Educators act ethically and maintain the integrity, credibility, and reputation of the profession.
Throughout my practicums, and during the in between, Standard 2 was a requirement where expectations needed to be met ongoingly and without exception. There is not much to specifically report in this area other than I succeeded in maintaining the integrity, credibility, and regulation of the profession.
The following are a few examples of how I met standard 2.
Prior to starting my 10-week summative practicum, I set several goals for areas I wanted to develop for each of the 9 standards for BC educators. Under standard 2, one of my goals was to “…do my best to remove myself quietly and politely from environments where gossip is occurring.” This goal aimed to both be respectful to those in my work environment while simultaneously ensuring I was complying to the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIPPA). One of the tools I found valuable to satisfy this goal was noise cancelling headphones that I could wear while concentrating on my work amongst others. If it were students who gossiping about others inappropriately however, I would put a quick end to it rather than remove myself from the setting.
The second way I demonstrated Standard 2 was during weekly public meetings with members of my triad/cohort. Each Friday, myself and a few peers from my cohort would meet up at a public restaurant to discuss our week and engage in a process called critical friends that provided an opportunity to receive or provide constructive feedback on topics of interest related to education. While engaging in these weekly meetings in public, it was paramount to use discretion when discussing anything related to our work. Not only did we not use student names, but we also refrained from using specific examples from which someone might be able to guess the student(s) names with familiarity. Rather, our focus was on pedagogical practices we were developing such as assessment strategies, classroom management strategies, communication techniques with parents, and more. I can confidently report that all members part of this weekly meet remained FOIPPA compliant throughout the 10-week practicum.