Teaching is a profession that facilitates learning through specialized knowledge and skills. As a profession, teaching meets six key criteria: it has an organized body of knowledge; serves a social purpose by educating students; has teacher professional organizations that promote cooperation; requires formal education and continuous professional development; allows teacher autonomy in decision making; and gives teachers control over standards and certification. Teachers are professionals who diagnose student needs, plan and deliver effective instruction, assess learning, develop safe classroom environments, engage in reflective practice, and exercise professional judgment.