An attempt to explain the behavior of local, state and national teacher organizations by reference to the ideological basis for their activities, this paper links professionalism and excellence to previous organizational activity and demonstrates their continuity. Significant topics include the professionalization of teaching amid societal attempts to deprofessionalize other professions, such as medicine and law, in response to corporate pressure; residual effects of Puritanism; and the feminization factor in the trivialization of teaching within a corporate, as opposed to collegial, context. (Author/JD)