A professional attitude is important if teachers want society to recognize them as professionals. There is no substitute for a constructive, positive attitude towards teaching. Dedication towards learners, the subject and the school in totality is imperative.
Teachers should have respect for their own professionalism and stay up to date in their field of knowledge. Professional behavior exhibits trustworthiness and maintains confidentiality. As a member of staff, being supportive and cooperative plays a fundamental role in a learning organisation. Responsibilities should be shared among members of staff, ensuring not to leave all the disciplining to senior staff. Classroom management is currently under more scrutiny than ever before and entails aspects such as management of time, space, discipline and diversity, to mention only a few.
With the professional skills to manage class effectively, the conduct of teachers will include some of the following:
- striving to become professional educational experts
- respect for oneself, the learners, parents, department and community
- utilization of channels for professional development
- knowledge and understanding of the child
- a purposeful and well-managed classroom
In addition, other factors which can increase teachers' effectiveness as professional persons are cheerfulness, dependability, enthusiasm, fairness, honesty, patience, a spirit of inquiry and a sense of efficacy.
Teachers have rights and obligations too. These obligations are related to the quality of professionally responsible relationships that they establish. They must also know what the fundamental rights of learners are and it's required to maintain a professional relationship towards learners and also, towards parents.
As wonderful as it could be, there are those teachers who display negative behavior that undermines the image of the teaching profession. I could list a few (there are much more):
- some are not sufficiently qualified to teach their students
- lack of motivation to teach
- not fulfilling their role-model functions as responsible adults
- irresponsibility and ill-discipline
- absenteeism
- low morale
These types of behavior reveal their attitude towards the teaching profession. These are examples of weaknesses that should be addressed in teacher training, workshops, seminars, staff meetings and conferences.
In conclusion, it is it important that the teaching profession must develop its own professional pride, conscience and consciousness and I believe that thorough attention must be paid to matters which can affect the professional status of teaching negatively.
