Standard “P”: Understanding Teaching as a Profession

Teacher candidates positively impact student learning that is:

i. Informed by professional responsibilities and policies. All students benefit from a collegial and professional school setting.

ii. Enhanced by a reflective, collaborative, professional growth-centered practice. All students benefit from the professional growth of their teachers.

iii. Informed by legal and ethical responsibilities. All students benefit from a safe and respectful learning environment.

My interpretation of Standard “P”:

The main purpose of this standard is to emphasize the importance of keeping lessons, class material, dress, and overall behavior appropriate, and to be conscientious of what is going on in the classroom.

P1 requires that the teacher candidate keeps their classroom conduct professional at all times. They must alway bear in mind that teaching is a job, not a joke, and it is meant to be treated in an appropriate manner. This isn’t to say that there can be no fun in the classroom, but it does mean that teachers and students should always be able to recognize their environment as one that is more principled than their lives outside of school. This sort of attitude benefits students because it creates a place of learning where they can be with their peers, but still know that they are meant to stay within the professional expectations of the teacher.

P2 states that teacher candidates must continue to grow and develop in their knowledge and teaching skills. Teachers should reflect on their teaching experiences and habits in order to better themselves on a day-to-day basis, so that students can receive the best possible instruction. When a teacher is constantly willing to reassess what he or she is doing, that teacher’s skills will remain current, fresh, and effective.

P3 is extremely important for anyone spending time in a school (or anywhere for that matter). P3’s purpose is to make sure teacher candidates understand their ethical and legal obligations so that they can be ready to help a student in any situation. In order for learning to happen, students need to be in a safe and respectful learning environment. More often than not, that kind of environment is largely created and enforced by the teacher, who has the power to separate kids who don’t get along, and make sure everyone is safe at all times. For a teacher, knowing what to do in an emergency is important, but knowing how to diffuse potentially dangerous or hurtful situations every day is just as crucial to the success of a classroom.