I've been reflecting a lot on the professionalism of teachers lately. Particularly, why teaching is the one profession in which the professional is not regarded as such. Most professionals-lawyers, doctors, accounts-receive their credentials and then are expected to fulfill their jobs responsibilities. And, what's more, they are trusted to do so, they don't receive mandate after mandate telling them what to do. Instead, other professionals are trusted to do what is right in their field. This is where the idea of professional judgement comes in. But, the same is not true for teachers. You don't hear people referring to the professional judgement of teachers to assess their students, instead you have government people with no teaching experience telling them how to assess their students.
This doesn't sit well with me. In order for schools to improve, teachers' professionalism needs to be trusted. In order to trust teachers' professionalism....well, that is something for further reflection.
reflecting through the tangle of vines that is education
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