A Professor’s Reflection: What the Pandemic is Teaching Us About the Importance of Deconstructing Professionalism

Abstract

This narrative is an account of my experiences as a professor, teaching remotely during a pandemic. It addresses the impacts that COVID-19 has had on students, shifting how we prepare students to enter the helping professions. I incorporate my personal experiences of how I modified my teaching practices to support students, and in doing so, realized that the ways in which we have historically prepared students to enter the helping professions may no longer be applicable. This narrative examines professionalism and its usefulness for the social work profession, and how the pandemic has challenged us to consider the role of professionalism and how it may contribute to the inhibition of authentic engagement. This is a critical turning point for helping professions to examine outdated practices and explore incorporating inclusive practices that promote authenticity. This narrative discusses the need to deconstruct professionalism and promote the importance of authentic engagement.