Education or Professionalism?

 Hello there Beauties!

I have a burning concern, and I pray that it is not just me. As I mentioned before, I am a student-teacher and I am in my sophomore year.  I am currently second-guessing this career, as I am wondering if my passion outweighs the box of professionalism I will be permanently forced into. 

Yes I completely understand that each profession comes with its own rules, regulations and guidelines, but I fear that the whole idea of professionalism trumps everything else. From personal experience, it is as though nothing else matters, so long as one fits into the stereotypical box of what a "professional Jamaican teacher" should be like. You know, no coloured hair, hair at a certain length, no more than one bottom lobe piercing, no tattoos (or all tattoos should be covered), no extra jewellery (anklets, bracelets, necklaces); and even more, no opened-toed shoes, no piercings (for males), no long hair (for males), no excessive nail designs (females), and the list goes on.  

While I completely agree that every single profession comes with its specific dress code, and that is completely fine and okay, it breeds the question of if whether or not that text-book idea of conduct is more important that everything else. Here at this teacher-training institution, we are constantly reminded that we should dress professionally, and dress like teachers, in and out of the uniform. I remember I was on my way out one weekend, and I was wearing 3 pairs of earrings and my anklet. My vice principal stopped me and she was so appalled. "Young lady, those piercings are quite unprofessional and you should take them out. Even that foot chain, where are you going dressed like that as a teacher in training?" This just lead me to believe that a teacher never stops being a teacher; whether in or out of the classroom. Therefore, are we saying that teachers should never have piercings, or wear jewellery, or wear tight-fitting clothes? Not even on the weekends? Some may argue that yes, teachers are allowed to wear whatever they like, they just need to be professional and modest. But, I am told that my piercings and my anklet are neither professional nor modest, but it is my self-expression, it represents what I like. So, if I am to be a teacher, should I not be myself? Should I just do away with my own personality in order to fit in the stereotypical box? That is absolutely ridiculous.

This has been weighing heavily on my mind for the past couple of months. I have a lecturer who has been absent for over 80% of classes. We filed an official complaint. We filed a nonofficial complaint. Still, nothing has been done. However, you know what I am still being chastised about? Wearing an anklet. Like, I am studying to become a teacher. My lecturer who teaches two of my specialization courses has been absent a lot. I am therefore behind with those two courses. I will be expected to teach this subject on teaching practice. Why is my education not a top priority at this given moment? Why is education on a whole not the top priority? In my first semester of college, my entire class failed an aspect of one of our specialization courses. This was not a big deal in the eyes of the college. A meeting was held sometime throughout the semester. Can you guess what was the focus? If you thought it was about the course, then you are wrong. We were reminded of the dress code and grooming policies. Now that I have thought about it, during my 2 1/2 semesters here, there has never once been a meeting regarding our education, even though we have complained countless times about two of our specialisation lecturers. If you think about it, how much sense does that make? Where is all that professionalism energy? Shouldn't some, if not all, of it be redirected to where it really matters?

Think about it, in the eyes of the Jamaican Education System, so long as you are "professional," it is okay and acceptable to: miss classes, not know your course content, be late, be unreasonable, not complete your duties, be rude, be lackadaisical etc. However, showing up as yourself and being who you are while being an amazing teacher basically counts for nothing, because you do not fit into the box called professionalism. What message are we really sending to teachers, to students, to student-teachers, to parents? 

I think we should really complete a priority check; let us all collectively decide what is more important: education or professionalism?

 QOTD:  What is more important: education or professionalism?