By Larry M. Capstick
Throughout my career as an educator, I have always maintained that teachers, whether they be public or private, elementary or secondary, administrator or classroom teacher, or a lecturer at a faculty of education, are professionals. But what does it mean to identify oneself as a professional in the year 2001? In the past, I would have had no difficulty in responding to this question by saying that being a professional meant that one had a level of training, education or expertise which was based upon both study and practice. Practice and study continued throughout one’s career. Advanced educational training and experience permitted one to develop a personal philosophy about his or her career choice and, as well, there was a developed sense of commitment that confirmed your ability to "profess" either through word or deed. While this may all sound very esoteric, the fact of the matter is I did not find it difficult to tell anyone why I chose a career in education. NO SIMPLE ANSWER Today, I do not believe that I would be able to give a simple answer to this question. Given the fact that I have spent more than 25 years in the field, I now recognize that I am not, and never have been, entirely in control of my professionalism. The reality is that we are all subject to what others perceive us to be and how others accept us as professionals. No one with any sense of history will fail to recognize that education itself is the product of the political and social context of the times. The professional educator is just as much affected by the demands of society and its leaders as he or she is by his or her own determination. This was as true of Socrates as it is of the educator today. I do not assign any judgment here; rather, I make a fairly obvious observation which I hope will cause each of us to stop and reflect upon where we have come from and where we are headed. As you take some time to read through this issue of Professionally Speaking, you will have ample opportunity to reflect upon articles dealing with such topics as the report of Justice Robins and issues related to teacher recruitment and retention, as well as items that will provide you with opportunities to enhance your instruction. JOIN THE DIALOGUE I would also encourage members to take advantage of the opportunity to dialogue with one another through the Letters to the Editor column which appears in each issue. I suggest that this venue is only one of many ways in which we continue to try and define ourselves as professionals. In the weeks and months ahead, the members of your Council will be working very hard at the committee level to develop policies and procedures which merge the interests of the public with those of the profession. Undoubtedly, we will experience a number of new initiatives which come from within the profession and from without. Those that come from outside the profession are often the most challenging and difficult. However, education continues to be an ongoing exercise in change. It is my sincere hope that whatever the outcome or whatever the initiative, it will always lead to an enhancement of the profession. We are not doctors, lawyers, architects or engineers. Our professionalism comes from our beliefs as much as from our deeds, and it is my belief that we must continuously take time to reflect upon what it means to be a professional in the field of education.
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