Not All Teachers Can Be Called "Prof"

"Not All Teachers Can Be Called 'Prof'"

You (including me) might be doing it wrong all this time. This is another "blographics" (or poster) that I did to visualize proper salutations to y(our) university teachers. I have learned from my past mistakes, oops! Hence, let us all be more courteous in addressing our teachers based on their designated academic ranks. (Unless, of course, they insisted you to call them using their first names, which is rare -- and only happens at UP-NTTCHP.)

All these ranks are ONLY designated to people working in the academia, full-time, primarily for teaching, extension services, and research. Those working on a part-time basis can be designated with a rank of a lecturer (which is below instructor level), but the rank given will still depend on the caliber of the part-time personality. It is also important to note that a rank is different from a position. For instance, someone who is ranked Assistant Professor may have a Chairperson position or someone who is ranked Professor may only have a committee position on extension services. Moreover, having a high position (e.g., Dean) may not necessarily mean that s/he has the highest salary among the faculty members because it is the academic rank that still determines one's salary grade.

In this poster, I want to make a simple point about being mindful in addressing all our teachers as "professors" because it is technically inappropriate to do so. However, I cannot negate the fact that this salutation culture may not be applicable to all Philippine universities and colleges due to culture, practice, and personal preferences. Of course, there will always be exemptions to the rules, and ranking designations in universities may be given on a case-to-case basis.

Due to the rigor and intricacies within the world of academia, being a professor is one of the most esteemed job titles and most high-paying job in the world (at least in most parts of the world, while the Philippines still needs to know this fact).

At the end of the day, we will always love our teachers. They have undoubtedly become our second parents, mentors, and friends at one point in our academic journey. Regardless of ranks, our university teachers have influenced us into the success we have gained and into overcoming the challenges we face and will be facing.

Hoping you learned something today. If you feel this is informative, please share away, comment, or tag. Thank you for reading.

Best regards, Teacher Mike