Week+6

 I suppose as a male I am all too aware of the possible negative connotations that could be drawn from physical touch with students but it was some of the OH&S issues that really jumped out at me, as I highlight below. I found the workshop and lecture made me question what would have been my initial response to retrieving a ball from a roof or over a fence, without the lecture or an adequate induction at the school I would have just climbed a ladder or jumped the fence. What do you think of two pictures on slide 21 and 22? Slide 21 shows a male teacher with a comforting hand on a young girls shoulder who was obviously upset as she had a cap pulled over her face, there were many other children around, Greg seemed to indicate this was inappropriate behaviour. A picture on the following slide (22) showed a female assisting a student at a laptop and she seems to have gone out of her way to place her arm behind him and onto his shoulder and yet this appeared in a slide which seemed to indicate appropriate behaviour.

I personally see physical contact with a student as only appropriate when absolutely necessary and to be delivered in the most non-threating manner possible, ie to assist them to write, first aid, etc. I liked the reading 'Promoting the ethical school' it highlighted how that through so much legislation you could create robotic teachers with respect to ethics who toed the legal line but addressed any ethical issue with a demeanor that was cold and non-compassionate. Hence, comes the difficulty to toe the legal line but retain your compassion and empathy for others. Because with all the ethics that were presented on Monday I did at times initially feel paralysed to act when addressing situations that may arise in the profession. One point made that stuck with me was that childern do lie, that to me was a key element to ensure that I cover myself in all situations (most importantly never be alone with a student).

I am interested in how the three of you feel about the code of ethics and its implications for attracting teachers?

Initially as a male, I felt it deterred me because it feels like someone has placed boundaries on how you can act. But the majority of the professional boundaries (etc OH&S I'll be reading up on these) are 100 metres from me whilst my personal boundaries are only 50 metres (etc OH&S which were 200 metres) from me so I am still more bound by my personal boundaries than my professional boundaries. So it is there to 'protect' me as a professional. It is comforting to know that as long as I act within my personal boundaries I am protected by the professional boundaries.

Cheers Matt 

The Code of Ethics does come across as being a bit daunting. However, I think we are all decent members of society with decent morals, values, and actions. It is important to be aware of the Code of Ethics, but even without it, I wonder if we would overstep that line anyway.... I mean, most of it is generally common sense. Would you feel comfortable cuddling your students? Or like Matt's example in class, would you feel comfortable with a kid's hand up your shorts? Would you feel comfortable chatting with your students on Facebook? For the most part, I think the Code of Ethics is just reinforcing what we already deem uncomfortable or inappropriate situations. The advice I was given at my previous job was, "if you are ever in a situation with a child or children when you think "//I hope someone doesn't walk in right now... "//, then most likely it is inappropriate!"

I am interested that Matt also brought up the issue of children and lies. I remember hearing an example from the US in which a high school teacher was accused of sexual relations with a student. The allegation proved to be untrue, however, the accused man's profession as a teacher was over. His reputation had been destroyed and despite never committing anything illegal or inappropriate, the association of his name with such allegations was enough to end his career. I hope these are rare cases, I'm sure they are. However I remember having a discussion with my mother about 4 years ago now about how I liked the idea of becoming a teacher, but the 'dangers' of litigation and accusations was enough to put me off. Obviously 4 years down the track, I've got over this....

I guess the main thing I have taken from this week's topic is to be aware. To be aware of what constitutes stepping over the line, and how to protect ourselves and cover ourselves. Ensure we always have a good reason for our actions. Whether it's dealing with a child, parent, colleague, etc, we must be able to justify our actions should they be questioned.

Finally just to comment on the pictures you mentioned Matt. I tend to agree with you about pg. 21. The teacher, I would have thought, is not being intrusive or inappropriate. There are many other children around and the hand seems more of a supportive gesture. To be really particular about pg. 22, I viewed this as the teacher having her hand on the chair which I think is fine, however if it is on the student's shoulder, I agree that this is unnecessary and inappropriate.

Emma   When I saw the topic for this weeks lecture I initially thought it was going to be a very dry and that we would “know it all”. Surprisingly, I found the lecture to be very interesting and it made me think a lot about what we are and aren’t allowed to do in our role as teachers. I agree with Matt and Emma; physical contact should only be used when absolutely necessary. However I think it’s that ability to deem when it is necessary is quite difficult.

I am someone that doesn’t like to be bound by too many rules and regulations, so the reading about us becoming “robotic” due to too much legislation rang quite true with me. I can see a definite need for rules and regulations, but at the same time, I think there will be occasions when comforting a student or holding their hand will feel like the ethical and right thing to do. I guess this is more likely to happen in the junior years. I quite liked Pete’s idea of being able to talk about these issues with the more senior students. For example, explaining exactly why you cannot be alone with a student. I think this transparency is important and helps develop that sense of trust between student and teacher. Emma, I think what you were told in your previous job was really spot on and is a great way of thinking about these ethical issues.

The OHS issues are an interesting one Matt. I guess with those more ethical issues we usually have a gut feeling inside about what is right and wrong, but jumping up on a ladder or a chair to reach something we would probably do automatically and without thinking. I guess overtime and with more awareness we will remember to think before acting!

I hope that the code of ethics does not have implications on attracting more people to the teaching profession. Unfortunately these days there seems to be ethical issues associated with many professions. I know as an OT we had to be very conscious of keeping accurate, up to date medical records and explicitly record every contact with clients because there was that fear that “one day this could end up in court” if something goes wrong. However as I told myself then, and still believe now, if we are seen to be doing what we think is right, and we can justify why we are doing it, that is all we can do and hopefully we will not have any issues.

Cat  I totally  agree with Cat's fear of teachers becoming bound by far too many rules and the thought that we will all be 'robotic', emotionless individuals in the classroom. However, I can also see Matt's frustration with the large differences in accepted behaviour for female and male teachers as displayed in the two lecture slides he mentioned. I really believe that if it feels wrong, as in your "gut feeling", then it probably is, and as Emma mentioned to me after the lecture if you find yourself thinking "I hope nobody comes in and see's this" then you are most likely stepping over the boundaries. It is, as you have all mentioned above, such a difficult area to navigate. The official legal standpoints versus what you feel is appropriate versus what the school deems appropriate for their teachers. I think it is similar to what Pete was saying about having to take on the moral opinions of the school you work for as your own. Even if I may want to comfort a child who looks distressed or upset I will simply have to learn to switch off that side of my nature while in the school environment. Part of me is very angered by this, but the other part see's that it's the only way that it can be a fair work environment for male teachers particually as well as females. It actually surprised me when Pete said that it upset him that women could get away with so much, even something as innocent as sitting a child on your knee, because I had never really sat back and considered what it was like from a male perspective. I suppose that's why these workshop are such a great thing because it gets us thinking about things we would have never considered before. Well I might leave it there as you have all already written so much and I feel I would simply be repeating your thoughts once again.

Laura :-)

Cat - I really like your comment about how at times, perhaps it will be ethically wrong not to comfort a child, hold their hand, etc. Afterall, it would be a shame to remove all human, natural instincts from teaching. I think it is best to consider the possible consequences of a behaviour before you carry it out, whether it is an ethical issue or an OHS issue, and no matter how minor or major those consequences may be.

Emma  