Rethinking teachers' professional responsibilities: Towards a civic professionalism

Current constructions of teacher professionalism lack any perspective that assumes teachers have responsibilities outside of classroom instruction. Yet if students are to develop any sense of their own agency and their ability to make a difference in the world at large then their experiences need to transcend the classroom. These broader objectives for students are a clear responsibility for the whole of society, but it is a special responsibility of teachers – it is what this paper will refer to as teachers’ civic responsibility – educating future citizens for engagement with the real world. It is a distinctive aspect of professionalism that extends beyond the private world of the classroom to the public sphere. It focuses on contributing to the sustainability of democracy in a unique way through the education of future citizens. In terms of teacher professionalism, this paper will argue that the civic responsibilities of teachers should be part of a broader ‘civic professionalism’ required of the teaching profession. Copyright © 2005 citizED.