Organizational Behavior Problem: Teachers not viewed as professionals and the lack of professionalism exhibited among teacher
Professionalism comprises a set of attitudes and behaviors that are believed to be appropriate to a particular occupation. A professional attitude is a predisposition, emotion, feeling, or thought that upholds the ideals of some professions and serve as the basis of professional behaviors. Some of the courses are based on some particular bodies of knowledge that do not easily lead to the incorporation of professionalism activities. Most people think that doctors, lawyers, accountants, and other scientists have the most prestigious occupations. Some people believe that teachers lack professionalism, and the prestige of being a teacher is still under debate. The positive or negative behaviors by teachers or a society determine the extent to which they deliver in the classroom and the impact that they have on students (Professional attitudes. 2009). Teachers do not have a dressing code that identifies them unlike in the professions mentioned above. Some professions have some terminologies or jargons that identify them as professionals whenever they utter them, but teachers do not have.
There have been debates over ideology and methodology concerning specific behaviors of good teachers, how to determine those traits and the best way to use such characteristics. The study of teaching staff's traits has often concentrated on the efficient and positive behaviors of teachers. A study that focused on students’ perceptions of effective teachers has been published. The study was based on six main themes that include student centeredness, ethical news, enthusiasm for teaching, classroom and behavior management, knowledge of the subject, and teaching methodology (Teachers’ work. n.d.). Unfortunately, the researchers have found that many teachers possess undesirable traits. Ineffective teachers can have some productive behaviors, but they also demonstrate characteristics or traits that are potentially harmful to students. Such mannerism is putting off the attributes and lasting memory of the students. Negative traits portrayed by teachers in the classroom may affect students in adverse ways. The study obtained the information from the students concerning the experiences that they have observed from teachers behaving in unprofessional ways.
Some unethical ways that some teachers can do are unacceptable. Some students have reported that some male teachers have been looking at them in weird ways while others say some of their teachers put tapes on their mouths so that they do not make noise. Additionally, some teachers could laugh at students when they do not know the answers to the questions that he or she asks them. The above said behaviors of teachers are an indication of high unprofessionalism (Van Winkle, 2016). The haunting illicit conduct, violent acts, and other unethical practices perpetrated by a teacher in the classroom are illegal and unprofessional. Such educators are answerable to the court of law, and their behaviors are punishable.
Though professionalism of teaching is still a debate, teaching provides an exceptionally immense service to every society and civilization. The services that are provided by the teachers seem to be indispensable to every society than services rendered by any other profession. To the teachers themselves, the way they perceive their profession and working conditions and value of their services tend to make a lot of difference. The poor perception that teachers themselves and the society have affects their morale and hence the delivery of knowledge. The attitude starts from the training, the training program and extends to actual teaching. The perception that has got deep into the society affects such stakeholders like the students, the young generation, the education sector, and the parents. The pupils and the young children begin to develop a negative attitude towards teaching profession because of what they see and hear from the society (Weinberger, Patry & Weyringer, 2015). With what they experience, a small percentage would have the passion for pursuing teaching as their career. The education sector is also affected negatively because the society would blame it for the incompetency of the type of teachers that it employs.
People‘s circumstances of life provide opportunities to pursue or express some values quickly than others. For example, rich people can pursue power values more easily while those who can work in the free professions can pursue some self-direction values more easily. These life circumstances also can impose constraints against the pursuit or express some values. Schwartz theory holds that when we think of our values, we think of something that is important to us and mostly our lives. For instance, we think of success, security, pleasure, kindness, security, and independence among others. Every person holds numerous values with varying degrees of importance. Some particular values can be important to one person but is unimportant to other people. It is believed that values are beliefs that are tied inextricably to emotions and not just cold ideas. They are motivational as they refer to the desirable goals that people strive to achieve (Schwartz, 2012, p.39). They are abstract in nature, and that distinguishes them from concepts like norms or attitudes that refer to specific objects, actions or situations.
Achievement is a personal success that demonstrates competence according to some social standards. Teachers need to feel a sense of importance and be proud of what they are doing. Power is the social prestige and status and having control or dominance over people and resources. The teachers, therefore, should embrace values and feel that their profession is prestigious. Hedonism is a sensuous gratification and pleasure that an individual experiences (Schwartz, 2012, p.43). Although there is not much that administrations can do about this, the value is important as it improves how the teachers can feel about themselves. Self-direction is an independent thought and action that encourages teachers to put more effort especially in lessons and make them learn how to deliver and how school climate should be. Stimulation is the excitement that one gets from a challenge. Going to work in the same environment every day causes a lagging stimulation. Regular training is necessary to keep teachers motivated and can switch things up. Benevolence is of family based value, and it allows the employees to feel part of the organization's vision and mission. Universalism, on the other hand, is the element of being human and appreciating the other around an individual. Understanding this value leads to behavior that causes a teacher to get more into their career.
Tradition is a culture that an organization adopts. It makes the society stronger, and it needs to be larger than just the known school. The teachers from every part of the world should have some tradition. Lack of a common culture could be a contributing factor to the perception that teachers lack professionalism. Security is the safety that everyone feels be it a job or emotional one. Lastly, conformity is the ability to have self-control. Administrators need to understand their employees (teachers) to avoid upsetting them (Thornberg, 2008, p.439). The theory and models above assume that the teaching and education sector have similar operations and working conditions with other business-oriented organizations.
Most people in our societies view some of the professionals such as doctors, psychologists, lawyers, and other scientists as prestigious. They look down upon the teaching profession because it does not have a dressing code or the way teachers show some unethical behaviors in classrooms at times. However, teaching is a profession like any other, and it has contributed much in educating the people who later join other professions. Teachers, therefore, should earn respect from the society and feel esteemed. The teachers are among the key guardians of the child because apart from their educative roles, they are also parents. The quality of education is also dependent on them, and they are the driving force for educational improvement and development. The said professionalism lag in the teaching profession should be the basis for government intervention. It should provide for assessment and inspection programs to bring about accountability mechanisms and look into management performance. The government should consult the teachers' unions and other professional associations to find the required professional standards for the teachers.
References
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