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AVELINA TESTON-LLAGAS

There is no more noble profession than teaching. A

great teacher is a great artist, but his medium is not
canvas, but the human soul. ² Anonymous
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˜ The term professional has become a global

nomenclature for people who excel in their respective
careers and professions. There were IT professionals in
India who worked in Silicon Valley but returned to their
home country to share their expertise. We salute
professional soldier; we commend the professional
artist. Business and industry conduct continuing
professional development to ensure that every employee
grows in his/her area of expertise and become
multiskilled. They claimed that their companies are
managed ´ by professionals who operate with a great
deal of autonomyµ.
˜ By semantics profession is a type of job that requires
special training and gives status and prestige to the
individual. A professional is one who has competent
skills, observes high standards of the job, and abides by
the code of ethics.

˜ Who is professional teacher? She/he is the ´ licensed

professional who possesses dignity and reputation with
high moral values as well as technical and profession
competence« she/he adheres to, observe, and practice
this set of ethical and moral principles, standards, and
values.µ (Code of Ethics of professional teachers, 1997)
˜ With the passage of the Philippine Teachers·
Professionalization Act of 1994, teaching has become
the genuine profession it aspires to be. It has become a
profession at par with other professions like medicine,
laws, nursing and the like. It has the attributes of the
other professions: licensure examination, oath taking for
licensing, membership in professional associations,
inclusion in the roster of professionals at the
Professional Regulation commission, and continuing
profession education. The teacher is no longer a mere
teacher but a professional teacher.