Ethics and Professionalism in Teaching Research Paper

Ethics and Professionalism in Teaching - Research Paper Example All professions in all societies have the task of contributing to the common good. Compared to other professions, teaching is considered as the noblest job of all. It is described not only a selfless career but as having the most significant impact on society because it takes upon itself the daunting task of educating children. Teaching’s greatest contribution to society, therefore, is to nurture the welfare and development of its citizens – the students. Education, as opposed to the transmission of information, implies an outward orientation of opening up someone’s mind to thinking and reasoning. To achieve this, teachers must concern themselves with both intellectual and moral development. Contrary to Aristotle’s concern of determining which should be the topic of education – intellectual or moral virtue – education would be incomplete without the other. As a result, teachers are tasked not only to impart information to its students to help them become professionals in their own field some day, but also the task of ensuring that they become responsible members of society who could positively contribute to the common good. Teachers have dual roles in their profession. As educators, they have the moral obligation of imparting not only knowledge but also, more importantly, values to students. Instrumentally, they also play other roles in the community and in the school. This includes their roles as researchers, instructors, mentors, and administrators and even the roles they play in their personal lives.