In this article, veteran educator James Mattiace explores the importance of practising the values you preach to model and establish this behaviour for your school community.
...'“Do what I say, and not what I do” doesn’t work when everyone’s actions are public and highly visible.'
Educators know they are under a constant microscope; from their personal appearance to decisions they make in their private lives - students notice what they do. Add to that, there is a world of adults, colleagues and parents, who are also taking note of things educators say, joke or gossip about, and most importantly, do.
Schools have served as a values' inculcator and incubator for more than two centuries. Whether it is the values of the state, the parent community, or an external school of thought, every school preaches some form of values. These can range from extreme patriotism and nationalism to pacifism and civil disobedience. However, much closer to the universal moderate center are values like being a positive member of one’s community, taking personal responsibility for one’s actions, being a kind person, and helping others.
Combining the two then enters the borderlands of potential hypocrisy when the preacher of the values is not also a practitioner of those same values in their adult life. Albeit, that ability, in our modern capitalist society, is often constrained by factors beyond the consumer’s immediate control such as car-centric municipal infrastructure and government-subsidized processed foods with a high carbon footprint. For international educators living in less economically developed countries, the choices may be even more limited due to economic colonialism.
That doesn’t mean educators abdicate their individual responsibility. It means they choose the least harmful options in transportation, housing, the food they eat, and what they buy from whom while fighting for more and better options. The old “do what I say, and not what I do” model doesn’t work when everyone’s actions are public and highly visible. Even more to the point, living the values that the overwhelming majority of schools promote can further help to instill those values in students and the community.
Here are things educators do when trying to practice what they preach.
When teaching students to be conscientious consumers, they also:
- Shop locally owned and not in Big Box corporate chains (i.e. Wal-Mart, Costco, IKEA etc);
- Support “Sweatshop-Free” businesses;
- Buy secondhand when possible;
- Seek products made from recycled materials;
- Buy books from local independent booksellers or used bookstores (or better yet, use the library);
- Find alternatives to giving students fast food as a reward;
- Shop at places that haven’t made offensive political statements or donations;
- Support local coffee shops (not Starbucks or Dunkin’) and have a reusable mug;
- Investigate the sourcing of all fundraiser materials such as chocolates, flowers, t-shirts etc;
- Think “Will I wear this at least 30 times?" before buying something new.
When teaching students not to make a mess and clean up after themselves, they also:
- Have a BPA-free reusable water bottle that they carry with them at all times;
- Find alternatives to latex balloons and glitter;
- Bring their own bags to the store, and avoid anything disposable (plates, forks etc.);
- Get their takeout in biodegradable containers and actively reject styrofoam;
- Print double-sided or on GOOS (Good On One Side, already printed on) paper;
- Source post consumer waste recycled paper for copiers;
- Support farm-to-table or CSA options to keep local farmers afloat;
- Implement Meatless Mondays to cut back on beef consumption if they aren’t already vegetarian;
- Edit classroom supply lists for items that can be reusable and/or won’t break easily.
When teaching students to be positive members of their community or not to bully, they also:
- Reconsider all of those phrases we grew up saying, that actually have a hurtful history, and stop saying them;
- Never use gay, retarded, gypped, or "girl" push-ups etc in any derogatory way;
- Are respectful of students’ and colleagues’ pronoun and name choices without judgement;
- Actively break down gender stereotypes and model gender neutrality when assigning tasks or modeling behavior;
- Listen to women who say they are feeling unsafe;
- Point out and work against legislation/policies that targets our most vulnerable students;
- Support all legislation that promotes equality and breaks down barriers to achieving equality in races, gender, ethnicity, class, and identity;
- Oppose legislation that targets their female colleagues;
- Support picket lines of other workers.
When teaching students to understand their cultural context, they also:
- Make honest and genuine indigenous land acknowledgments when possible;
- Acknowledge if they benefited in society from their skin color, gender, sexuality, or family lineage;
- Seek to find groupings where everyone doesn’t resemble them;
- If disenfranchised people/groups have decided something is offensive to them, they acknowledge it.
It is time for all educators to heed their own lessons
It might appear to some that these come from the “woke” playlist or a liberal fantasy world; the reality is that these are the values we actually teach in schools. We teach and encourage students to be good citizens, to be mindful and respectful of others, to clean up after themselves, and that environmental stressors are real. It is time for all educators to heed their own lessons. These examples of what others do might be useful for those wondering how to align what they preach with what they practice to the best of their ability.
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