The Impact Of Teachers' Values And Attitudes On Their Teaching Practices

Instilling Moral Values in Teachers

Question:

Discuss about the Values and Attitudes of The Teachers.

In this essay the values and attitudes of the teachers that impact their teaching practices have been evaluated. It can be mentioned that family plays a key role in instilling the moral values in individuals. In my opinion the values of honesty and integrity are essential qualities of teacher and the same are inculcated in them by their family. It is important to mention that teachers should be free from biasness and prejudices about different communities and cultures of a society (Brookfield, 2017). . In my opinion, it can be said that a teacher should accept students from diverse backgrounds and communities and should treat them equally. Teachers should also be supportive of citizenship education of children (Ichilov, 2013).

In my belief just as students come from diverse family backgrounds, the same can be said about teachers. The family values of a teacher have impacts on his teaching and his mentality as well just as family values influence students (Bowes et al., 2012).  The values of morality and the understanding of right and wrong are inculcated in the minds of a teacher just as the same are inculcated in the minds of a student by their families.  In my belief being raised in a morally upright family has impacted my decisions later in life as a teacher. I believe that the value of honesty and integrity of a teacher is a primary and essential quality of a teacher (Stephens, 2015). The values of honesty and integrity and honesty are inculcated in the minds of people at a very early age. It is also important to mention that teachers should not lose hope in the students and give them chances for improvement. In my belief, being raised in a tolerant and understanding family helps teachers to respect students and try to help them in every way possible as the learning capacity of students vary greatly from one another. I believe that a teacher should take responsibility for the performance of his students. A teacher who does not respect his students does not earn the respect of his students in return (Banks, 2015). According to me it is important to state that being raised in a disciplined yet not a very strict family has helps a teacher realize the subtle difference between the two. It has also helped me ensure that as a teacher I can influence my students to be disciplined in life. Thus in my opinion it would rightful to say that  my values and attitudes about teaching practices have helped me ensure that I treat every student equally irrespective of their learning capabilities, their backgrounds and their merits. I as a childhood teacher aim to provide education to the students which are not only theoretical in nature but also practical and morally upright. However, in my opinion I believe my values and attitudes have certain limitations. There are some children who need special attention and therefore treating them like all other students will not help them improve academically. Special care and attention needs to be provided to them. 

Promoting Tolerance among Teachers and Students

A teacher has certain responsibilities as a teacher acts as a role model for the students. The values and attitudes of teachers are communicated to students. Therefore it is important to mention that teachers should be free from biasness and prejudices about different communities and cultures of a society. In my opinion, it can be said that a teacher should accept students from diverse backgrounds and communities and should treat them equally. A teacher should be well aware of the cultures of the different communities and should be tolerant to them. The teacher should respect the cultural differences of the students. In my opinion, a teacher should communicate with the families of students from diverse backgrounds to have a better understanding of the cultures of the community (Gay, 2013). The teacher should be able to address the needs of the students of different communities. In my belief a teacher should promote tolerance of different communities and cultures by teaching about in the same class rooms. It can be said that the views and attitudes of teachers are generally reflected on the students and can be very helpful to make students realize that they are not only a part of a single community but a part of the much bigger global community. Creating a community map by a teacher can be helpful in making the students understand the different resources that are available within the community.

It can be noted that much of what every individual learns is through practical and real world experiences instead of theoretical classroom knowledge. Therefore it can be stated that teachers should be devise curriculums which would impart practical knowledge and better understanding of different communities of the world to the students (Harris Russell et al., 2016). It can be mentioned that such curriculums should include all the stakeholders of a society. Students should be taken on community walks and should be encouraged to interact with the different members of the society. It is only through this approach can community-school partnerships be built. In my belief, tolerant and respectful attitudes of teachers towards different communities of a society will help them remove prejudices from the minds of the students. To promote intercultural communication interactions between teachers, students and their parents should be encouraged by the teachers. The teachers should hold parent teacher meetings to educate the students about the different family traditions and different cultures of the society. The teachers can help the students realize different family structures that exist in a community and respect them. Teachers should promote anti bias education to students to help remove any prejudice from the mind of the students.

