1. Moot: “Professionalism only characterizes teachers work life.”
Teacher candidates: Pulwattie Narine
Madavi Prashad
Jennet Fredericks
Centre: Anna Regina in – Service
Lecturer: Miss. Yasim Hatim
Cyril Potter College of
Education (Anna Regina In –
Service)
Debate (Proposition)
2. First Speaker:
According to Steve Pressfield and I quote ‘the essence of professionalism is the focus upon the
work and its demand, while we are doing it, to the exclusion of all else’ end of quote.
We the member of the proposition strongly agree with the moot and I quote “Professionalism
only characterizes teachers work life” end of quote, we the member of the proposition agree with
this moot because we believe that whatever happens in a teacher personal life have nothing to do
with his/her professional life.
Honorable Judges, members of the opposition and teacher candidates, a pleasant good afternoon
to you all! Standing before you as the first speaker of the proposition Miss Pulwattie Narine, who
would be giving a general idea of, what professionalism is all about from different researcher
point of view and how Professionalism is only related to the life of the Teacher. My second
speaker Miss Madavi Prashad will talk about Teacher as effective Professionals. And my third
speaker Miss Jennet Fredericks will talk about the elements of professionalism.
Firstly, Professionalism is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as "the conduct,
goals, or attributes that characterize or mark a profession or a professional person." According to
the Cambridge English Dictionary, only- means "without people or anything else." Work-life
balance is defined by Merriam-Webster as the amount of time you spend at your job versus the
amount of time you spend with your family and doing things you enjoy. Cambridge University?
Professionalism is the conduct, aims or quality that characterize or mark a professional or a
professional person”. One may ask why should professionalism only characterize a teacher’s
life? It should only characterize a teachers’ life because professionalism is the umbrella that
shelters teachers’ commitment to one another, to learners and the community at large.
3. Furthermore, the aforementioned considerations have demonstrated that professionalism
merely characterizes a teacher's work life. Shouldn't we all be treated fairly and equitably? A
question to the opposition. We should not be victims of our employment or the outside world as
educators. Every profession necessitates varied levels of professionalism, and every professional
should conduct themselves in society with a high level of discipline and respect, yet only
teachers are looked down upon and victimized by their jobs. Yes, we know teachers are a vital
contribution to society, but we also have personal lives, and society should see us as the
individuals we are rather than judging us solely on our profession.
Secondly, respectable judges, I'll leave you with this question: do your societal behaviors
impair your professional performance? Allow me to enlighten you before you think. As
professionals, we are well-equipped with skills that allow us to thrive in the workplace while also
possessing attributes that allow us to be civil in society. However, our modest civil activities are
utilized to undermine our performance at work. According to a 2010 poll conducted by Peru's
teachers' department, statistics reveal that 85 percent of educators continue to produce great
education and outstanding achievements in various level examinations. So, opposition members,
how do our actions affect our academic performance? Aren't we still capable of being educators?
Allow those questions to settle in your memory.
Therefore, if we synthesize the definitions up to now, it is possible to interpret professionalism as
a multi-dimensional structure including one’s work behaviors and attitudes to perform the
highest standards and improve the service quality.
4. On the other hand, Professionalism can also be defined as the focus on the question of what
qualifications and acquired capacities, what competence is required for the successful exercise of
an occupation (Englund, 1996).
Moreover, Hugh Sockett (1993) lays out a broad theory of the moral foundations of teacher
professionalism. He describes professionalism as the “manner of conduct within an occupation,
how members integrate their obligations with their knowledge and skill in a context of
collegiality, and their contractual and ethical relations with clients”.
Lastly, on the most basic level, the definition of “professional teacher” refers to the status of a
person who is paid to teach. It can also, on a higher level, refer to teachers who represent the best
in the profession and set the highest standard for best practice. For example, Wise (1989)
describes professional teachers as those: who have a firm grasp of the subjects they teach and are
true to the intellectual demands of their disciplines. They are able to analyze the needs of the
students for whom they are responsible. They know the standards of practice of their profession.
They know that they are accountable for meeting the needs of their students.
After listening to all the definition don’t you agree with me that Professionalism only
characterizes teacher’s work life and not their life outside of the job?
Honorable Judges, members of the opposition and teacher candidates, I would now leave you in
the capable hands of my second speaker.
