An acquaintance called tonight to tell me a story, a morality tale. In his place of business, an employee had been the target of an unethical scheme. Action after action demeaned the employee and others in a similar category to her. The employee was keen and kept track of the events that were demeaning and seemingly illegal.
Event by event she kept track as she endured the harsh working conditions, and then what was at one time subtle mistreatment became more overt, and she bravely filed a legal case. Around the time the case was filed the schemers quickly left their positions, and the employee who had many stellar reviews up until the time that the scheme began, was freed from the oppression and is now possibly looking forward to a big pay out from her organization.
There are times in our lives when we are trying to do the right thing and we may think, "Is it worth it?" due to the response we get, and then you hear a story like this and you think, "Yes, it's always worth staying the path of good work and right action even if that path is challenging at times." Will we misstep? For sure, as none of us are perfect, but if our intent and efforts are rightly rooted then we can expect our errors to be stepping stones to learning and enriched practice.
What does it mean to "do the right thing" as educators? What matters the most in this regard?
Children First
First, we must put our students first in our speak and actions. This can be challenging at times, but if we help each other to always act with this intent, we will serve children well.
Advocate for Positive Teaching/Learning Environments
Next, we must advocate for positive teaching/learning environments. How can we best effect our environments for state-of-the-art learning and teaching.
Collaborate and Support Each Other with Effective Process
After that, we must learn to debate, collaborate, and work together to make important decisions with respect about our learning environment. None of us have all the answers, and some of us struggle when it comes to sharing our ideas with confidence, strength, and clarity. The more we use good process to invigorate our systems with good teaching and care for children, the more success we will all experience.
Time and Effort
Educators know that students push us to give our work adequate time and effort. If we don't, they misbehave. So I think it's a given that most educators put the time and effort into the job.
Growth Mindset
All educators have to embrace a growth mindset with an open mind and willingness to learn. This is particularly important in this quickly changing education landscape. In this regard, I believe it's important to integrate the best of the old, traditional practice and the best of the new, research-based practice.
Empathy and Respect
Our time-on-task is intense and our responsibility varied and extensive, but that's no excuse for a lack of empathy and respect. These are key ingredients with regard to teaching well.
All parents and teachers know that children call us to be our best selves, and that's a challenging task. And, as the morality tale at the top of the page shows, despite the challenge at times, it's always our responsibility to do the right thing and support our colleagues in this regard as well.
