Ethics, Collaboration, and Relationships

A teacher has many characteristics and qualities. Ethics, collaboration, and relationships are among their most important characteristics. Without these qualities, no one as a teacher can cope well with his work and duties. Therefore, it is very important for me to be aware of the elements mentioned and take my time to reflect on them.

Professional ethics are ethical standards that a person or group of individuals in a certain context must stick to. They are the guiding principles that must or are expected to be followed by people in that particular profession. In my region, different ethnic groups are living together, such as Kurds, Arabs, Assyrians, Turkmens, and Chaldeans. Each ethnic group has its own culture, beliefs, and mindsets that are priceless to them. In terms of religion, which plays a vital role in shaping the future of my country’s young learners, different religions are being practiced like Islam (Sunna and Shia), Christianity, Yazidi, etc. As an educator, I am supposed to keep in mind that those external factors have a direct and effective impact on my students’ academic progress. I have to take those components into account and think before planning each lesson in order not to challenge anyone’s notion, but rather to develop an environment in which students feel welcomed, respected, heard, and loved!

Moreover, I believe that when students share their views, teachers should respect their dignity and rights. Teachers must be fair and unbiased to all students, regardless of religion, ethnic background, political beliefs, social position, or physical appearance. Teachers should never push students against one another, other teachers, or the administration. Concerning a teacher’s ethics with other teachers, all teachers are required to treat their colleagues in the same manner in which they would like to be treated. They should support one another’s professional development and be eager to assist one another whenever the necessity arises. They must not bring complaints against coworkers to superiors unless they have solid proof or evidence. All teachers must ensure that there is no sort of discrimination in the workplace.

In addition, teachers’ ethics extend not just to students and peers, but also to students’ parents, non-teaching staff, and management. Teachers must notify students’ guardians if they are misbehaving or if they want them to assist them in improving their academic performance. It is the teacher’s responsibility to listen to the parents in order to better understand the pupils and deliver proper guidance.

Furthermore, Understanding the school environment as a bigger context is critical and has a considerable influence on the learning situation and the relationship between teachers and students. We must consider school as part of a bigger community that includes many other families with various backgrounds and mindsets, and entities, rather than as an isolated learning medium of society. As a result, it is critical for teachers to recognize that numerous elements influence the educational process and have a direct impact on students’ futures, such as social, economic, religious, political, familial circumstances, and etc. I don’t consider myself an expert on the issue in European contexts since I’ve only been in Europe for a year, but I’ve lived my entire childhood in a town in an autonomous Middle Eastern region, Kurdistan. Poverty and lack of proper education are fundamental factors in why Kurdish students do not succeed or reach their goals. Poverty and the effort to make a living have kept them from dreaming! The region’s political status has produced an environment in which children, youth, young and elderly despise education since they cannot earn a living from it. As a teacher of young learners who plans on returning to Kurdistan in the future, it is critical that I keep all of these miserable conditions in mind and comprehend what is going on before planning my lessons.

The aspect of understanding your responsibilities and your students’ rights is worth considering. The teacher should always keep himself up to date to make sure that correct content will be delivered in class. Among other responsibilities of teachers, I believe that the following are the most vital ones: planning, encouraging students participation, motivating students, monitoring, providing feedback, being friendly, providing guidance and support, and last but not least collaborating with other teachers and the whole school staff.

In my country, we have a proverb that is “One hand can’t clap.” Its equivalent in the English language is “It takes two to tango.” In order to develop the learning environment of the school, collaboration between every employee of the school is required. Teachers should inform each other about their process and the content they deliver in order to have harmony in the school. Without collaborating with each other, developing an educational medium will be impossible, and hard to manage the process. Teachers can provide students with points of learning the materials by collaborating and connecting the classes together, having shared tasks and assignments in which subjects are interconnected and interdisciplinary. The collaboration will establish meaningful connections and relations among students, teachers, teachers-students, etc.

Then, effective relationships with students and their families are critical for assisting students and motivating them to study more and avoid school boredom. Strong, positive relationships with individuals at school support learners’ abilities to learn and keep going, but building and keeping those relationships is frequently more difficult than it appears. Making it clear that the teacher cares about the student is one technique to foster a solid student-teacher relationship. This may be accomplished by talking with your students and inquiring about their day. Another method is to listen to your pupils, which may be accomplished by hearing their ideas, considering their interests, and knowing each student’s individual learning methods.

Teachers must be able to successfully connect with their students’ families to inform them about the most recent developments and updates, as well as ask questions about the student’s home conditions in order to properly analyze the student’s progress. Obviously, it is difficult for a teacher to talk with all of his students’ parents, but parent meetings may be scheduled monthly or quarterly, and teachers can promote awareness among the students’ families. Also, let the parents know that they must inform teachers of any specific situation involving their child in order for them to deal with it appropriately and correctly.

To wrap up, as a teacher, I believe it is critical for me to comprehend the wide bounds of education as well as the different elements that influence the lives of my pupils. I must also collaborate with other educators and maintain highly effective and continuous communication with students and their parents.

Some References and Recommendations:

1. Waterford.org. (2023, June 6). Why Strong Teacher Student Relationships Matter – Waterford.org. https://www.waterford.org/education/teacher-student-relationships/
2. Positive student-teacher relationships: 8 Ways to build stronger connections in the classroom – K-20 Blog. (n.d.). https://www.cypherlearning.com/blog/k-20/positive-student-teacher-relationships-8-ways-to-build-stronger-connections-in-the-classroom
3. Holfve-Sabel, M.-A. (2014). Learning, Interaction and Relationships as Components of Student Well-being: Differences Between Classes from Student and Teacher Perspective. Social Indicators Research, 119(3), 1535–1555. http://www.jstor.org/stable/24721499
4. Jafar, A. (2016). Student Engagement, Accountability, and Empowerment: A Case Study of Collaborative Course Design. Teaching Sociology, 44(3), 221–232. http://www.jstor.org/stable/24887449
5. Heli Muhonen, Eija Pakarinen, Helena Rasku-Puttonen & Marja-Kristiina Lerkkanen (2022) Teacher–student relationship and students’ social competence in relation to the quality of educational dialogue, Research Papers in Education, DOI: 10.1080/02671522.2022.2135013
6. Ashraf, Hamid & Hosseinnia, Mansooreh & Domsky, Javad. (2017). EFL teachers��� commitment to professional ethics and their emotional intelligence: A relationship study. Cogent Education. 4. 10.1080/2331186X.2017.1298188.
7. StackPath. (n.d.). https://pgui.com/the-code-of-ethics-for-educators/