Being a Teacher: Reading 7. The Teacher's Purpose

In this brief excerpt, Fullan and Hargreaves identify what they think
characterizes professionalism in teaching. They argue that it is not so
much the possession of a certain level of qualifications or status, nor the
possession of a set of technical teaching skills. Rather, it is the full
acceptance of the moral responsibility that is attached to the role of
teachers today, and the ability to make minute-by-minute professional
judgements in complex and uncertain situations.