Teacher Deprofessionalization

This page is intended to be a collaborative exploration of teacher deprofessionalization. The first section explores the meaning of "deprofessionalizing." The next section lists example of deprofessionalization. And, the last section, explores what needs to be done to counter this trend.

What is Deprofessionalization of Teachers?

Examples of Deprofessionalization of Teachers

  • Those that can't do, teach.

This seems to be a common thread among a number of people and not just those in the business community. I heard this a lot from senior military Officers of all branches while I was in the Corps. A good teacher makes the job look easy in the classroom to the students and everyone has been to school which makes them an expert (btw, an expert is a drip under pressure), so everyone feels that anybody can teach and you don't need good grades in college to teach. (KH)

  • Not having a say in how to reform education. A few teacher are "bad", therefore all teachers are bad and can not be asked what works and what needs to be changed. (See Teachers as Advocates for what I'm talking about.)

What Can We Do?

  • Taking up on the last line in the "Those that can't do, teach," insist that teachers are among the best in their college classes. E.g. they are honors students or have above a 3.0 GPA.
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