I rest my case.
Thank you.
5. Second Speaker:
Honorable Judges, members of the opposition and teacher candidates, a pleasant day to you all!
As the second speaker of the proposition, I am here to assist my first speaker in proving to you
that Professionalism only characterizes a teacher’s work life.
Honorable judges, members of the opposition, audience, as my leader highlighted, I will
continue the arguments as stated ‘Teachers as effective Professionals’.
Honorable judges, after listening to that definition given by the first speaker about ‘professional
teachers’ it is clearly illustrates that teaching at a professional level is an advanced and complex
undertaking. Both Clement (2002) and Seifert (1999) point out that becoming a professional
teacher is a process that takes time to master. Stronge (2002) categorized the attributes,
behaviors, and attitudes of effective teachers into six major areas: prerequisites of effective
teachers, the teacher as a person, classroom management and organization, organizing for
instruction, implementing instruction, and monitoring student progress and potential.
Firstly, the first two areas examine the teacher as an individual, while the remaining four explore
the responsibilities and practices of teachers. He further summarizes the characteristics of
effective teachers into three statements: the effective teacher recognizes complexity,
communicates clearly, and serves conscientiously. Hoyle (1980) portrays professionalism as the
quality of one’s practice. In other words, the behaviors exhibited by a professional teacher are
what identify a teacher’s professionalism. Similarly, Hurst and Reding (2000) associate specific
behaviors with teacher professionalism, from appearance and punctuality to using proper
language and building strong relationships with colleagues.
6. Secondly, Morrow (1988) believes professionalism is the degree to which one is committed to
the profession and notes that individuals vary in their identification with their profession and in
their support of the profession’s values—i.e., teachers have varying levels of professionalism.
Kramer (2003) contends the most critical elements of teacher professionalism can be classified
into three categories: attitude, behavior, and communication. These three broad areas cover a
wide range of behaviors and characteristics that should be demonstrated in the professional lives
of teachers, from being on time and dressing neatly to understanding learning theories to clearly
communicating with colleagues, parents, and students (Kramer 2003). Additionally, Cruikshank
and Haefele (2001) categorize “good teachers” in multiple areas including being analytic, dutiful,
expert, reflective, and respected.
After listening to all the factual information given are you still not convince that Professionalism
only characterizes a teacher’s work life?
Honorable Judges, members of the opposition and teacher candidates, I the second speaker and
the first speaker have given convincing evidence that Professionalism only characterizes a
teacher’s work life, my third speaker will now strengthen our evidence.
I now rest my case.
Thank you.
7. Third Speaker
Most esteemed judges, members of the opposition and teacher candidates, I raised proudly as the
3rd speaker of the proposing team to further convince you on our moot and I quote,
“professionalism only characterizes teacher’s work life” end of quote. To further convince you
sagacious judges, my attention would be on the elements of professionalism.
Members of the opposition ask your -self this mind-boggling question, what are the elements of
professionalism?
Firstly, we have attitude. Attitude is everything! A positive attitude is an essential component of
professionalism (Hurst and Reding 2000). Beginning at the simplest level, teachers cannot let
their personal lives interfere with their professional attitude. Even when having a bad day, a
teacher still needs to maintain a positive attitude and not take out a bad mood on the students. A
professional need to push away outside concerns or distractions and focus on the task at hand.
No one would want a surgeon to let personal anger interferes with a patient’s operation.
Similarly, a teacher shouldn’t let negative feelings spill over to the students. An attitude of
confidence is another key component of professionalism. Lack of confidence can lead to social
errors and unprofessional behavior (Hurst and Reding 2000). Teachers must know and trust
themselves and their abilities. An attitude of initiative is also an important element. Hurst and
Reding (2000, 47) emphasized, “Professionals set goals for themselves and their students. They
know what they want to achieve.” One of the first signs that preservice teachers are becoming
more professional is that they begin to take initiative, rather than wait to be told what to do.
Effective teachers need to commit themselves to being lifelong learners. Wong and Wong (1998,
294) described a professional as “someone who, without supervision or regulation; is a
responsible person; has a continuing growth plan to achieve competence; and strives
8. continuously to raise the level of each new group of students.” Hurst and Reding (2000) stressed
the importance of professionals staying current in their field of study.
