Educators act ethically and maintain the integrity, credibility and reputation of the profession.

Educators are role models. Educators are held to a higher standard and are accountable for their conduct on duty and off duty. Educators understand the law as it relates to their duties. Educators’ individual conduct contributes to the perception of the profession as a whole. Educators know and recognize the importance of the Professional Standards for BC Educators.

What did I learn? Why does it Matter?

During my practicum I had the opportunity to exercise and observe this standard in the teachers around me. Teachers showed punctuality, respect, honesty, integrity, enthusiasm and responsibility in their practice.

I like the way that UBC outlines their expectations for teacher candidate behaviour. It is a comprehensive list that shows practical examples of how to uphold this standard.

At all times, teacher candidates are expected to demonstrate:

Honesty and Integrity

  • Act with integrity and demonstrate personal and academic honesty in all interactions and communications, both orally and in writing. Communicate truthfully with students, teachers and other school-based personnel, teacher candidate peers, faculty members, and staff.
  • Acknowledge contributions made to course assignments, lesson plans, and materials designed or provided by others

Academic honesty is highly valued by UNBC and through my undergraduate degree I learned how to properly give credit to rightful owners and creators. I am grateful that my forst instinct is to always give credit in some form for work that is not mine. I also saw my CTs demonstrating and teaching this to their students during my practium. Honesty towards students is extremely important for building trust which is foundational for any relationship. If students feel you are dishonest or lack integrity then you will loose their trust, engagement and respect. Students will not learn well from a teacher they do not like, trust or respect.

Respect for Others

  • Engage only in respectful interactions with others that do not discriminate on grounds protected by the British Columbia Human Rights Code.
  • Contribute to a classroom atmosphere conducive to learning and the conduct of professional work. Maintain personal composure and consideration for others in all interactions.
  • Ensure that all communications, including those on the internet and social media, are respectful.
  • Establish and maintain appropriate personal boundaries in relationships with others both on and off campus.
  • Do not engage in conduct that exploits students or others for personal, sexual, ideological or other advantage.
  • Respect the confidentiality of student information, the dignity of children and their right to confidentiality, subject to your legal and professional obligations, which include a duty to report abuse or suspected abuse.
  • Treat students and their families with respect and dignity both in their presence and in discussions with other members of educational teams.

This category outlined by UBC is another one that is very fundamental to my personal beliefs of how I should live my life and conduct myself in any and all situations. As with integrity and honesty, respect is fundamental for any relationship. Students will not respect you if you do not respect them and that is a barrier to their learning. As teachers we should be modeling good behaviour that we want our students to emulate. School should also be a safe space where students feel comfortable to learn and we as teachers are facilitators of the class.

Responsibility

  • Be accountable for personal conduct. Show enthusiasm, initiative, adaptability and curiousity.
  • Receive feedback in a non-defensive and receptive manner.
  • Meet expectations related to dependability, punctuality, attendance and participation. Meet deadlines.
  • Use social media responsibly, refraining from posting any information or comments related to students or colleagues or any personal information without appropriate consents.
  • Assure the primacy of students’ wellbeing.
  • Respect boundaries between teachers and students in all interactions, including social media.
  • Create environments that are conducive to student learning.
  • Recognize your own limitations and seek help when your level of experience is inadequate.

This third category neatly summarizes the final aspect of creating a positive learning environment and conducting ourselves in a manner that encourages a positive relationship between us and our students. As teachers we are in a position of power and with that, comes the responsibility to care for our students and demonstrate the behaviours we wish to see in them as they grow and develop as individuals. I am fortunate to have had the opportunity to observe fantastic CTs who showed great enthusiasm. adaptability, dependability, and care for student wellbeing and the learning environment.

What’s Next?

Working on these blog pages is a valuable way to help me uphold this standard. As I continue to learn and develop as a teacher candidate I hope to continue reflecting and adding to these pages so that I can deepen my understanding of the standards and how they apply in the job. As I am writing this, I am still at the very beginning stages of writing and developing my pages for the nine standards and looking forward I want to continue with this task to help me know and recognize the importance of each one. This blog also allows and encourages me to be a reflective practitioner which is important for the standards that measure qualities, characteristics and behaviours of teachers, rather than the more tangible aspects of teaching.

Standard Two Artifact:

It is hard to think of a specific artifact for this standard. I would like to think that my actions and behaviours during practicum made me a role model to my students and exemplified a high standard of conduct. Beyond work, I try to be an ethical, fair and honest person in all areas of my life and I highly value integrity as a personal trait.

This website is probably the best physical example that I can think of for my understanding of the nine standards and their importance in teaching. Throughout this blog, I showed my knowledge of the standards through artifacts that show examples from my experiences as well as my explanations for how the things I learned relate to each of the standards.