 6.2 million teachers in America.
(Microsoft PowerPoint, 2014)

6. The Duties of a Teacher
Teaching to multiple learning styles
Creating lesson plans and grading papers
Evaluating the students progress
Developing teaching techniques as per the interest and abilities of
students
Be available to students and parents
(Microsoft PowerPoint, 2014)

7. Duties of Teachers
(continued)
Maintain the confidentiality of students and their records
Adhere to school procedures and rules
Attend and participate in faculty meeting
Enforce regulations concerning student conduct and discipline
Implement the designated curriculum
Models the correct use of language, oral, and written
Acts in a professional manner and assumes responsibility

8. Duties outside of Teaching
Bureaucrat
Roles in the community
Community leader
Agent of social change
Scholar and research specialist
(Microsoft PowerPoint, 2014)

9. Certification/Education
No Child Left Behind requires that school districts only employee
teachers who are highly qualified
Public elementary and secondary teachers must be fully licensed or
certified by the state and must not have any certification or licensure
requirements waived on an emergency, temporary, or provisional basis.
New public elementary teachers must have at least a bachelors degree
and pass a rigorous state test demonstrating subject knowledge and
teaching skills.

10. Accountability
Teachers are held accountable
for their teaching.
School Boards can remove a
teacher from their position.
Certifications can be removed.
(Microsoft PowerPoint, 2014)

11. Fiction /Facts
Fiction
“Public school teachers have no
specific duty to their students beyond
assuring their safety” (edbizbuzz,
2008).
Teachers are in it for the vacations.
Teachers get off of work at 3:15 pm.
Fact
Professionals of all kinds can be in the
job for a pay check or other perks.
Summer vacation is only one month and
the teacher has to set up the classroom, do
teacher prep, and start lesson planning.
Teachers copy papers, grade, and take
work home with them often grading
papers over the weekend.

12. Bad Professionals
Those who have been against teachers being
acknowledged as professionals have stated
that there are bad teachers.
There are bad professionals in every
profession.
Teachers are role models; there is a high
expectation for teachers beyond what is
expected in other professions.
Teachers are held to a higher stander.
(Microsoft PowerPoint, 2014)

13. References
Edbizbuzz.com. (2008). Teacher should be legally-recognized
profession, but it’s not. Retrieved from
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/edbizbuzz/2008/04/teaching_sh
ould_ be_a_legallyre.html
Meriam-webster.com (2014). Professional. Retrieved from
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/professional
Microsoft PowerPoint. (2014). Clip Art. Retrieved from Microsoft
PowerPoint clip art.