The module this week discussed citizenship and the teaching of values. How do we as teachers promote ethics and morals, and what it means to be a good citizen?  At the elementary level, it appears to be easy as we stress sharing and the teaching of manners. At the high school level, it is more difficult.  Teenagers sometimes do not react kindly to being reminded to be polite and use please and thank you.

The lecture this week discussed the idea of morals and values being ‘caught not taught’.  I agree that as teachers, we have unlimited opportunities to ‘get caught’ doing something good.  Setting an example for students by using appropriate language, manners, demonstrating respect and inquisitiveness teaches student how adults behave and sets a standard of behavior in the classroom.

In my classroom, I teach citizenship by requiring that all students contribute ‘something’ extra to the classroom by cleaning up. They can ask me for a citizenship task and earn points, but also I give citizenship points for random acts of kindness such as just helping out another student or doing something good. In this way, I teach that being a good person benefits the individual as well as the group.

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