Supporting Citizenship Education in Teachers

In my belief teachers should be supportive of children’s citizenship education. It can be mentioned that education about citizenship should be imparted to children from an early age. A teacher should aim to educate students about citizenship of a nation and human rights associated to it (Willemse et al., 2015). The children should be taught to have a clear understanding of the institutions and functioning of a country. The teacher must ensure that the relationships between the citizens and the government of the country are clearly explained to the student (Bailey, 2014). It can be mentioned that children are given some rights but however are denied certain other rights. In my opinion a teacher should have in-depth knowledge of the rights of the children. According to the Australian Human Rights commission it is to be mentioned that the children have been granted some rights so as to prevent their exploitation and abuse (Australian Human Rights Commission, 2017). It can be noted that the Convention of Children Rights is the major international treaty that governs the rights of the child. In my opinion it can be said that the children should be free to express their views on matters that affect them. Children should be given all the rights that are ensured in the Convention on Rights of Child (Archard, 2014). According to my opinion, all children irrespective of their citizenships should be given the same rights and no discrimination should be done on the basis of the citizenships of children. In my opinion it can be said that the teachers should educate children about the rights of the child as ensured in the Convention of Rights of child. A teacher should encourage them to express their views and should also encourage them to express if any of the rights of the same is violated (Ichilov, 2013). In my belief a teacher should have a clear understanding of the different cultures of a country to address the needs of children of diverse citizenships. In my opinion if children are treated equally without any biases and prejudices originating from their citizenships, they will feel that they are a part of a bigger and global community and will be more connected to the society.       

Conclusion

Thus to conclude, it can be said that a teacher has a great responsibility of shaping the minds of the students and imparting education to them. However the values and attitudes of teachers impact their teaching practices greatly. The moral values and attitudes of teachers are reflected on their students. In my belief I believe that a teacher should take responsibility for the performance of his students. A teacher who does not respect his students does not earn the respect of his students in return. In my opinion, it can be said that a teacher should accept students from diverse backgrounds and communities and should treat them equally. A teacher should be well aware of the cultures of the different communities and should be tolerant to them. The teacher should respect the cultural differences of the students. In my belief a teacher should aim to educate students about citizenship of a nation and human rights associated to it.    

References:

Archard, D. (2014). Children: Rights and childhood. Routledge.

Australian Human Rights Commission | everyone, everywhere, everyday. (2017). Humanrights.gov.au. Retrieved 28 November 2017, from https://www.humanrights.gov.au/

Bailey, R. (2014). Teaching values and citizenship across the curriculum: educating children for the world. Routledge.

Banks, J. A. (2015). Cultural diversity and education. Routledge.

Brookfield, S. (2017). Becoming a critically reflective teacher. John Wiley & Sons.

Derricott, R. (2014). Citizenship for the 21st century: An international perspective on education. Routledge.

Gay, G. (2013). Teaching to and through cultural diversity. Curriculum Inquiry, 43(1), 48-70.

Harris Russell, C., McDonald, D., Jones, L. A., & Weaver, L. (2016). The Continuum of Lens through Which Teachers View Cultural Differences: How Perceptions Impact Pedagogy. Journal of Family Strengths, 16(1), 5.

Ichilov, O. (2013). Citizenship and citizenship education in a changing world. Routledge.

Stephens, J. M. (2015). Creating cultures of integrity: A multi-level intervention model for promoting academic honesty. Handbook of academic integrity, 1-10.

Willemse, T. M., ten Dam, G., Geijsel, F., van Wessum, L., & Volman, M. (2015). Fostering teachers' professional development for citizenship education. Teaching and Teacher Education, 49, 118-127.

Bowes, Jennifer & Bowes, Jennifer, (editor.) & Grace, Rebekah, (editor.) & Hodge, Kerry, (editor.) (2012).Children, families and communities : contexts and consequences (Fourth edition). South Melbourne, Vic. Oxford University Press