CHAPTER -2 CHARACTERISTICS OF TEACHING PROFESSION

2.1 CHARACTERISTICS OF A PROFESSION

The following are the characteristics of a profession:

1. Unique, definite, and essential social services.

A profession must have a unique definite and essential social service to perform.

2. An emphasis upon intellectual techniques in performing its service.

A profession depends upon intellectual rather than physical techniques in carrying on its work. Intellectual techniques include defining problems, searching for relevant data, and formulating possible solutions etc.

3.A long period of specialized training.

Entry into a profession usually requires a long period of preparation including formal specialised training.

4.Autonomy for both individuals and the group as a whole.

Both individuals and the group as a whole enjoy autonomy to the extent that they are free to exercise their own best judgement as and when they encounter certain problems.

5.Teaching Profession - B.Ed

Broad personal responsibility for judgement made and acts performed.A professional enjoys autonomy. A large measures of autonomy implies an equal amount of responsibility.

6.Emphasis upon service rather than economic gains.

A very important characteristic of the profession is emphasis upon the service to be rended rather than rewards to be gained. The point is that professions are so organized and controlled that professional workers cannot avoid certain obligations, regardless of their personal feelings.

7. A comprehensive self governing professional organization

A profession is so regarded by virtue of its being governed by a well defined organization. Professional organizations provide the necessary machinery to carry out the functions expected of the professions.

8.A code of ethics.

Professions are required to maintain certain standards. These standards are embodies in code of ethics which are interpreted and enforced by the professional group.

9.A life work.

Profession is a life-time occupation. It is a life work.

TEACHING-- A GROWING PROFESSION

Although teaching is often referred to as a profession, it has not yet achieved status and prestige comparable to that of some of the other more widely recognized professions, such as the law, medicine or the ministry. The somewhat slow progress that teaching has made in developing itself into a fully recognized profession has resulted largely from the great instability of teaching as an occupation. Reasons for and evidences of this are numerous, especially if we look back a few years at some rather common happenings in education. The relatively short number of years that women remained in the classroom resulting in high percentage of teacher turnover each year, the wide range of educational practices and teaching standards, the lowering of preparation standards for certification of teachers whenever an emergency arose, the "popular" opinion in society that anyone could teach, and the somewhat common concept that teachers must retire from teaching before they reached usual retirement age---all of these are past and present evidences of the unstableness of teaching. The high percent of professional educators who shift. to other more financially advantageous occupations gives evidence of undesirable practices with which many teachers are confronted. Low salaries, large classes, poor working conditions. little security. low prestige, and many her limitations and restrictions are evidences of needed internal changes and improvements before teaching can become a real profession.If teaching is to reach its full potential as a profession, its ranks must be filled with well-qualified and capable teachers. Herein rests a major responsibility for teacher- education institutions and the public in general. These institutions are constantly upgrading their programs and increasing their admission and also their graduation requirements. Admission requirements usually include tests of mental and physical fitness, grades above average, evidence of high moral character, desirable personality characteristics, and a broad background of general information. In most states. of America this amounts to requiring a minimum of four years of college work with at least one teaching major and one minor, a specific number of quarter or semester hours in professional education courses, and considerable experience with students culminating in student-teaching experience under close supervision.