While all standards are equally as important in their own right, standard one encompasses exactly what it means to be an educator. To always put your students’ success and safety as the number one priority, and to understand the vast responsibility you have to protect those students from a variety of different things.
There are many examples of this that I have experienced in my teacher career this far, including during my time as an uncertified substitute teacher in SD57. Every student has different abilities, strengths and behaviours. It is extremely important, as an educator, to protect those children by keeping a level of confidentiality. Not only should you not be telling stories of students to your friends and family, you should not be discussing the experiences of your students with other educators in the staff room. I have been a witness to different educators and Educational Assistants swapping stories of experiences they have had with students and discussing their IEP’s and behaviours in an informal setting. Though this can seem harmless, because educators are meant to keep that confidentiality between the walls of the school, this type of behaviour can be harmful and inappropriate. As new educators, we must remember that despite witnessing something like this many times in different schools, we must push for a better practice of Standard 1.
The entirety of Standard 1 is to ensure that the student, and their safety, are the utmost priority for educators. When you are passionate about education, and the success and progress of your students, these types of things can come very naturally. Educators with real love for what they do will always put their kids first and work, sometimes too hard, to make certain they are set up for success. It is my goal as a future teacher to create an open, inclusive space that students want to be in. I want to always be an active participant in the lessons we do, so my students know that I am also a learner. I want students to feel safe in their identity and be able to express that identity in whichever way they see fit. I want to be inclusive and accepting of all cultures, including local history of the Lheildi T’enneh First Nations, and bring in voices of those cultures to show the beauty and value in differences. As an educator, I want all this and more, and I will strive daily for my entire career to always practice and maintain this standard.