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

While I always knew that it is important to behave in private in order to maintain a positive public image, during 491 Practicum, the importance of this standard became more apparent to me than ever before. Since it is the longest practicum, I am now able to see the effect that “Educators [as] role models” (BC Teachers’ Council, 2019) have on students. It is hard to understand the influence that we have, as adults within a school, without first being in that position. Students are literally watching our every move all the time, copying and learning from what we do, so it is so important that they see acceptable behaviours from their role models.

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This, therefore, is one of the reasons that “Educators are held to a higher standard and are accountable for their conduct on duty and off duty” (BC Teachers’ Council, 2019), as teachers are often recognized as such when out and about in the general population.

However, not only students are noticing teachers. Other adults, including parents and community members are passing judgement on our actions all the time, but instead of attributing our behaviour to just ourselves, the entire professional field of education is being assessed.

Much like sports teams, for one member to act in an unprofessional manner means that everyone who is associated gets painted with the same brush. It is imperative for all teachers to realize that “Educators’ individual conduct contributes to the perception of the profession as a whole” (BC Teachers’ Council, 2019), and therefore contributes to how the whole field of educators is treated within the larger scale of politics and society. This is why it is so important for teachers to support and nurture one another, resolve differences in positive and mutually agreeable manners by following established protocols, and just generally have each other’s backs.

References:

BC Teachers’ Council. (2019, June 19). Professional Standards for BC Educators. Province of British Columbia. https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/education/kindergarten-to-grade-12/teach/teacher-regulation/standards-for-educators/edu_standards_poster-11×17.pdf.