Expected, Inspected, & Respected.
"We do not learn from experience … we learn from reflecting on experience."
-John Dewey |
"We do not learn from experience … we learn from reflecting on experience."
-John Dewey |
Garth German, my professor in the School Systems course I'm taking right now, describes himself as a talk-thinker - he figures out what he thinks about something by talking about it. I consider myself a think-talker - I like to taste my words before I spit them out. Today in class, I was surprised to find myself talk-thinking in front of 30 of my pre-service teaching peers. Garth was talking about how he didn't like the acronym "CYA" (Cover Your Ass), because a teacher's primary concern should be about the safety of the children, not shielding themselves from litigation. If you follow safety protocols, your ass should be covered just fine. I countered by sharing an experience I had during my first term as an educational assistant. I was working with a girl in Grade 3 or 4 in a small room one on one. When I left the room, another EA stopped me and said, "I noticed that the blinds were drawn. You should never be alone in a room with a child where no one else can see what you're doing." I told Garth and the class that in that example, opening the blinds does not protect the child because I know that the child is not in any danger from me, it only protects me from being sued. However, as I was speaking, I realized that making sure that no one even has the opportunity to hide the abuse of children protects everyone. I'm completely with Garth on this one; the motivation behind following the laws and protocols in school should be the safety of the children, not CYA.
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David Wiebe
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