Portrait of a Teacher

http://www.montclair.edu/cehs/academic/cop/agendaedu.shtml#portrait

After our discussion tonight about teacher professionalism, I perused the South Carolina Department of Education's website (http://ed.sc.gov/). Through a series of links , I found this one, which is Montclair State University's Portrait of a Teacher. The Center for Pedagogy at Montclair has designed this "constitution" for teachers. It is the result of the work of faculty members, and members of the public school system that embodies their idea of the qualities a teacher should possess, and the institution uses it as a reference when choosing candidates for the Teacher Education Program. Many of the ideals are very similar to those Dewey seemed to promote. The portrait calls for teachers to possess a genuine interest and understanding of one's students and community. It encourages them to create a feeling of community and democracy both inside and outside of the classroom. The phrase, "Lead by example," comes to mind. Dewey would view fondly the creating experiences that enhance critical thinking and problem solving skills portion. I found it interesting that they would include promoting student disposition as part of this. Might this be an elusion to building good citizens? The closest statement that I could find that might be construed as referring to any physical appearance or "negative conduct" is, "...evaluate the effects of their choices and actions on others...," but all seem to underline professionalism. This is conceptual and open to interpretation. However, is the way we present ourselves not a statement of who we are? I believe that if nothing else, it is an invitation for people to make their own judgments, no matter what they may be. Why have any kind of face to face interviews? Why not just look at some one's resume, and make a decision based on their words alone? Maybe interviews could just be held by instant message, text message or e-mail? I think people want to know more about their candidates than how they sound on paper, because they will be representatives of their institutions or businesses, etc. It may not be fair or moral or ethical, but that does not mean it is not true. People have certain expectations for people in certain positions. All too often they are based on malformed stereotypes. Have you ever heard the phrase, "Those who can do, those who can't teach." Fighting words in our business to say the least!