‘We must become more professional’ is a mantra I regularly hear amongst both the for-profit and non-profit sectors. For instance, many have argued that management should have the same types of standardized professional requirements that law does. Whether you agree or not isn’t the point. Rather, it’s symptomatic of some level of dissatisfaction of the profession itself.
Recently in the Contra Costa Times another such article “Educating Under Oath”, surfaced. It’s about teachers–written by Matthew Straus, a Duke University senior. Check it out. And notice the thinking that is foundational to the oath Straus proposes teachers take. To me, it’s clear that Straus holds several of the mind-sets we write about in The Power of Professionalism. Am I surprised? Not at all!