REFLECTIVE JOURNAL - 31 - CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT AND ETHICAL BEHAVIOUR

25TH MARCH, 2015

Today my lecturer asked us to reflect on our field teaching experience and to ask ourselves the following questions:

• What are some ethical issues which we experienced?
• Why were they difficult to deal with?
• How did we feel about having to deal with such issues?

These questions warranted some soul searching. I needed to see if I was impartial and professional in treating with the students. Sometimes we may have good intensions, but still we express biases as we engage with the students. My lecturer reminded us of the need for us to be extra careful in that area as students notice these biases early.

While the content of a lesson is important, teaching is much more than that. We must ensure that our actions are ALWAYS ethical in nature. As we interact with students and form varying degrees of interpersonal relationships, we have a responsibility to ensure that students always see us as fair. This can also be used to our advantage when we are trying to effectively manage our classrooms.

On another note, I have always stated, "When I get to Heaven, I have to ask God why He placed this love for teaching in me." I have made that statement in light of multiple job offers which I have received. These jobs were quite lucrative in nature and no one understands why I continually pass on those offers. The last position I was offered, one month's salary was equivalent to four months of the current teaching salary. Perhaps now my reasons for making that statement is understood.

I made mention of this because of something my lecturer said at the end of class. It seemed to answer my question, I no longer need to reserve that question for my life after. My lecturer said, " If you are called to be a teacher and you know you are truly called, don't try to be anything else. God chooses well.  He does not choose any and anybody to deal with His children. Teaching is in fact a calling, a high calling. If God has chosen you, know that He didn't make a mistake. It's because He knows you would do right by the little ones." ........................I rest my case.