Teaching is a vocation, mission, profession

 Philippine Daily Inquirer

 19 Jan 2016
 By Marjorie Joy Romero-Sigua Contributor Marjorie Joy Romero-Sigua is a Grade 6
English teacher at Concepcion North Central Elementary School in Concepcion, Tarlac
province.

SOME teachers probably never dreamed of making teaching their profession.

I for one, honestly, did not imagine being called to this vocation. But I firmly believe I am
among the “chosen few” called by God to this vocation.

Like Jesus, who was sent to preach and teach in Palestine. God also sent us teachers on a mission
to teach.

To accomplish this mission, we had to equip ourselves with knowledge, skills and the right
attitude to be effective teach- ers. In college, it was impressed upon us that teaching involved the
fundamental skills or the R’s—reading, ’riting, ’rithmetic and right conduct.

But what exactly is our mission as teachers? Is it to make our students excel academically?

That is only partly true. Every child who enters our classroom has been entrusted to our care. We
have the responsibility to mold them and help them become better persons and make their lives
meaningful.

It is our mission to help them succeed while remaining honest and faithful.

In the end, we are expected to submit our own “accomplishment report” to Him.

Sr. Mary Lauretta, an American nun and Science teacher at Columbus High School in
Marshfield, Wisconsin, said: “To be successful, the first thing to do is fall in love with your
work. If you take teaching as a profession, this means that you must be willing to go through a
long period of preparation and continuing professional development. You must strive for
excellence, commit yourself to moral, ethical and religious values and dedicate yourself to public
service. It is our way of rendering service to humanity. The quality of our professional service is
determined to a very great extent on our long and arduous period of preparation, continuing
professional education and our commitment to ethical and moral values. If we give professional
quality service, then mediocrity has no place. If we live up to our name as a professional teacher,
a meaningful and fulfilled life will not be far behind. No doubt this can readily happen when
teaching has become your passion.”

Teaching may not be a lucra- tive job. It may not even provide you financial security. It
consumes a lot of your personal time, energy and resources. At times it causes disappointments,
heartaches and pain.
But touching the heart of children and opening their minds offer you rewards that are not
quantifiable.

So I ama happy, contented soul in my vocation, mission and profession.

