My Code of Ethics
- I will remember that each child is a uniquely brilliant and has infinite potential.
- I will respect each student’s strengths and interests.
- I will share with them my love of learning and mentor them as they grow and discover their individual life mission.
- I will encourage the student to pursue education and nurture a life long love of learning.
- I will not deny a student access to varying points of view, but encourage them to find truth.
- I will make effort to protect the student from conditions harmful to learning, health or safety
- I will not intentionally expose a student to embarrassment or disparagement.
- I will not show preferential treatment.
- I will keep professional relationships professional among student, parents, colleagues and community members.
- I will keep confidential information confidential.
- The family is central to society’s success. I as teacher and mentor have a responsibility to facilitate and strengthen the family and by so doing, the community and nation.
- The parent is a child’s first teacher and the most important. I will not undermine that authority or relationship.
- I will encourage all that is good in family relationships.
- I will treat my colleagues with respect just as I would wish to be treated and respected.
Teaching Philosophy
Though I may have stewardship over many students, I do not teach a classroom, I teach individuals. Each child is not just one more on my list for the year; each child is unique with different strengths and struggles. Each child has a different purpose and potential. My job is to nurture that sense of purpose and support the child on his or her way to discovering that potential. In reality, I cannot force a child to learn. I must, instead, provide the tools to help my students educate themselves.As a teacher I am a role model. To be successful, I must model the attributes I desire to nurture in my students. I must be a life-long-learner acknowledging that although I do not have all the answers, I am willing to seek them out. I must show them that I am not afraid to fail and I will not fault them for it either. Like Thomas Edison, we need not be discouraged “because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward.” I need to insure that the time they spend with me is relevant to them. I need to nurture my own love of learning and share that love with them.
Students of the Twenty-First Century know that much of the information they learn in school will be outdated before they graduate. Instead of learning how to follow the orders of their superior’s, students in the Information Age need to know how to create, innovate, and solve problems. They need to be willing to try new ideas without a fear of failure. They need the opportunities to fly.
I often find myself agreeing with Sir Ken Robinson:
