Professional teacher

IF a teacher says “I am a professional teacher” he/she could mean to have the following qualities.
Must have gone through a lengthy period of specialist training and certified with exceptional and consistent grades (preferably A or B) in their subject specialisation. A teacher without adequate content knowledge should also refer him/herself as a learner in the class he or she is teaching. A learner teaching other learners may delay students’ academic progress. Teachers must be seen as “know all” to give confidence to the students and stakeholders.
Must have gone through a lengthy period of teacher training and certified with exceptional and consistent grades (preferably A or B) in the teaching skills and methods and other education courses taken in their teacher-training. Having content knowledge without proper teachings skills and methods is useless. It may be useful in industry but not in the classroom before students. In addition, the subject matter must be planned logically and articulated properly and formally with the accepted medium of communication, that is English language.
Teachers do not only teach knowledge and skills in their subject specialisation but also values and attitudes (KSVA). Values and attitudes should be part of the formal curriculum.
These are crucial learning areas for teachers to impart their students and others in their neighborhood. Otherwise, teaching is incomplete. The values of every individual subject should be emphasised so that students appreciate the courses being studied and use them in the society than having feelings of failures.
Be of sober character and display outstanding professional attitudes so as to be role models in their schools and communities.
Teachers are not only teaching in the classroom setting through formal curriculum but also they are teachers outside of the classroom, in the community, on the streets, in the pub etc. It is not easy to choose to be a teacher because teaching is more than just a profession. A teacher teaches the subjects as well as shaping and molding the child under his custody to be a responsible and rational citizen in the society now and into the future. Teachers are subject to monitoring and appraisal by both immediate authorities as well as all other stakeholders.
All teachers are subject to PNG teachers’ code of ethics.
The public should have access to this document now to see if a teacher is truly a professional teacher on the attitude side of the profession.

Joe Kuman