Improving the Professional Status of Teachers

Abstract

Adopting criteria widely accepted, we may say that a profession is an occupation that renders a high and special type of service to society and requires ample liberal and technical training for its pursuit. Furthermore, a profession yields a substantial income to a fairly permanent group of social workers, who are capable of disciplining themselves and who are constantly striving to raise their own standards of service and group conduct. Service, training, esprit de corps, and the rewards are the four factors that determine the professional status of any group of workers.' The purposes of this article are to determine the extent to which these four fundamental requirements are now met by the teaching profession, to suggest ways in which quantitative evidence has been collected and can be collected on each item, and to point out the direction which future co-operative effort should take in order to raise teaching to a more truly professional status. Service.-There can be no doubt about the professional nature of the teacher's work from the point of view of the service rendered. As the passing on of our social heritage is largely dependent on the development, exercise, and maintenance of teaching service, it is difficult to conceive of a higher and more special type of social service.