Teaching as your vocation, mission and profession

1. 1. “ ” TEACHING AS YOUR VOCATION, MISSION AND PROFESSION “One looks back with
appreciation to the brilliant teachers, but with gratitude to those who touched our human
feelings…” – Carl Jung
2. 2. “ ” TEACHING AS YOURVOCATION.
3. 3. TEACHING AS YOUR VOCATION. It comes from the Latin word “vocare” which means “to call”.
Teaching is more than a noble profession. It is a vocation…a calling.
4. 4. “If there’s a call there must be a caller and someone who is called. There must also be a
response.” Christians • caller is GOD Muslims • caller is ALLAH • Believers in the SUPREME
BEING will look at his voiceless call to have a vertical dimension. • Non-believers. The call is
experienced but viewed solely along a horizontal dimension . It is like man calling another man,
never a Superior being calling man.
5. 5. Vocation is a strong feeling of suitability for a particular career or occupation. Unlike any
other profession, teaching requires dedication and service in order for an individual to be
considered as a real teacher.
6. 6. What is the difference between the teaching practices of Teacher Mark and Joy? – The main
difference lies in their dedication to the service. Teacher Mark is treated as a teacher for
teaching his students the lessons every day. He teaches everything he knows, showing off his
mastery of the subject, but not even considering the feelings of his students towards difficult
topics. On the other hand, a volunteer named Joy is addressed as a teacher for teaching and
serving the children of a far rural community. She travels almost 20 kilometers everyday for the
sake of her students learning and development. EXAMPLE
7. 7.  When someone practices teaching as a vocation, they teach with dedication.  In summary,
Vocation is only for some who are really dedicated not just to work but also to serve other
people.
8. 8. “ ” TEACHING AS YOURMISSION.
9. 9. TEACHING AS YOUR MISSION. It comes from the Latin word “misio” which means “to send”.
We are sent into the world to accomplish an mission.
10. 10. TEACHING AS YOUR MISSION. • Teaching is your mission means it is the task entrusted to
you in this world. • Every teacher has its own unique mission, purpose, or objective that they
need to accomplish. • We are expected to contribute to the betterment of this world in your
own unique way.
11. 11. “What exactly is the mission to teach?” • Alfred North Whitehead Is it to help the child
become the “man of culture and of expertise”? • Bertrand Russell Is it to provide opportunities
for the child’s growth and to remove hampering influences?
12. 12. • To teach is to influence every child entrusted in your care to become better an happier
because life becomes more meaningful. • To teach is to help child become more human.
13. 13. Dear Teacher: I am a survivor of a concentration camp. My eyes saw what no man should
witness. − Gas chambers built by learned engineers. − Children poisoned by educated
physicians. − Infants killed by trained nurses. − Woman and babies shot and burned by high
 school and college graduates. So I am suspicious of education. My request is: Help your students
become human. Your efforts must never produce learned monsters, skilled psychopaths, and
Eichmann’s. Reading, writing, arithmetic are important only if they serve to make our children
more human.
14. 14. Some teachers regard teaching as just a job. Others see it as their mission. What’s the
difference?
15. 15. TEACHING: MISSION and/or JOB? If you are doing it only because you are paid for it, it’s a
job. If you are doing it not only for the pay but also for service, it’s a mission. If you quit because
your boss or colleague criticized you, it’s a job; If you keep on teaching out of love, it’s a mission.
If you teach because it does not interfere with your other activities, it’s a job. If you are
committed to teaching even if it means letting go of other activities, it’s a mission.
16. 16. If you quit because no one praises or thanks you for what you do, it’s a job. If you remain
teaching even though nobody recognizes your efforts, it’s a mission. It’s hard to get excited
about a teaching job; Its almost impossible not to get excited about a mission. If our concern is
success, it’s a job; If our concern is success plus faithfulness, it’s a mission. An average school is
filled by teachers doing their teaching job; A great school is filled with teachers involved in
mission of teaching.
17. 17. So what exactly is our mission? It is to be an effective educator or facilitator of learning,
imparting knowledge that is not just what written in books but also in life. Our mission is to
touch hearts and mind while leading children to be a better individual who have a strong desire
to contribute to the betterment of the society and serve the country.
18. 18. “ TEACHING AS YOUR PROFESSION. ”
19. 19. TEACHING AS YOUR PROFESSION. The element of a Profession “The term professional is one
of the most exalted in the English language, denoting as it does, long and arduous years of
preparation, a striving for excellence, a dedication to the public interest, and commitment to
moral and ethical values.” – Hon. Hermogenes P. Pobre
20. 20. • Why does a profession require “long and arduous years of preparation” and a “striving for
excellence”?  For us to be able to be able to give more (service), which is the end goal of a
profession, continuing professional education is a must. “We cannot give what we do not have -
do more, have more in order to be more.”
21. 21. • You must strive for excellence, commit yourself to moral, ethical and religious values and
dedicate yourself to public service • If you take teaching as your profession, this means that you
must be willing to go through a long period of preparation and a continuing professional
development. • End goal of profession is service
22. 22. “PWEDE NA” mentality vs. EXCELLENCE • Striving for excellence – another element of
profession. • This element brings us to the issue of “pwede na” • “Pwede na” is inimical to
excellence • It is expressed in other ways like “talagang ganyan ‘yan”, “wala na tayong
magagawa”, etc.
23. 23. • All of these are indicators of defeatism and mediocrity. • If we stick to this complacent
mentality, excellence would not be within reach. “DON’T SETTLE FOR LESS! STRIVE FOR
EXCELLENCE!”
24. 24. TEACHING may not be a lucrative position. It can not guarantee financial security. It even
means investing your personal time , energy, and resources. Sometimes it means
disappointments, heartaches, and pains. But touching the hearts of people and opening the
minds of children can give you joy and contentment which money could not buy. These are the
moments I teach for. These are the moments I live for. -Dr. JosetteT. Biyo 1st Asian Teacher,
Intel Excellence in Teaching award
Professionalization and Professionalism in
School Teaching
by: Jorge Mahecha

I want to address the issue of standards in teaching as a profession from the perspective of two
concepts that are superficially similar but very different at their core: professionalization
and professionalism. Speaking of professionalization involves doing so from the study
sociology has carried out on the characteristics of occupations as social order structures. In
teaching, the path of professionalization involves acquiring the characteristics of high-status
occupations, which include certifications and accreditations and the existence of
professional associations. All these, I believe, together with the use of scientific knowledge
which is a subject that I will talk a bit about in this entry, are the pillars of better established
professions. In my previous entry, I stated how I believe school teaching incipiently displays one
of the first three characteristics. On this occasion, in the spirit of beginning to propose ways of
professionalization, I would like to discuss some aspects that are primarily related to
professionalization and to professionalism, somehow.

