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Professional Competency 13
Professional competency 13 has to do with acting in accordance with the ethical principles of the profession. As teachers, we are expected to adopt and promote responsible behaviours to help in the development of relationships of trust with students, peers and members of the community while simultaneously creating an environment that is conducive to the educational success of our students.
My development
I believe that I have been able to develop this competency throughout my time spent at McGill but also throughout my life. I have always been taught to be respectful and non-discriminatory towards everyone regardless of their differences since those same differences will help to educate and challenge you in positive ways. Therefore, I have always dressed in a professional manner and addressed/spoken to staff in a respectful manner. During my second and third stage, I also developed this competency as I emphasized and made a speech in my classrooms about the importance of respecting me as the teacher but even more importantly, respecting each other. I created an environment that was conducive for the creation of a relationship of trust. Throughout my final internship, I remained receptive, open, and respectful of all the staff and community members as I knew that I had much to learn as a non-indigenous person entering the community and school.
Artifacts
I started my fourth field experience right before pink shirt day and as such, spent the entirety of my placement emphasizing the importance of kindness and respect towards everyone we encounter. In this picture, I am showing students to be the I in kind while wearing the sweater with the word “Ulm’tu” which is migmaq for “be kind”. As a was teaching grade 1, whenever a situation would arise that involved bullying or disrespectful behaviors, I would be sure to speak with the students involved or to the entire class and explain the reasons why that type of behavior is never appropriate.
During my fourth field placement, the teachers all received a book called “The Train” or “Ga’s” in migmaq. This is a book about the survivors of residential schools, how much they have lost and how they are waiting their cultural identities to come back to them. This book is written in both English and Migmaq. I felt that it was very important to show the students that, although I do not share the same history as them, that I respect and understand where it is that their families are coming from and that I know they are still dealing with the trauma of it all. Therefore, I took the time to read the story with my students as a way to demonstrate all of this.
Fishermen and fisherwomen send off song
During my final internship, it was very important for me to build a relationship of trust while showcasing that I am open and receptive to learning and understanding their culture. Therefore, I made sure to take part in every activity that the school staff and community invited me to participate in. I went to see the snow sculptures being built to honor the ancestors and the 4 directions. I heard elders tell their stories and sing
their sacred songs. I went to gather sap from maple trees to make maple syrup as this is a tradition the community has had for years (trading with the early settlers). I also had the great opportunity to do smudging to clear my mind, heart, eyes, ears, and body. Finally, I was able to attend the fishermen and fisherwomen send off during which time I heard of the stories of the sea and of what the white man has taken from them. All of these experiences allowed for me to better understand my students and their culture so as to be a better teacher for them.
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