FIVE REASONS WHY IT IS NECESSARY FOR A TEACHER TO BELONG TO PROFESSIONAL BODIES AND ASSOCIATION
INTRODUCTION
Teachers require support from multiple areas in order to effectively grow and perform to the best of their abilities. One of the best ways of obtaining the support needed to become an effective teacher is to join professional teaching organizations. This paper seeks to succinctly bring to the fore five reasons why a teacher should be is to join professional teaching organizations.
FIVE REASONS WHY IT IS NECESSARY FOR A TEACHER TO BELONG TO PROFESSIONAL BODIES AND ASSOCIATION
- Take charge of your career
- Attainment of professional goals
- Legal protection
- Broaden your knowledge
- Liability insurance
- Take charge of your career: The important reason why a teacher belong to professional association is to take advantage of their career resources. Associations often have job listings online or in print available only to their members. This is a great way to find targeted job postings for your area of interest. Additionally, many associations have career resources available such as tips on effective resources or cover letters, negotiating, effective planning and management etc.
- Attainment of Professional Goals: One of the important reasons why is it necessary for a teacher to join a professional body is that doing so enables a teacher to support and help one another in reading their professional goals. Associations sponsor events that allows teachers to connect with one another. Thus they can share ideas, asks for advice and have the opportunity to learn about best practices and key achievers in the teaching profession. Being a member of a professional association enables a teacher to find a mentor or be in a position to become a mentor to someone else. This enables teacher to attain their professional goals.
- Legal Protection: Another reason why it is necessary for a teacher to belong to a professional body is that being a member of a professional body expose a teacher to policies that guides the educational standards of the country. It also provides a suitable platform in which the teacher can express their aggreviances.
- Broaden your knowledge: Most association provide an enormous amount or access to resource information such as; case studies, articles, white papers and books written by expert in your field or area of interest. Also, major journal, magazine and newsletter access is provided as part of your membership privileges.
- Liability Insurance: Being a member of a professional association enables a teacher to gain access to liability insurance such as grants and scholarships for teachers so that teachers can keep abreast with breakthroughs in the field.
CONCLUSION
The paper has examined in brief why it is necessary for teachers to belong to professional bodies and associations. It becomes imperative therefore that teachers take this matter seriously so that they can keep abreast with the demands of education in this 21st century.
REFERENCES
Caplow, T. & Wilensky, H. (2002). Natural History of Professionalism in Journal of the American Institute of planners Vol. 38 no.3.
national Education Association (1993). “The yardstick of a profession” Institutes of professional and public Relations. New York: Macmillan Press.
Olatunju, S. (2008). Professionalizing Teaching in Nigeria: Problems, Prospects and implications in Nigeria. Nsukka: Cudimac.
Emmanuel Samuel is an Electrical/ Electronics Engineering graduate from the prestigious University of Technology, Calabar. Driven by passion for pen and paper to becoming a Content Developer @ www.projectsolutionz.com.ng
He had previously worked with Iproject and Sproject to add to his wealth of experience in professional writing, he is current the Editor/Publisher @ https://projectsolutionz.com.ng/