To answer what it means for an educator to behave professionally in the classroom involves
exploring what is it that a professional educator do the way only he or she can do it, which
is or should be his or her specialty? I think it is the work of designing and implementing
learning experiences. Not a class. Not a talk. A complete teaching unit, a sequence of lessons, an
experience that is intentionally directed to learning something. Not simply a class: one class can
be well-executed by anyone. Or poorly-executed… it is part of life! There are people who
believe that because they explain things with eloquence they can be good educators. No. Its
charm is to design a whole process that can last for months or years. A process that has ups and
downs, that can face and will face unforeseen situations and resilient individuals. In this
sense, an educator has to be skillful like nobody else.

To design a learning experience it is necessary to define significant educational objectives,

design an assessment to see to what extent these are achieved and simultaneously support their
achievement, and then, and only after that, think about what activities you will ask your students
to do to achieve these goals. For me, this particular order of doing things is the only way to
guarantee evaluations are always relevant and serve learning. Otherwise, it is common for
assessments to deviate from what happens in class and then usual surprises arise: “But if they
told me they had understood, then what happened? Why did they do so bad?” A professional
educator will never believe his or her students understood something only because they say so.
He or she continuously verifies it with evaluations. He or she analyzes the results, discovers what
they understood and what they did not. A professional educator does not include “thinking tasks”
for the first time in an assessment or ambush his or her students with over-elaborated and tricky
assessments: he or she is a facilitator of learning, not a saboteur of the school experience.

A professional educator knows that designing questions is not easy, particularly multiple-
choice questions with one correct answer which are so easy to do… wrong. A professional
educator does not realize that reagents were outdated at the laboratory, at the same time with his
or her students do, and that therefore the experiment will not work. A professional educator does
not ask for an essay and then explains the rating criteria when students complain about
inconsistencies in the grading. A professional educator does not have students who get good
grades but “did not really learn”, because he or she does not give away grades; he or she takes
them seriously. A professional educator knows how to improvise, but does not only do it. A
professional educator plans ahead and is not naive to think his or her plans will literally occur; he
or she knows they are a framework.

In the paradigmatic professions I mentioned earlier, the use and the role of scientific knowledge
in the discipline is particularly important and obvious. These professions derive their selectivity
and strictness to access a certification and professional association from the use of scientific
knowledge in medicine or engineering. In teaching, educational objectives of great scope
should be defined with broad sociological, not exclusively economic or academic, criteria.
Evaluations should be consistent with the foregoing, technically designed to measure and support
learning. Classroom activities should be designed with some support on the literature on how
learning develops and on informed thinking on good practices, not on the occasional invention of
an inspired professor or on a recreational exaggerated obsession.

Professionalism is an attitude toward work. Behaving with professionalism is important.

Arriving on time, being enthusiastic and committed, fulfilling tasks. The minimum trait expected
from a professional educator is for him or her to act with professionalism or in a professional
way. As important as it is, however, professionalizing education is not enough. The problem is
that in many cases, these minimums traits in school teaching are lost, and finding them again is
considered a plus. A pedagogic discourse focused on professionalism is inadequate: it involves
good intentions, without technical criterion. Good intentions without technical criterion are not
acceptable in high-status professions: if they were in teaching, then teaching is a low status
profession. The importance of quality research in education lies here and in the sciences that are
relevant to it. Consequently, the importance of more technical approaches also lies in education.
It is difficult to find good theory and easier to find motivational approaches rather superfluous.

Despite the fact that there is a large amount of research on cognition, development of literacy
and mathematic skills, critical thinking development and even on moral development, the use of
these research advances by teachers in the classroom is scarce, even for the most successful. In
many cases classes design is driven by intuition of what may be right, what can work, or what
can be motivating. In worse scenarios, classes are simply improvised, and even worse, by some
postmodern excuse: nothing can be expected, reality is so complex, each child is a universe, also
different from other universes, etc. This does nothing to help children achieve better learning. By
making use of this ability we all have to read people and our environment, children very quickly
realize when a class is improvised or when teaching has become a meaningless ritual in which
they can selflessly participate by doing just enough not to have problems at home or at school.
When I think about the future that I would like for the teaching profession, the one I like
best is something related to engineering. Where teachers are engineers who design learning
experiences by using a multitude of tools from several disciplines: linguistics, psychology,
cognitive science,  the very nature of disciplinary knowledge in mathematics, natural sciences,
social sciences. It is a community that has learned to systematize and recognize the
professional work of its practitioners. This requires the joint work of the academy and of
practitioners to continuously nurture and demand the generation of educational knowledge
which is relevant to educational reality.

