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6 Reasonsto Respect Teachingasa Profession

The document discusses whether teaching is considered a profession according to six characteristics: teachers are required to be licensed, schools provide induction and mentoring programs for new teachers, professional development opportunities are offered, there are specializations within teaching, teacher salaries are debated, and teaching has average prestige compared to other professions.

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17 views

6 Reasonsto Respect Teachingasa Profession

The document discusses whether teaching is considered a profession according to six characteristics: teachers are required to be licensed, schools provide induction and mentoring programs for new teachers, professional development opportunities are offered, there are specializations within teaching, teacher salaries are debated, and teaching has average prestige compared to other professions.

Uploaded by

arruelle paisones
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Do you think teaching is a profession?

According to Webster’s Dictionary, a profession is defined as “a calling requiring specialized


knowledge and often long and intensive academic preparation.” Ballantine and Spade list six
characteristics that distinguish a profession from other occupations. These characteristics can help
answer that question.

1. Are there credential and licensing requirements for aspiring teachers? American teachers
are required to have a teaching license. Credentialing is handled by individual states.
Granted, there are alternative certification programs, such as Teach for America. These types of
programs allow graduates from various fields (including graduates from schools of education) to
participate in intensive preparatory programs lasting several weeks to enable them to join the
teaching workforce. Because of these programs, increased numbers of teachers are available.
However, some of these teachers might lack much-needed pedagogical skills.
Every state has a process for conferring teaching credentials (licensure) to pre-service teachers who
have completed the state requirements for teaching certification. The process may include
graduating from an accredited teacher education program and passing teaching licensure exams.
When states experience a shortage of teachers, they can issue emergency licensure to college
graduates who want to educate students but haven’t met all of the state requirements for licensure.
Emergency licensure or credentials are given on the assumption that these teachers will be able to
pass the state licensure exam or complete the required coursework.
To find out more, you’ll need to research your state requirements for teacher licensure. Your state’s
department of education Web site will have this information. The teacher licensure requirements
vary from state to state, so a lot of states have reciprocity agreements that make it fairly easy for
educators who hold licensure in one state to gain licensure in another state. Over 40 states have
pledged to follow this process, and in many cases it’s as easy as filling out a few forms. In others, the
process can be more tedious. To know whether your state has a reciprocity agreement, visit its
department of education Web site.

2. Do U.S. schools have induction and mentoring programs for new teachers? Several programs
make it easier for new teachers to adjust to their careers. In the United States, the Improving
Teacher Quality State Grants Program provides nearly $3 billion per year to states to train,
recruit, and prepare new teachers. The main provisions of these funds are the implementation
of teacher induction programs. The Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 also provides
grants that facilitate teacher induction and mentoring programs for new teachers.
Mentorship relationships are also common, with experienced teachers mentoring new or beginning
teachers during their first year of teaching.

3. Do U.S. schools offer professional development support and opportunities? In the United
States, most schools provide their teachers with regular professional development
opportunities. These opportunities include workshops and other activities organized internally
by the school or externally by other professional organizations. Teachers may also choose to
participate in professional development voluntarily by enrolling in courses at a local college
or university.
4. Are there specializations within the teaching profession? In the U.S. school system,
specializations are determined by the grade level and the subjects’ teachers are certified to
teach. An elementary teacher’s training differs significantly from a secondary school teacher.
And at the secondary level, teachers are more specialized by subject matter; for example, a
biology teacher’s training necessarily differs from a French teacher.
5. Are teachers well compensated? There is ongoing debate about the adequacy of teacher
salaries. The gap between starting salaries and end-of-career salaries for teachers is
significant, so there is room for promotion and increase in salary for teachers who want to
advance their careers.
6. Do teachers enjoy prestige and high social standing? The teaching profession has average
prestige and social standing when compared to other professions. Teachers are considered
less prestigious than physicians, attorneys, and engineers, but have higher social standing
than police, bank tellers, and social workers.

Source: https://www.theedadvocate.org/6-reasons-to-respect-teaching-as-a-profession/

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