Professionalism in the classroom is very different than it is in most other work settings. In the classroom, you're not only keeping things professional with your co-workers and administrators, you're also setting an example for your students - and establishing what is and is not acceptable in your classroom.

While the same principles apply in the classroom as they do in a business office, they are both more important and more difficult to maintain. Proper dress, fairness, honesty, self-discipline, and diligence are key to "keeping it professional" in class.

1. Dress like a grown up
Although students will revel in the fact that a teacher "dresses young," they also lose some respect. In the eyes of a student, you are as you appear. If you dress like a teenager, they will believe you hold the same interests and ethical standards of a teenager. Pretty female teachers who dress "sexy" distract students and send countless wrong messages. They will be more likely to talk to you like a fellow student than a parent or authority figure, which can only be obstructive, even in a best-case scenario.

2. Keep your cool
If you lose your cool in front of your class, you won't recover from it like you might with reasonable adults in an office setting. In that case, you can make a well-thought-out apology and make good. Among teens and pre-teens, it's a sign of weakness, and you're in for a tougher year until summer rolls around. There is no recovering. Regardless how many buttons a class might push, don't let them see you sweat. In my own experience, when a class refuses to be quiet, the best remedy is a stern look and tight lips. Absolute silence usually brings absolute silence from the kids. It's much more intimidating than a shouting teacher who looks like they're at the breaking point.

3. Be honest
Kids know when you're lying. Stay positive, but don't treat them like babies. You're there to fix the problems in their educational past, as sad as that might be. When they are underperforming, they need to know. Sugar-coating things only makes the problem worse.

4. Do your homework
If you don't keep their papers graded and keep them abreast of their strengths and weaknesses, they'll think you don't know how to do your job. Remember - we are dealing with developing minds. Perception is everything in the mind of a child. Know what they are supposed to know, then make sure they have every opportunity to learn it.

5. Play fair
Fairness doesn't just mean grading on the same scale or letting Jenny go to the bathroom the same number of times as Carlos. It means re-teaching, giving second chances, forgiving the almost unforgivable. Yes, there will be kids who will make you want to lose your cool and slap their grandparents for even giving their parents a chance to have them. But you can't hold that against them for the entire year. You are the adult in this relationship.

Above all, remember that you must maintain your professionalism for your students because good role models are in short supply. Face it - you might very well be the only decent role model - the only successful adult, or even good person - that some kids see on a daily basis. Live up to that expectation.

Learn more about this author, Todd Christian.
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