Entry #2

1. Does the teaching profession fulfill all the elements of a profession? Explain your answer.
- For me, Yes. Teaching Profession fulfill all the elements of a profession. Because if we don't have a
teacher, there's no one that could teach us the things that we have to know. We don't have someone
who will guide us the way they do. We need them to teach us some lessons that no one can teach us. If
we don't have a teacher, there's no Engineer, Nurse, Doctor, Lawyer and all the professions that we
have now. They made all those people. They build a professional persons. Teaching Profession fulfill all
the elements of a profession not just because they are professionals, it's because teachers have the
heart to gave all their time and efforts just to give their students what they need.

2. Why does a profession like teaching require long years of initial professional education and continuing
professional development after the long, arduous initial professional education?
- Because they also need to improve their skills as a teacher teaching different kind of persons with
different behavior. They need to be more knowledgeable in terms of giving us informations we need to
know. And maybe profession like teaching require long years of initial professional education because
they need to be more professional persons. Because even if you love teaching, it doesn't mean it's going
to be easy. There are many circumstances that they need to face each day. And they also need to study
as well for them to be guided. Because like what my teacher said way back in elementary, she said that
even they have the license to teach students, they also need to study because not everything they know
is enough to teach us. They also need to study to know everything they have to know to become a more
effective teachers.

3. Is professionalization synonymous to professionalism?

- No, because professionalization is doing an activity that is needed for a profession for you to be called
a real professional. It means professionalization doing by a person who wants to be professional and
successful. You're professionalizing because you want to know everything about the profession that you
want while professionalism is the thing that a professional need to have. It is the thing that people
expected for the persons in that having a respectable professions. It is one of the many requirements
needed for s profession like teaching.

Based on Sabrina Ongkiko video, what is our life's true calling ? How can you apply that in your calling to
teach ?
- For me, my love for kids and my passion to teach is my life's true calling. Is it enough for me to teach
kids, because I want to be an inspiration to the next generation. I want to give them the knowledge that
I have. I want them to learn more from me. I want to teach them not just the academic lessons but also
the lessons in life that I want to share to them. I want to teach them on how to become a better person.
I want to make them to be professional with a heart. I want them to learn that being successful without
a humble attitude and a heart is nothing. Being a teacher for me is not just a profession, it also means
that we must have the heart for teaching children well. We must have the passion to give them
knowledge and lessons that will might help them in the future. Like what my teacher said, that being a
teacher is not finished after 5 pm class. But being a teacher is having the profession that he/she have all
of her life. Teachers should always remember that he/she is a teacher and he/she needs to respect
him/herself and he/she needs to act accordingly and he/she needs to respect others.
  Teaching children is what I want ever since, because I want to build a person that will not just thinking
about the salary that he/she will get but also thinking the real meaning of his/her job. I want to build a
person that will have a heart to help other people. For me, that reasons is enough for me to said that it
is my calling to teach.

Blog Entry No. 2: Teaching as a Profession

Chrishirl Santos Uncategorized January 31, 2019 2 Minutes

Question No. 1. Does the teaching profession can fulfill all the elements elements of a
profession?

Answer No. 1. Yes, the teaching profession can fulfill all the elements of a profession according
to Alex S. Brown; The teacher must need to take the four-year course which can fulfill to the
first element which is the Initial Professional Education. Accreditors also monitor the
university program to determine if the programs will provide adequate education. Accreditation
assures that graduates from accredited programs start their professional lives with the knowledge
they need to perform effectively. In teaching profession there’s always a room for Skills
Development, practice teaching, demonstration teaching and seminars are some of the best
things that must be done in order to become a good and effective teacher. Through this, the
teacher enhance her teaching skills that she can apply on her teaching profession. Another one is
the Certification after completion of education, skills development, workshops, seminar and
training, the teacher will receive certification. Licensing is one of the most important in teaching
profession, the teacher must able to pass the Board Licensure Examination for Professional
Teachers (BLEPT) in order to become a Licensed Professional Teacher. Teachers also needs for
Professional Development so others undergo schooling for additional education because it helps
to assure a minimum competency throughout their career. Professionals must also involve in
such organizations to see themselves as a part of the community, this fulfill to Professional
Society. All teachers must also fulfill the Code of Ethics, which was designed to protect the
rights of all the students. To be fair and have a good relationship with the learners. Lastly, in
teaching profession it is also important to fulfill the last element of profession which is the
Organizational Certification, not only them as an individual needs to be certified but also their
organizations must be certified because it is a response to the reality ghat individual competence
is not sufficient to guarantee adequate levels of professional service but organizational
characteristics can have as much influence as individual’s characteristics.

