Know Your Craft! Choose to do it Well.

As teachers we encounter situations every day that require us to stop and ask ourselves:   What is the ethical course of action to take in this scenario?  For experienced teachers, most of these scenarios are second nature to assess and act upon.  However, with experience also comes the sense to know when to Stop…. Breathe…. and Think!  Over the years, teachers encounter countless numbers of scenarios that do not immediately have obvious solutions.  Be sensitive to and learn to identify these scenarios, and if at all possible consult your peers and self-reflect before taking action.

All of the points made in the “NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct and Statement of Commitment” and the “DEC Code of Ethics” are essential to keep in mind throughout our work with children.  A few I have commented upon below:

• Appreciate childhood as a unique and valuable stage of the human life cycle:  Know and respect the differences between the nature of childhood and the nature of adulthood.  Understand that what we say and do as adults has a “magnified” impact on children by comparison to adults.  As teachers it is our duty to know and be sensitive to the unique characteristics of children and to continuously assess and evaluate our own behavior and interactions in regard to each child with whom we work. 

• Appreciate and support the bond between the child and family:  The relationship a child has with his/her family is critical!  …for better or for worse.  As teachers, we need to know, appreciate, and help the  fostering of healthy, strong, relationships between the child and his/her family.  To not do so, is hurtful to the child.

• Recognize that children are best understood and supported in the context of family, culture,* community, and society:  Do those home visits!  In many public schools this is an aspect of quality education that is sorely lacking.  Spending time with the child, in “their world” is quite illuminating, and will provide critical information about how best, we as teachers, can understand and support that child in school.

 • Respect diversity in children, families, and colleagues:  It is important to recognize diversity as the potential strength that it is; a deepening of the resources available to a community and society as a whole.  Diversity makes for a much healthier gene pool on many levels.

Reference:

NAEYC. (2005, April). Code of ethical conduct and statement of commitment. National Association for the Education of Young Children. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PSETH05.pdf