I think the greatest challenges we face as educators are that it is difficult to know if we are doing the right thing, if we are teaching students effectively, and if we are doing what is best for the students. The steps that I will take to ensure that I am honoring and upholding my responsibilities include reading and understanding the teacher handbook, striving to always do what is right, communicating with the principal and other teachers, and asking questions when I am unsure of something. I will ensure that I am respecting student rights by reading and understanding the student handbook, communicating with the principal and other teachers, utilizing my best judgement, trusting my instincts, and asking questions when I am unsure of something. Some concerns that I have about my rights and responsibilities as a teacher are how I will know if I am doing the right thing and if I am doing what is best for the students. It will also be difficult to know if I am supporting the students to the best of my ability.
Mya LaFreniere
There will likely be multiple sources of information to provide feedback on the degree to which you are honoring student’s rights. Watching and listen to students will be a critical source of information. Even Kindergarteners have a sense of justice, what they think is fair. Generally kids are pretty open about telling you if they don’t think something is fair. The main reason that they would not express such concerns is fear. Fear of you or fear of the consequences of speaking truth to power. Consequently one thing you can do to be sure you honor student’s rights is to create an open classroom climate where students feel free to voice their opinions.