It’s time for the school year to start again – new teachers and experienced teachers alike are heading back to their students after a well-deserved summer break. Teacher Candidates at university teacher-training programs are also heading back to school, to learn about their new profession.
Being a professional means a lot of things in a general sense, but for K-12 teachers, there are some very specific requirements. These requirements also apply to Teacher Candidates, as they will be working as (not-yet-certified) “real teachers” alongside their school mentors. Therefore, they need to know what’s expected of them as professionals. The statutory, regulatory, and union requirements for teacher professionalism can come across as a heavy and overwhelming topic. Therefore, to make it a bit more fun, and to make the information a bit more sticky/easy to remember, I’ve written a song, “You’re a Professional”.
I hope you enjoy it! I’ve also written a lesson plan and powerpoint about how to use the song lyrics with a group of teachers.
learning about learning 
Hey John, I hope this message finds you well. My name is Shawn McMullin and I am a Director with the BC TRB. I believe we have met in the past, if not I look forward to making your acquaintance on one of my future visits to TRU. I really enjoyed your tune “Back to School – Back to our Profession”! I do lots of outreach with Teacher Candidates across the province on the topic of Standards, Ethics, Boundaries and Professionalism. If you don’t mind I would like to use your song on occasion while I am presenting – I think it is a great way to introduce the Standards of Education to Teacher Candidates and help them to get a sense of what they mean. Thanks in advance and have a great term up at TRU. Shawn McMullin
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Hi Shawn: Please feel free to use the song and lesson plan. I hope you find it’s a useful resource. I look forward to seeing you up at TRU sometime!. J
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