Personal Professional Dispositions

Dispositions are the values, commitments and professional ethics that influence
behaviors toward students, families, colleagues and communities and that affect
student learning and achievement, motivation and development, as well as the
educator’s own professional growth… [and] should lead to actions and patterns of
professional conduct. (GCU, n.d., para. 1)

This quote helped to guide my thinking while formulating my own set of dispositions
that I believe will help me grow into a more effective teacher. It is difficult to condense my
personal dispositions into one short statement, as I feel there are a number of characteristics
that I should be dedicated to in order to constantly improve my teaching practice. Overall, my
dispositions center around creating a supportive, educational environment for students. Here
is a list of my personal dispositions along with a short description of each:

All students can learn: All students are capable of learning. I do, however, also believe
that I cannot force any student to learn. If a student truly does not want to pay
attention, I cannot force him/her to do so. But what I can do is ensure that I reach out
to that student daily and am right there to help if and when he/she decides to be
attentive.

Always helpful: Teachers should always be willing to assist students in whatever way is
fair and feasible. When students ask for help, we are responsible for helping them.
This might include making ourselves available before or after school some days out of
the week to give students the additional help they need that they may not be getting
during class time. However, it is important to also have limitations as teachers so as
not to become a crutch for students and to also maintain respect for our own personal
time and space. So, we should be willing to help as much as possible within properly
set boundaries that promote fairness.

Commitment: Teachers should be committed to engaging students and maintaining a

positive, fair learning environment. We cannot simply go through the same boring
routine each day and expect students to always be attentive and motivated. It is
necessary to vary the activities to keep student interest and cater to different learning
styles.

Respect, compassion, and honesty: Teachers should be sure to always treat colleagues
and students with respect and compassion. Respect is necessary for building positive
relationships and maintaining positive interactions. Compassion helps us to be
empathetic and avoid making rash decisions. Honesty is needed to help gain and
maintain trust and respect from all parties in the community. If we are not honest with
ourselves and our students, the right changes cannot be made to improve.
 Communication and collaboration: Teachers should be willing to communicate with
parents and other staff members. Communication is key to ensure everyone is on the
same page. We also need to be willing to share with, collaborate with, and learn from
colleagues and others in the community. Working with others gives us new ideas and
helps us to grow and reflect.

Life-long learner: As teachers, we should be the epitome of what a learner looks like so
students have a good example to follow. We are life-long learners in that we should be
constantly reflecting on our practice and ways to improve it. We should always think
about lessons after and consider where the students stand and if the lesson needs to
be re-vamped for the future. We should always be paying attention to our students
and learning how they receive and interpret information so that we can present it to
them in better ways.

Preparedness: Being prepared as a teacher is extremely important in order to reach

high goals. Just as we have high expectations for our students, we should also have
high expectations for ourselves, and being well-prepared ahead of time will help to
achieve those high expectations. Things done at the last minute get rushed and crucial
parts of the lesson might get overlooked.

Positive relationships: Building and maintaining positive relationships with all

members of the community is an important part of a teacher’s career. Positive
relationships with colleagues make it easier to collaborate and share ideas. With
students, it helps to build trust and affect motivation. With parents, it helps with
communicating and finding solutions when needed. Building positive relationships in
the community is important because we all should be working together to create a
supportive environment for each student.

Reflection: Reflection is an important part of growing as a teacher. Reflecting on our

practice, lessons, and data is crucial in guiding next steps and future planning. Just as
we constantly assess our students, we should constantly assess ourselves.

Reflection on Growth and Continued Improvement

The ultimate focus behind my dispositions is on that of the students. My main concern
has always been ensuring that students are learning. If that is not happening, then something
needs to change. I feel that focusing on this list of dispositions will naturally guide me toward
keeping student learning first. In my assessment, when it comes to involving students, setting
expectations, noticing differences, and making necessary changes, to name a few, I found
myself strongly agreeing with these types of statements. I was able to do so because these
are items that I have learned to embody since they naturally contribute to a positive learning
environment.
 There were, however, some statements with which I could not strongly agree with,
because I know I can be better in those areas. For instance, while I try to be a thoughtful and
responsive listener, it does not always happen as I would hope. I am usually better with being
attentive to students, but when it comes to colleagues, I can sometimes find my mind going
off on a tangent and losing the conversation for a moment. While I cannot always stop this
from happening, I will ask the person to repeat themselves if I feel like I missed out on
something.
As far as being involved with others, I just personally prefer to work alone because of
my nature, so I stray from being involved. However, I am trying to push myself more by
getting to know other teachers, asking questions, and listening to their advice. The more I
interact, the more comfortable it becomes, and the more it opens my resources to helping
the students, which is the ultimate goal.
My punctuality, which I hate to admit, is probably my worst trait. Unfortunately, I tend
to be a few minutes late more often than I would like to be. However, I know this is not an
option when teaching in the classroom. When I started student teaching, I began showering
and getting my clothes ready the night before so I would not feel rushed in the morning. I also
set my alarm well before I actually have to wake up so that I have plenty of time to get
through my morning routine. I would like to say I am reliable in other areas, but I realize
punctuality and reliability go hand in hand. This is also why I scored myself lower on honoring
commitments, because being on time is one of those commitments that I need to uphold
better. Not to mention things just slip my mind from time to time. I have been doing better
with this though because I have gotten in the habit of writing everything down on my
calendar, which has really helped me not to miss appointments.
The last two areas in which I think I can use improvement are always treating students
with dignity and respect and being patient. There have definitely been times when my temper
has gotten the better of me; this only becomes problematic when students become
irresponsible or disrespectful. Nonetheless, as a teacher, I know I need to set that example
for students and show how to properly handle challenging situations by staying calm under
pressure. I have continued to improve in this area over the years, but there is still plenty of
room to grow. I pray constantly for patience, understanding, and discernment when dealing
with situations; I am becoming a better listener by not speaking quickly, but listening first;
and I am learning to ask questions in order to understand other people’s perspectives to help
with decision making
As I continue reflecting and growing as a teacher, the Model Code of Ethics (MCE) and
Professional Dispositions provide great guidelines to follow to help with my continual
improvement in the classroom. The MCE emphasizes teachers’ responsibility to the
profession, to professional competence, to students, to the school community, and to ethical
use of technology (NASDTEC, 2021). The dispositions call for teachers to set high expectations,
respect the diversity of others, establish fairness, engage in professional conduct, reflect,
encourage curiosity, be honest, show compassion, advocate for students, and be dedicated to
improvement (GCU, n.d.). These dispositions essentially list values that help to live out the
ethics of the MCE. If I can instill these dispositions and make them habitual, I will naturally
display the responsibilities of the MCE. All in all, as long the focus of everything I do remains
on elevating the students, it will be hard to go wrong.
 References

Grand Canyon University (GCU). (n.d.). Professional dispositions of learners.

https://www.gcumedia.com/lms-resources/student-success-center-
content/documents/coe/coe-pro-disposition.pdf

National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification (NASDTEC).

(2021). Model code of ethics for educators. NASDTEC.
https://www.nasdtec.net/page/MCEE_Doc#Principle%20III