Secondly, I have here behaviours, behaviors are associated with professionalism. I guess you’re
wondering what are those behaviours. First, we have, preparedness, preparedness is one behavior
associated with professionalism, is an important focus in the current standards movement. The
NCATE Standards require that “the teacher candidate knows the subject matter and can teach it
effectively so students can learn” (Wise and Leibbrand 2001). The National Board for
Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) also includes a proposition that teachers should know
the content and methodology of what they teach (Seifert 1999). Teachers need to be prepared to
teach the content of their lessons, as well as be prepared with the proper materials and resources.
Furthermore, Hurst and Reding (2000) identified punctuality as another critical behavior
associated with professionalism. Tardiness does not go over well in the school setting. Children
cannot be left unsupervised. Therefore, it is critical that teachers arrive on time, whether it is for
the start of the school day or for picking up the students from a special class. Professionals,
metaphorically, live in glass houses; they are under constant scrutiny and are held to the highest
moral and ethical standards.
However, teachers are expected to be role models for their students, must carefully examine how
their behavior, both in and out of the classroom, might make an impression on others. A
teacher’s actions and influence as a role model can either help or harm others. Just the hint of
any impropriety can both ruin a teacher’s reputation and leave students disappointed and
confused. Like it or not, people are often judged by their appearance. A professional is expected
to dress in a respectable manner. Wong and Wong (1998, 51) caution, “You will be treated as
you are dressed.” While the level of formality has declined in many professions, many types of
9. clothing still are considered inappropriate in professional settings. Clothes that are too
provocative, casual, or sloppy are inappropriate. Body piercings, tattoos, and other bold fashions
are often looked upon unfavorably. Teachers are encouraged to err on the side of formality,
rather than to dress in casual or contemporary fashion. Hurst and Reding (2000, 13) advised, “A
teacher should look like the teacher, not one of the students. School is not the place to make wild
fashion statements or to dress in provocative ways.”
Thirdly, we have communication, numerous facets of communication impact professionalism.
Among these are collaboration, cooperation, support and encouragement, and participation in
learning communities, as well as basic modeling of proper language usage. Hurst and Reding
(2000, 26) stated, “Building good, strong relationships are part of being a professional.”
Teachers no longer can go into their classrooms, shut the door, and do their own thing. The
changing nature of schools calls for teachers to collaborate with others and work effectively as a
team toward common goals. Collaboration is essential for meeting the needs of all of students.
In conclusion, Seifert (1999, 95) offered that “becoming truly professional is a lifelong
challenge,” and he also stated: Professionalism is a process more than an outcome— a way of
encountering new students and new classroom problems and of finding meaning and solutions to
them as you grow. It is not a “thing” acquired or worn like a piece of clothing; at no time will
you have become professional once and for all.
To reiterate my position, we the proposition agree without a shadow of a doubt agree that
‘Professionalism only characterizes teachers work life.
Thank you!
10. Rebuttal
Esteem judges, member of opposition and teacher candidate, I greet you for the last time. We the
member of the proposition stand solid and valid with the moot and I quote “professionalism
only characterizes teachers’ work-life” end of quote.
Members of the opposition I would like to place emphasis on a point stated by your speaker, I
quote teachers must dress appropriate at all time whether in or out of the workplace...
Firstly, members of the opposition may I remained you that the Ministry of Education on
teacher’s code of conduct rules and regulations clearly states that teacher should dress
appropriately at all time when in the classroom or school. i.e., no jeans, strap tops, leggings
etc...it even when down to state and I quote " keep your pedal pushers for after work", I repeat
"keep your pedal pushers for after work... my worthy opponent on the account of dress code.
how can you say that a teacher’s professionalism is not only characterized by their work life but
also out of school?
Secondly, according to the 3rd speaker and I quote “according to Hurts and Reding (2006, 26)
states “building good, strong relationships are part of being professional.” The changing nature
of schools called for teachers to collaborate with others and work effectively as a team to reach a
common goal.” Listening to that statement it clearly has nothing to do with the outside life of a
teacher, but in fact it is characterizing a teacher’s work’s life.
We the member of the proposition emphatically Stand and support the moot that Professionalism
ONLY characterizes teachers work life.
Thank You!!
