This standard is about moving teaching forward. Teachers who follow this standard are collaborators who work with other teachers to develop skills in each other. This can also look like teachers who coach other teachers and take in student teacher candidates. Contributing to the profession means that teachers are helping their colleagues to be the best teachers they can be. This standard is closely tied to standards 2 and 7 and allows the community to trust in teachers who actively develop their skills and help others develop their skills as well. I personally haven’t had many chances to contribute towards the profession of teaching. The one area that I have been able to do to fulfill this in is through collaboration. I have collaborated both with my peers but also with my own coaching teachers to help come up with ways to engage students and develop their skills. I hope to continue to work on collaboration and in the future take on student teachers to encourage more people to become stronger classroom leaders. I think this exchange of ideas is one of the most valuable things we can do as teachers and ties into the idea that teachers are always learning and engaging in our own professional development. I hope this is something that I always make time for.
Photo Credit: Talia Bleiler