7/31/2019 Proper Decorum in the Workplace

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Proper Decorum in the Workplaceby by Marciano A. Paroy Jr.

and Jenner D. Lingayo

The teaching profession is always subject to close observation by various groupsof people: supervisors, local policy-makers, students and the general public. Teachers

are somewhat objects of scrutiny that have to undergo inspection and monitoring notonly as to their ability to dispense knowledge but also as to their ability to behaveproperly while inside their workplace.

Professionalism and its attached requisite of maintaining commendable conductis one grey area to some people. Some would argue that it is perfectly alright to do asone wishes when outside the workplace as long as the concerned employee maintainscompetence in his job performance. On the other hand, other employees would strictlyadvocate the maintenance of a smudge-free faade at all times not only within theworkplace but everywhere the employee goes.

The former line of thinking is supported by workers who claim that they are butrealistic and honest to themselves hence their attitude of leaving the professionalcloak right at the office doorstep before leaving the workplace. The latter idea, naturally,is fought for by workers who believe that ones personal life is supposed to be keptunder wraps already the moment he joins the teaching environment sort of adopting atotally different persona.

Now theres nothing wrong with both ideas, especially the latter. However, someparameters must be set for both line of thinking. While it its true that ones personalfreedom is something that is valued and fought for at all costs, this concept becomessomewhat stamped with some limitations when one decides to join of all professions

the world of teaching.

Ones idea of acceptable fashion, for one, sometimes puts the person under firefrom administrator whose sense of propriety is of course ages ahead. And they are rightin doing so. Teachers stand in front of the class and they are expected to take the fullfocus of learners into the lessons at hand and not to have them distracted by a higherhemline for skirts, or a flaming red for a hair.

And when this transcends into the more serious offenses like ones behavior inrelation to fellow teachers then the freedom earlier asserted can no longer be enjoyed,especially if the teacher concerned is already encroaching into the freedom of others.

Lastly, the commendable attitude for teachers is to simply do their tasksefficiently, and in so doing, will eventually be rewarded when periodic evaluation comesaround and will hopefully result to his earning his or her rightful place in the higherrungs of educational leadership. Being recognized for ones collective efforts is onething. Being recognized just because one is moving within the right crowd well, that isan entirely different matter. Something which smears the respectability and decorumthat have always been attached to the noblest of all professions.