Week+6

This week’s lecture was on teacher code of ethics and code of conduct. To me personally, a lot of the material included in the lecture is common sense but as we discussed in the tute, people have different views on common sense so this is an essential topic to cover in class. In the lecture, we learnt that the code of ethics is based on three values; integrity, respect and responsibility. There is a table in the lecture slides that shows how those three values are demonstrated, which I think it very useful as it helps to clearly identify how each of these values are relevant in the field of teaching and provides a guideline of how we as teachers should be performing both in and out of the classroom.

I found that the activity in class was extremely valuable to help us think outside the square in terms of what is appropriate in classrooms. Working in groups to discuss obstacles such as hugging students was a good idea, as we got a variety of opinions and then worked together to find what we thought the best possible solution would be. No doubt there will many different areas throughout the year which we will need to discuss with one another to decide what is best to do.

Nicely said Chirs. Obviously what we may view as common sense does not necessarily constitute everyone elses ideals. For me it did come across as common sense and I agree with what Pete said in the tute re 'the hug.' Clearly it is not something you can just outright outlaw especially with younger kids and whilst i can see how it could be made into an issue, I dont think it is as big a one as Greg made it out to be.

I think the code of ethics and conduct made you realise the massive amount of responsibilty you take on once you become a teacher. Not only are you a role model for the students whilst you are in the classroom, if you run into them down the street they are going to look up to and your actions then as well. I think it all comes back to what is appropriate in the situation.

It really makes you think about how when you are a teacher you can't just leave the job at the end of the day, to some degree you have to be conscious of students when you are just walking down the street or out anywhere, as Bre said. Also being aware of facebook and online things that have pictures etc and comments. With the blurred lines of what is appropriate I think it will also depend a lot on what the school you are at has as its policy, most I think will have strict rules on that sort of thing, but it is a matter of whether the school as a whole follows these guidelines closely, or is more relaxed. I think the best thing would be to follow what the majority of teachers at the school do, provided it is within what you believe is appropriate also. Ethics is a very difficult topic to cover, and it is made especially hard by the fact that we are only dicussing it in theory in a non-relevant setting.

The line is extremely blurred in regards to ethics and things like hugging etc. As you said Bre, it depends on age groups to a big extent - sometimes a hug from a prep student can't be avoided and whilst I think to some extent physical affection should not be encouraged, there are times when I think it is appropriate depending on the situation..it's often just a natural instinctive thing that you don't even think about. I also think that with the predominance of multi-cultural schools these days, teachers must be extremely mindful and respecting of different cultural beliefs and actions.

Basically, integrity, respect and RESPONSIBILTY were the key themes from this week and I think we all realise that teaching is not just an 8-4 job that you can walk away from at the end of the day, especially if you live in the same area as the school. You become a public face and role model in many ways.