Educators act ethically and maintain integrity, credibility and reputation of the profession in life.
I belief the ethical boundaries of integrity, credibility and reputation were instilled in me long before becoming a teacher or taking this program. Standard 2 was modelled and taught to me from my family; in particular my grandmother, mother and father.
One particular memory I have from my grandmother about reputation was her insistence on “putting things back where they belong.” It seems like a rather simple lesson, but it was not only to put whatever I borrowed back, but to return it in better shape than what I found it in. This lesson was more than just her and her OCD, it was about being accountable, diligent and taking pride in what I do while also showing respect. Taking this skill into life and teaching, has led me to be successful in skills such as organization, following up on missing assignments, and following up anything I do.
My mother is a master teacher, constantly reminding me of my integrity and reputation around town. I never understood it as an adolescence, why I felt held to a higher standard than many other children, but I realize now how much pressure teachers are under to uphold a certain “image,” especially in a small town. Growing up in Quesnel, I realize that my mom felt that same pressure, and I see now that I was probably viewed as a reflection of her- a judgement of her. Small towns are far from free of their judgements, so upholding a certain integrity to support my mother’s reputation was instilled since… well birth. Learning “do’s” and “don’ts” had to happen quickly and the response to feedback on learning such aspect was almost immediate. So when I entered the teaching program and we were discussing standard 2… I have basically been living it my whole life.
Ethics… I had to ponder for awhile. “What is an ethical response?” I see my dad smashing his golf clubs and breaking the heads off them when he is upset with his golf game and wonder. Does that make him an unethical man? No. Do I laugh? Yes. But I realize as a teacher, if I were golfing and a current or former student saw me smashing my golf clubs… it probably would hinder their reflection of me as a person.
Standard 2, although it has been instilled in me my whole life with my mother and grandmother’s demonstration & teachings… I still managed to struggle with the variations of it before, during and after pipelining. I became used to a world that was unknown to the rest, and the person I became while working there, although still maintaining standard 2, was an adapted version of it. I knew that going from pipelining to teacher I would have to revaluate what that looked like and take all my former experiences to form the best of what I could in ethics, integrity and credibility to form my reputation as a teacher.
Now? I focus on my intention. Where is my intention at, what is it, what are we doing with it and how are we going to go about it? I double check myself while still being authentic. I now demonstrate ethical decision making, conferencing and negotiating with my students and following up that we both do our part holds onto their view of my integrity, and to my credit, they know no matter what, when all else fails, I am the constant in their life ready to help. My students know that I will bend over backwards as their teacher to meet their success needs as long as they too, are willing to put forth an equivalent effort. Once they recognize you are there for them and want them to succeed, the reputation of being “that” teacher, makes relationships grow.