Episode 1

Our first episode of the Weekly Planner jumps right into professionalism and looks at four ways we can enhance our level of professionalism.

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Today, on the first episode of THE WEEKLY PLANNER, we will look at professionalism in education.

One of the greatest NFL coaches of all time once said,

“The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.”

That came from Vince Lombardi, a professional who, in 8 years as a coach, achieved the following:

• Win-Loss record : 96-34-6 (72%)
• Playoff record : 9-1 (90%)
• Won 5 NFL Championships including Super Bowl 1 and 2

When we enter our field of endeavor which is education, none of us ever expect to be the ‘Vince Lombardi’ of education; however, our sights are definitely set on making that type of difference in our students’ lives. Our commitment to excellence is what kept us going throughout college and pushed us to graduate with our degrees.

That commitment continues as we interview, get our first teaching positions, set up our classroom, take a look at our curriculum, lesson plan, and so much more; however, we forget the fundamental thing that will ensure that our commitment to excellence is a daily habit. 

That is our level of professionalism and today’s episode of THE WEEKLY PLANNER will dive deep into the levels of professionalism.

Personally, coming into education, I was a green 23 year old who was just looking to survive in a school so professionalism was the last thing on my mind which hindered my growth early on. I agree we are bombarded with the various demands of being a 21st century educator but that are fundamental components of being a professional in education.

Professionalism is like a muscle that requires working out or ‘exercising’ in order to improve.

Professionalism, like great wealth, does not happen overnight and is a constant work in process. Teachers are professionals and should consider themselves as such; however, being labeled a professional does not automatically cause one to act professionally. Becoming a professional takes real calculated work and a focused mindset.

The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (2004) presents five propositions that make up a professional teacher. These include:

1. Teachers are committed to students and their learning
2. Teachers know the subjects they teach and how to teach those subjects to students
3. Teachers are responsible for managing and monitoring student learning
4. Teachers think systematically about their practice and learn from experience
5. Teachers are members of learning communities

Everything we do as an educator falls into one of those categories. Furthermore, there are four areas we can work on starting tomorrow and for the remainder of our careers to ensure that these propositions and our level of professionalism are kept up to a high standard. 

Our first area to grow in our professionalism is in our ability to communicate. The Bureau of Labor Statistics said in 2004, “In addition to being knowledgeable in their subject, teachers must have the ability to communicate, inspire trust and confidence, and motivate students, as well as understand the students’ educational and emotional needs.”

As a teacher, we communicate all the time. Communicating is our business and learning ways to express yourself will aid us not only in doing our job well, but will also assist us in getting along with fellow adults. 

Questions to consider when gauging our level of communication include: 

Does what we say have substance? Is it beneficial? Do our words motivate further action?

As a communicator we need to analyze our tone. Do we yell to get our point across? Our ability to communicate can inspire trust and confidence in others and, in education, those two things are crucial to making a difference and motivating action in others including our parents, students, and fellow colleagues.

For my fellow educators that have been in the field for sometime, we know we can speak volumes without even uttering a word. John Jay Bonstingle writes in his book, Introduction to Sociology, “Sociologists say that over 90% of our communication is nonverbal. That is no more true than in education and learning how to master our nonverbal communication can greatly increase our level of professionalism.

Nonverbal communication includes our ability to listen, our telephone etiquette, and our written communication. Facial reactions play a huge role in our nonverbal communication as well. Keep in mind, any look or reaction can cause a difference in the way a conversation goes on any given day.

In developing our area of communication, take into consideration Faux Pas, or social blunders / errors in etiquette.

Question to consider when gauging our Faux Pas usage include:

• Do you talk too much?
• Do you brag about yourself?
• Do you put others down, sometimes supposedly in fun?
• Are you a negative person who always sees and tells the bad side of every situation?
• Do you act conceited or give the impression that you know more than everyone else?
• Do you listen to the opinions of others?
• Are you careful not to interrupt other people when they are talking?
• Do you recognize what is currently considered to be “politically correct?”
• Do you think before you speak, and are you aware of appropriate topics to discuss around others?
• Do you ask permission if you use others’ ideas?
• Are you polite?

Our ability to communicate and taking control of any faux pas we display can raise our level of communication and, in return, raise our level of professionalism. 

Now that we have considered our ability to communicate, let’s take a look at the second area to grow in developing a greater level of professionalism. This area is the actions we display.

Some questions to begin with include:

Do you follow through with your words and are things completed when they should be? 

Do consequences happen as they are stated? 

What is your proximity when speaking to other staff and students? 

How do you spend down time during the work day? 

Do our actions ensure relationships are being established and maintained (with parents, students, and colleagues)? 

Accountability can dictate our actions and our commitment to holding ourselves accountable for our actions is the basis of being a professional. Accountability is not only about being able to show what your students know; it is also about being able to show your abilities as a teacher. It’s important that our daily action is a constant demonstration of our ability to be an educator. With that said, our actions must demonstrate commitment to further professional development. Being a professional means having a love for learning. Always focused on learning new methods, practices, and strategies to make learning interesting. Professional Development plays a huge role in being a lifelong learner.

Finally, in taking a look at our actions, ask yourself do I demonstrate effective strategies being used with students, especially for the lowest 10-20 percent? If the answer is no, we have a duty to reach out and act. 

Our third area to grow in our professionalism is in our thought patterns. As a teacher we are required to make countless decisions in our classroom and throughout the day. Sometimes we have to think through our decisions and have time to reach out for advice; however, many decisions have to be made on the spot. Reflection plays an important function in terms of how our decisions are made.

Questions to consider about our level of reflection include:

Do you reflect on your daily interactions and make the appropriate changes needed? 

Do you reflect on what worked in the classroom and what didn’t? 

Do you take things personally and emotionally react?

These three questions and others require a humble mindset to get them answered and in order to grow our level of professionalism, constant reflection is required.

With that said, negativity has its way of creeping up on our thought patterns given all the demands and requirements that are thrown our way, each and every day; however, a clear mindset based on sound judgment and knowledge of good educational practice is required in order for our level of professionalism to grow.

Our fourth area to grow in our professionalism is in our presence. There is a saying, sometimes the key to being a professional is to look and act the part. Our presence plays an important role in the ability to act the part of being an educator. What we wear, what we say, what we do all contribute to our presence.

Developing a presence goes hand in hand with developing confidence. Working on self-confidence is often difficult because we believe the saying, “don’t tell him that; he’ll get the big head.” We’ve experienced the discomfort of being around people who are conceited. But conceit and confidence are not the same thing. 

According to Webster’s, conceit is defined as “an exaggerated opinion of oneself,” or a false reality while confidence is defined as “belief in one’s own abilities,” or actual reality. 

It is good and healthy to know who you are and what you are capable of doing. Your presence should convey the message that you are a professional, capable of making a huge difference.

As educators, our words, actions, thought patterns, and presence can make all the difference. 

While in college, I read a quote that said, “to be a professional, you must look the part, act the part, and become the part.” As an educator, in a field where we don’t have a lot of control with our surroundings and circumstances, our words, actions, thought patterns and presence are where we have complete control. 

Be deliberate - deliberate in your conduct, your planning, your communication, your relationships, your appearance, and your ability to grow as an educator and as a professional.

We have a responsibility to our fellow parents, students, colleagues, and the greater community to take control of those four areas, remain professional and continue to demonstrate a dedication towards developing ourselves and our level of professionalism.