Question No. 2. Why does a profession like teaching require long years of initial professional
education and continuing professional development after the long, arduous initial professional
development?

Answer No. 2. Teaching profession requires long years od initial professional education and
continuing professional development after long arduous initial professional development in order
for the aspiring teachers to acquire an adequate knowledge and skills that they can apply in their
teaching profession. Initial professional education is the training ground that would help them to
enhance their skills, capabilities and potentials. It also important because it helps to build their
confidence and strength needeed in the actual teaching. Initial profession education is required to
take in order to get certificate and able to take the BLEPT. After passing the licensure
examination and taking the long and arguous initial professional education it is important to
continue the professional development because it ensures the teacher to continue to be competent
in their profession. It is also an ongoing process and continues throughout a professional’s
career.

Question No. 3. Is professionalization synonymous to professionalism?

Answer No. 3. No, there’s a quite difference between professionalization and professionalism.
According to Meriam- Webster dictionary, Professionalization means to make an activity) into a
job that requires special education, training, or skill. It is the social process by which any trade or
occupation transforms itself into a true “profession of the highest integrity and competence.”
However, Professionalism denotes the quality of that individual and his ability to deliver the
desired service to the end user. In other words professionalism is prioritizing your duties against
all other aspects, hindrance or emotions thereafter.

TEACHING AS A VOCATION, MISSION & PROFESSION

MISSION

 comes from the Latin word "misio" which means "tosend.

 assigned task: a particular task given to a person or group to carry out.
 Teaching as your Mission.

PROFESSION

 a paid occupation, esp. one that involves prolonged training and a formal qualification.
 a type of job that requires special education, training, or skill.
 require long and arduous years of preparation and striving for excellence.
 Teaching as your Profession.
VOCATION

Teaching may not be a lucrative position. It cannot guarantee financial security. It even means investing your
personal time, energy and resources. Sometimes it means disapointments, heartaches, and pains. But touching the
hearts of people and opening the minds of children can give you joy and contentment

Conclusion
Teaching and a life of meaning

 Comes from the Latin word "vocare" which means call.

 If there is a call, there must be a caller and someone who is called. There must be a response.
 a strong feeling of suitability for a particular career or occupation
 an occupation to which a person is specially drawn or for which he or she is suited, trained, or qualified.
Though now often used in non-religious contexts, the meanings of the term originated in Christianity
 Teaching as your Vocation.

Teaching as Your VOCATION, MISSION and

PROFESSION

Everyone who deserves to be called a professional teacher has made one of the most important dreams of a
lifetime come true. Anyone who is engaged in teaching is motivated to pursue achieving a purpose, to provide
opportunities for self-fulfillment and most importantly, to express love, care and compassion for children.

Teaching is more than a noble profession. The teacher is the most important person in any civilization, as on him
depends the molding of the nation.There are not many born teachers, but there are those who love teaching, and
there are those who enter it as an occupation. The chief qualification for a teacher is his or her love for children;
from there can follow the training by good teachers and professors of techniques and principles. Good teacher-
pupil relationship is very important.
Teaching is a vocation , a calling. It is not a profession that you train for much as you learn how to train
a dog. It is a job that many feel driven to do and one that can be edifying and, as the voices in Teachers Who
Change Lives attest, deeply satisfying. The enduring, memorable pedagogues - those who have changed your life
just a little bit - take risks.

Great teachers, those who have the X factor, are not beholden to the conventions of the classroom. They do not
have to power dress or slog away at higher degrees to shinny up promotion's slippery pole. They instruct but they
also touch hearts and minds while leading children to believe they can see things and go places they've never
experienced before.

 Unlike any other profession, teaching requires dedication and service in order for an individual to be considered as
a real teacher. That’s the reason why  teaching should not just be treated as a simple profession but also a
seriousvocation where other people and service is over self and salary.
Teaching is also mission, an assigned task. We are expected to write
our “accomplishment report” at the end of our mission.

Teaching is also a profession. It is our way of rendering service to humanity. The quality of our
professional service is determined to a very great extent on our long and arduous period of preparation, continuing
professional education, and our commitment to ethical and moral values. If we give professional quality service,
then mediocrity has no place. If we live up to our name as a professional teacher, a meaningful and fulfilled life
will not be far behind.
Reference: https://www.scribd.com/doc/106700289/teaching-as-your-vocation-mission-and-profession