Sergiovanni's Professionalism

Over the past couple of days, our class has been studying Sergiovanni's definition of professionalism, as well as attempting to develop our own.  Each of us understands what a professional looks like, however it is a bit more difficult to come up with a definition of all that this entails.  Sergiovanni sorts his definition of professionalism into four commitments, which I believe works rather well.  Each of these commitments are broad enough that they include many of the smaller definitions we had developed in our class groups.

The first of Sergiovanni's commitments is the commitment to caring.  This includes caring about the students, not just in academics, but emotionally and socially as well.  Our job as teachers is not just to make sure each child is educated, but to have their safety and best interests in mind, both in the classroom and on the playground.  The parents must also be shown care, as we have to provide them with the information necessary for their child to do well in school.  Sharing, supporting, and being there for our colleagues is also included.  I believe this is absolutely essential for teachers, for we must work as a team in order for our students to excel.  As teachers, we have the ability to understand some of the problems our fellow colleagues will be dealing with, so we have to support them and the faculty we are a part of.  This goes along with caring about our school, for our students can not take pride in a place if their teacher role models are not working to make it the best place it can be.

The second commitment is the commitment to practise in exemplary ways.  As teachers, we have to take pride in our job by developing the best lessons we can for our students.  Our commitment to the practise of teaching is also shown through our classroom managment techniques.  Each teaching position we will be offered has a job description, however there is an unwritten expectation that goes along with each position.  These expectations include things like chaperoning at school dances, noon hour supervision, coaching after school sports, or taking classes on field trips.  In order to be a professional we must be willing to go beyond the classroom and take part in extracurricular activities with our students.  I believe this is so important, for it is often outside of the classroom that students can develop a great relationship with their teacher, and this goes back into the classroom.

The third commitment is the commitment to one's own practise and to the practise itself.  Teachers must act professionally towards other teachers, and support those in the field of education.  This includes going to the PD sessions to continue learning from your colleagues or becoming a member of MTS.  Volunteering to take on a student teacher is also included here, as this is one way to give back to the education system.  We have chosen the field of teaching, so we must commit to this practise and be supportive of education.

The fourth commitment is the commitment to valued social ends.  We have chosen this career so that we can contribute to our community in the best way we are able.  The world is a huge place, and sometimes all the difficulties it faces may seem overwhelming.  But as teachers we have to show our students that every action can help make a difference.  This can be seen in offering global support, to places such as Haiti, working to stop violence or bullying, or even picking up garbage around the school yard.

Sergiovanni's definition of professionalism may appear short when you just see the four points, but these points include everything that I think a professional should be.  If I wished to get rid of all the explanation, and just have one simple definition for a professional, this would be it:
       "A professional is someone so passionate about their job that they will do nothing to jeopardize their position, everything in their power to make themselves the ultimate, while always being respectful of each person on their path".