"These are my values..."
If you were asked to outline your key professional values, and describe what you think children expect of you, what would you say? Penny Cottee put these fundamental questions to a variety of teachers and other professionals whose work centres on providing services to children and young people. Here's what they told her.
"A teacher is somebody who values teaching, somebody who is dedicated to the profession, and who makes learning fun for the children. A teacher is also somebody who is willing to take risks. The goal posts do move and it's up to us to experiment with new initiatives. It keeps us fresh.We are always representing new things to children, so as adults we should be able to learn and accept new things too."
"As a member of a team within a classroom, working as someone's 'right hand woman', I find that best practice comes from dynamic partnerships, where there is clarity of roles and understanding of each other's methods of working. Mutual respect is the bedrock of that. It's clearly about teamwork, too.
"To work together for the benefit of the children, we have to rely on and trust each other in the classroom. It's important to build relationships with the children based on respect, too. Children are not sponges who just absorb information; they have rights and opinions.
"To be professional means taking responsibility for your own development and your own practice. I'm an 'education junkie' and have never stopped doing courses since I graduated. It’s about keeping your responses sharp."
"I do inclusion and outreach work with mainstream schools and I think it would be helpful if they looked at the kind of values we are able to operate in special schools. Such as our belief that it is not the subject that matters, but the child."
"Amongst my key values is advocating for, and defending, play. Of course, play is important for the potential it offers to advance a child's health, cognitive ability, language use, social skills, and so on. But play is fundamentally important because children have chosen it. Digging in the mud may have nothing to do with their social development, but it's intrinsically of value, because the child has chosen to do it.
"Training and development are also important, to ensure that professional staff remain competent. I value good governance and organisation. I want to ensure that all project stakeholders take responsibility for their interest in the playground – from the children to the parents, and from the neighbourhood to the trustees."
"Our humanities catchphrase is 'inspire and aspire'. These are the core values that I focus on both in my teaching and to encourage and motivate my team.
"Teachers need to be good role models, and they need to relate well to their students, while understanding that you don’t have to become their friends. The students also need to be able to rely on you. That you will be there, have prepared their lesson, understand what they want – and that you are going to challenge them and push them further."
Meeta Mahtani, principal practitioner, Barnet Youth Offending Service.
"My background is as a qualified social worker, so many of my professional values are informed by that. My practice is built on equal opportunities, challenging discrimination, and ensuring everyone has fair access to the same service. Here in Barnet we take a holistic view of the young person before us and we welcome the professional input of the many agencies we work with.
"You have to build a mutually respectful relationship with the young people, regardless of what they have done. You cannot allow your personal values to interfere with your professional values. There may be issues that grate on our personal values – such as when dealing with sex offenders or violent criminals – but you must keep your personal values at bay. My practice is based on separating the person from the behaviour."
"For me, the qualities of a teacher include being an excellent communicator. Especially with the younger ones, you have to be attuned to their level, and listen to them. I believe in encouraging a relaxed classroom atmosphere, where there is humour and creativity, because when the children are happy they learn better.
"I aim to get the children working well together and being tolerant of each other. I want them to be comfortable enough to experiment and try new ideas, to extend their learning."
"The most important value is developing young people into healthy adults who can go out into the world and make a difference, and be happy. I think the role of the teacher is very much about encouraging people to find who they are."
"For me, one of the core teacher values is that children become rounded learners, with a broad knowledge and skills base. Our school is in the most deprived ward in Britain where we have severe local problems with youth crime, poor health and teenage pregnancy. I think the practical things kids do in real life should be married much more to what we teach in school. The core values in a school like ours include equipping them with the skills to become competent members of society. We want emotionally literate learners who can reflect on their own learning and actions.
"I think the children always want you to be fair, firm and friendly. We've got to realise that as teachers, we are in a very formative position. Everything we do in school is learning – you don't stop when the bell goes for change of lesson. Walking down the corridor and being in the playground are as much a part of learning.”
Judith Hay, head of Sunderland Youth Offending Service.
"The Youth Offending Service is a challenging environment. I have embedded a strong value culture here, where we all take responsibility for our own behaviour and performance. We are solution focused. I say, 'You've told me the problem. Now tell me the solution.' It keeps the culture positive and forward-looking.
"I want my staff to value the young people, regardless of what they've done, and to help them see what they've done right, as many haven't been told for a long time. We need to motivate them, to empower them to seek solutions and make sustainable changes. We don't start from where other organisations may start, like teachers in mainstream schools. We're starting with people who have usually been through courts and have a number of problems at the same time. But it's about support, even for the most dangerous offenders. Even when we recommend they go to prison, which we have to sometimes, we make sure they know there's always a way back and we’ll be there to help them if they want that.”
* Penny Cottee is a freelance journalist specialising in education and business.
