Shop by Topic
Shop by Product
ExchangeEveryDay Past Issues
<< Previous Issue
| View Past Issues | | Next Issue >> 
Acting with Integrity
July 26, 2016
I really love being human. But some days I really wish I could be a fairy.
-Greta, age 4
-Greta, age 4
The July/August 2016 issue of Exchange focuses on sustainability — sustaining programs, sustaining cultures, sustaining childhoods, sustaining ourselves. In the final article in this issue, Bonnie's "A Manner of Speaking," she addresses the issue of integrity...
"Acting with integrity often goes unnoticed. There are no accolades because others can only see the result, not the challenging decision making that happen privately. So we need to talk about integrity in preparing teachers to be in classrooms. What does integrity mean in the life of a classroom, in the history of an organization, inside a teacher?
- Are we a profession where each of us is encouraged to live with integrity?
- Are we a profession in which the integrity of a program or organization is built on the integrity of each teacher, each professional?
- Do we make space for people to challenge decisions and practices?
- Are we encouraged to act on our principles, to speak up, to speak out, and to challenge when what is happening is not in alignment with what we know and believe?
"Integrity is a choice. In our mission to the field, we at Exchange have mindfully protected our integrity. We know how fragile it is, how easily the reputation of an organization can slip. We appreciate that integrity is embedded in the little decisions we make; yet, as with each of you and your own organizations, some decisions have been more dramatic or painful than others. Often, to act with integrity, these must be private decisions. No one knows about these moments but ourselves. And that is as it should be. That is the message we need to share with emerging professionals. Integrity comes from within; we must build their knowledge of the right thing to do and challenge them to do it."
|
Join Our Community of Joyful Readers
Subscribe to Exchange magazine now to get the Out of the Box Training, Nurturing Creativity in Children, FREE!  |
|
Stay informed of new early childhood research; enjoy insights from engaging voices from the field; and gain practical strategies and solutions with Exchange magazine. |
 |
Offer ends 6/11/22 at 11:59 pm Pacific. May not be combined with any other offer. Not valid on past purchases or bulk discounts.
ExchangeEveryDay
Delivered five days a week containing news, success stories, solutions, trend reports, and much more.
What is ExchangeEveryDay?
ExchangeEveryDay is the official electronic newsletter for Exchange Press. It is delivered five days a week containing news stories, success stories, solutions, trend reports, and much more.
Comments (4)
Displaying All 4 CommentsBSD
Bellevue, WA, United States
Powerful Words...Thanks Bonnie! In these challenging times with so many pressures and priorities, sometimes all we are left with after a hard day's work is integrity. I often ponder my choices and challenges on the way home from work but if I acted with integrity I know I will be able to sleep at the end of the day.
City of Phoenix Head Start
Phoenix, Arizona, United States
I agree with Francis, who stated: "Unfortunately, because programs are now driven by "standards, "accountability", and other inappropriate policies created and monitored by people outside of the classroom, integrity has been totally sacrificed.". Additionally, we need to give teachers, who are the researchers in their own classrooms some kind of autonomy and leadership. Decisions in regards to what goes in their classrooms should be made with them and not for them. Teachers can't foster problem solving skills in young children if they have not been given the opportunities to practice them themselves. Yes, we need to make space for people to challenge decisions and practices.
Pennsylvania, United States
I agree with Francis and the bottom line is that the children are the ones who suffer when programs focus on testing and accountability and not developmental growth and natural playful learning. There should be joy, music, movement, care, attention, laughter, art in early childhood programs---hard things to quantify but basically evil to deny. Fortunately I direct and teach at a small parish-based preschool and do not have to bend to this nonsense.
CSBC
Denver, CO, United States
The most frequent question I get from my college student is "How can we resolve the tension between what we know we should be doing with our students - based on things we have learned in this class - and what we have to do in our programs to keep our jobs?" This is a fundamental question of integrity. Unfortunately, because programs are now driven by standards, "accountability", and other inappropriate policies created and monitored by people outside of the classroom, integrity has been totally sacrificed.
Post a Comment