How Do Professionalism and Spirituality Work in the Academe?

Two thousand and eight years, three months and twelve days after, the perfect professionalism and spirituality have emaciated gradually… and painfully.

Your workplace is your academe… my workplace is my academe. However, what makes an academe different from any other workplace on earth?

The ingredient of professionalism and spirituality characterizes and makes an academe extraordinary as compared with other institutions.

What is Professionalism?

First, let us dwell on the meaning of professionalism. Professionalism stems from the root word profess which means to declare openly, to avow or to affirm in public. Professionalism in the academe, therefore, is to publicly announce and declare that the goal of the academe, your goal, my goal, our goal is to ensure a path for learners and students in general to trek towards their own future.

What is the Greatest Misconception about Professionalism?

It is probably the notion that professionalism is all about money.

Like money, many people believe that credentials – such as diploma, degrees and specialized certifications – contribute to professionalism. But while credentials can help, they do not mean much if a worker did not know how to act.

What Makes a Professional?

So what makes a professional? Money, training, and status aside, many long-time workers and managers will tell us that professionalism is a matter of attitude and behavior. It means not just knowing how to do our job, but also demonstrating a willingness to learn, cooperating and getting along well with others, showing respect, and living up to your commitments. It also means avoiding many kinds of behaviors that cause trouble in our institution.

What Makes an Academe Unique?

This leads us to the other concept of what makes an academe unique. It is because of spirituality. Dr. Paul Wong of the Trinity Western University in Canada comments that “Spirituality overlaps with religion with respect to belief in the mystical, transcendental reality, and affirmation of meaning and purpose in the midst of suffering and death. But spirituality does not need to be confined within the structure of any organized religion or a particular set of religious beliefs. In short, spirituality is more inclusive than any faith traditions.”

Spirituality, in this case, should not be used to as religious garment or a marketing tool. It is concerned with substance rather than image. More specifically, it has to do with how we define ourselves, view the world, relate to others, and make ethical/moral decisions.