PROFESSIONALISM:
Look & Act Like A Teacher
CSUSM Single Subject Program
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE?
A colleague sits next to you. She is wearing jeans, tank
top and sandals. She starts to complain, “I am not enjoying
my clinical practice. My cooperating teacher is okay, but
the students are so disrespectful. I can’t get them to listen
to me. They keep going to the cooperating teacher like I
am not even there. I have tried to be their friend. I think I
am going to have to be mean, but it is not my nature. One
student is so bold he flirts with me. Often he smiles and
licks his lips. Yesterday he touched the back of my neck.”
CLINICAL PRACTICE - STUDENT TEACHING
• 3+ Month Long Interview
• Small Educational Community
You never know who may know whom.
• You only want to give people good reasons to
remember you.
PROFESSIONALISM
• DRESS, HABITS, ATTENDANCE, ETC.
• APPROPRIATE DEMEANOR WITH STUDENTS
Finding a balance between caring, being friendly, and exercising your
role as the adult in charge…all while building mutual respect
• PREPARATION
Lesson plans must be completed ahead of time and reviewed with
your cooperating teacher to ensure developmental appropriateness
and curricular relevance.
• PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
What do you have to do to impress? Go beyond the bare minimum.
Attend staff meetings, in-service sessions, parent conferences, etc.
See the checklists in the Single Subject Program Handbook.
Clinical Practice Activities
Single Subject Handbook
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Participate in parent conferences
Attend Parent-Teacher-Student Association meeting,
Attend school board meeting
Contact parents (via phone, mail, home visits)
Participate in community activities
Plan an “event” (e.g. field trip)
Experience a class dedicated to special populations (e.g. special education, alternative special day
class, primary language)
Lead an advisor/homeroom/club experience
Attend professional development training (conferences, etc.)
Supervise/observe extracurricular or non-instructional activities (lunch, intramurals, student
activities)
Attend staff/departmental meeting
Attend teacher association (union) meeting
Participate in business partnership/activity
Attend Bilingual Parent Advisory Committee meeting
Participate in a lab (technology lab, computer lab, writing lab, etc.)
Attend/observe an Individualized Education Program (IEP) meeting
DRESS
"Dupree is a slender, attractive African American
woman. She is always impeccably dressed in a style that
reminds one of a corporate executive. Her outfits always
are coordinated; she seems to have a different pair of shoes
for each. During our first interview she said that the girls in
her class sometimes peek around the classroom door in the
morning to see what she is wearing. When one of her
students asked why she was always 'so dressed up,' Dupree
replied that she dressed the way she did because she was
coming to work and she worked with very important
people, so she wanted to look good."
(The Dreamkeepers, Ladson-Billings, 1994, p. 35)
What message is Gloria Ladson-Billings sending teachers?
HOW DO YOU WANT TO BE PERCEIVED?
Research indicates that a teacher’s image
affects how professional a teacher is viewed
(Underwood, Kenner & McCune, 2002)
http://64.233.169.104/search?q=cache:aAznolqoSNkJ:www.hiceducation.org/Edu_Proc
eedings/Rachel%20Underwood.pdf+professional+dress+teachers&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=9
&gl=us&client=safari
DRESS TO IMPRESS
• Differentiate yourself from students
• Look for professionally dressed mentors to
model yourself after
• Remember that you are on an extended
interview
ATTIRE TO AVOID
HOW WOULD YOU RESPOND?
• My cooperating teacher doesn’t dress up.
• I want to fit in, so shouldn’t I wear what my
cooperating teacher wears?
• You look nice today, is there something special
happening today?
• Your dressing up, is making the rest of us look
bad.
• Your teaching is more important than your
clothes.
APPROPRIATE DEMEANOR W/STUDENTS
Finding a balance between
• Caring
• Being friendly
• Exercising your role as the adult in charge
…all while building mutual respect
PREPARATION
• Lesson plans must be completed ahead of
time and reviewed with the cooperating
teacher to ensure developmental
appropriateness and curricular relevance.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
• What do you have to do?
• Go beyond the bare minimum.
• Attend staff meetings, inservice
sessions, parent conferences, board meetings,
etc.
See the checklists in the
Single Subject Program
Handbook for ideas.
Bulletproof Your Job:
Simple Strategies to ride out tough times &
come out on top at work (Steven Viscusi, 2009)
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Get along with your boss & colleagues
Dress Upward: Always look as good as you can
Create a network of mentors
Be punctual
Don’t abuse sick days
Create the perception that you are always
there and ready to work
NOW …
HOW WOULD YOU RESPOND?
A colleague sits next to you. She is wearing jeans, tank
top and sandals. She starts to complain, “I am not enjoying
my clinical practice. My cooperating teacher is okay, but
the students are so disrespectful. I can’t get them to listen
to me. They keep going to the cooperating teacher like I
am not even there. I have tried to be their friend. I think I
am going to have to be mean, but it is not my nature. One
student is so bold he flirts with me. Often he smiles and
licks his lips. Yesterday he touched the back of my neck.”
Remember…
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We don’t expect you to know everything.
Ask questions.
Ask for help if you need it.
Put students first.
Adolescents are fun – enjoy them.