Teachers of science maintain a commitment to professional ethics, communicate effectively, take responsibility for and participate in professional growth that results in enhanced student learning.
The purpose of the professionalism standard is to promote an ethical and responsible approach to teaching and encourage reflective practice to direct continued learning in a way that benefits students’ classroom experience. The primary goal of the standard is to provide students and families with teachers who hold high personal standards of conduct, confidentiality, advancement, and communication. The central objective of the standard is to remind teachers that they serve as role models and must always model actions and choices which they hope to see expressed by their students.
Professional memberships
Membership in professional organizations allows teachers access to current news in education, innovative teaching and assessment methods, and professional development and reflective communication opportunities with educators across the country. The National Education Association offers members like me support through current events, classroom tools and strategies, and access to resources to enhance classroom learning.
The National Science Teachers Association provides learning opportunities through conferences and webinars which help teachers use evidence supported methods to engage students in the classroom. A wide variety of NSTA publications are available to enhance the learning experience for students and help teachers devise new and exciting project-based lessons. Additionally, the NSTA organizes informative online sessions regarding legislation which will affect classroom teaching in the near future, such as this one presented on the Every Student Succeeds Act last spring.
Professionalism in the community
Participation in local professional development is key to providing learning opportunities which are relevant to students within a school environment. School districts create professional development sessions that address current concerns in the community and encourage 
teachers to work collaboratively to share ideas between classrooms and schools. I participated in a group called Reflective Friends during my student teaching experience, during which I visited other classes across a variety of content areas to observe methods used by those teachers. The group then met on a regular basis to discuss practiced methods and reflect on divergent ways to apply those methods, the types of classroom dynamics which may benefit from them, and ideas for implementing in new ways.