[INTEGRITY AND ITS IMPORTANCE

TO TEACHER AS AN EDUCATOR

EDU 630
[PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT]

Integrity, the antonym for the word is dishonesty and the synonym is honour. This paints a
fairly clear picture within these two words. Honesty is a pure ethical principle through
which a person can earn respect and honour. Respect and honour from others helps build
lasting personal and business relationships, which leads to long-term success. Ethics and
success are deeply linked. Ethics are the foundation on which long-term success is built.
Integrity is defined as the adherence to moral and ethical principles.
People can gain power quickly and easily if they are willing to cut corners and act without
the constraints of morality. Dishonesty may provide instant gratification in the moment but
it will never last. I can think of several examples of people without integrity who are
successful and who win without ever getting caught, which creates a false perception of the
path to success that one should follow. After all, each person in the examples above could
have gained the result they wanted in the moment, but unfortunately, that momentary result
comes at an incredibly high price with far reaching consequences. That person has lost their
ability to be trusted as a person of integrity, which is the most valuable quality anyone can
have in their life.
Every one person who trusts you will spread the word of that trust to at least a few of their
associates, and word of your character will spread like wildfire. The value of the trust others
have in you is far beyond anything that can be measured. For entrepreneurs it means
investors that are willing to trust them with their money. For employees it means a manager
or a boss that is willing to trust them with additional responsibility and growth
opportunities.

|PHYSICAL HEALTH AND EDUCATION [ED226]

[INTEGRITY AND ITS IMPORTANCE

TO TEACHER AS AN EDUCATOR

EDU 630
[PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT]

For companies it means customers that trust giving them more and more business. For you
it means having an army of people that are willing to go the extra mile to help you because
they know that recommending you to others will never bring damage to their own
reputation of integrity. Yes, the value of the trust others have in you goes beyond anything
that can be measured because it brings along with it limitless opportunities and endless
possibilities.
Avoid those who are not trustworthy. Do not do business with them. Do not associate with
them. Do not make excuses for them. Do not allow yourself to get enticed into believing
that while they may be dishonest with others, they would never be dishonest with me. If
someone is dishonest in any aspect of his life you can be guaranteed that he will be
dishonest in many aspects of his life. You cannot dismiss even those little acts of dishonesty,
such as the person who takes two newspapers from the stand when they paid for only one.
After all, if a person cannot be trusted in the simplest matters of honesty.
It is important to realize that others pay attention to those you have chosen to associate with,
and they will inevitably judge your character by the character of your friends. It is best
explained by a quote from the wise that is reminding me to be careful of dealing with
people. When you lie down with dogs you get fleas. Inevitably we become more and
more like the people we surround ourselves with day to day. If we surround ourselves with
people who are dishonest and willing to cut corners to get ahead, then we will surely find
ourselves following a pattern of first enduring their behaviour, then accepting their
behaviour, and finally adopting their behaviour. If you want to build a reputation as a person
of integrity then surround yourself with people of integrity.

|PHYSICAL HEALTH AND EDUCATION [ED226]

[INTEGRITY AND ITS IMPORTANCE

TO TEACHER AS AN EDUCATOR

EDU 630
[PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT]

In the context of education, there is a question of whether teachers have integrity rest upon
the evaluation of each teacher. While there are great teachers there are also others who
either do not have the capability to communicate to their students in the way they should.
The teaching profession is no different than any other occupation. There are those that do a
great job, those that do an average job and those that do a poor job.
Integrity liberates teachers and learners from slavery to popular ideologies that often turn
out to be harmful to humanity. There may be popular ideas among teachers and students on
how to deal with specific challenges. Integrity, a distinct mark of full humanity, encourages
the harmonisation of thought and action. Integrity, although exercised in particular
situations, takes into account the grand goal of human flourishing. Although integrity
involves discerning, holding on to and acting on what is admirable, teachers and learners of
integrity are flexible and incorporate failure in their worldviews.
As noted above, persons of integrity may act immorally as a result of mistaken moral
beliefs. It is in this context that integrity demands both teachers and learners to be open to
criticism, participate in discussions, and adopt well negotiated and thought out positions. A
teacher or learner of integrity is a team member who has a genuine willingness to learn and
practice what is virtuous. He or she is aware of the tentative character of knowledge, and the
need to adjust views considering new evidence.
The major goal of virtue ethics theory is that of improving the self which in turn determines
the improvement of the larger community. Integrity is also central to the moral standing of
educational institutions. A good educational institution is not that which conforms to some
pre-set moral standards, but one populated by admirable people and one in which admirable
people make decisions.

|PHYSICAL HEALTH AND EDUCATION [ED226]

[INTEGRITY AND ITS IMPORTANCE

TO TEACHER AS AN EDUCATOR

EDU 630
[PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT]

Virtue ethics does not set ethical principles to adhere to, but demands the development of
some desirable qualities, dispositions or virtues in the person who performs particular acts.
Development of these character traits or virtues that culminate in integrity would guarantee
actions that reflect those qualities. Considering Solomon's view of integrity as an
encapsulation of virtues, integral personalities do not exhibit a single virtue but a unity of
virtues.
The level of integrity in the way teachers teach has an impact on the quality of education
being provided. The future leaders of our country deserve to have a quality education. Part
of recognizing whether teachers have integrity comes from the qualifications and/or
experience a teacher may have for the subjects being taught. Having the qualifications
and/or experience related to a specific subject for which, they are assigned is only one part
of the criteria to measure the integrity of a teacher. Teachers must be able to communicate
their knowledge of their subjects or the integrity and quality of the results.
In teaching, we should aim to create a positive atmosphere and avoid teaching in a
mechanical way which students sense the attitude of the teacher towards their task as a
teacher and, directly or indirectly, towards themselves as students. Any lack of interest or
commitment reasonably can be seen as a lack of interest in the student as a student, with the
inevitable effect of a barrier developing between teacher and student. Teachers should
avoid the idea that their teaching is no more than a type of practical training or informationcollecting exercise, where broader issues such as intellectual and moral integrity need not
impinge.

|PHYSICAL HEALTH AND EDUCATION [ED226]

[INTEGRITY AND ITS IMPORTANCE

TO TEACHER AS AN EDUCATOR

EDU 630
[PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT]

Where possible, the teacher will involve students in learning as a shared task and will treat
all students as being potential contributors to this task for in the teacher's interaction with
students, the abilities of the students should be relevant only in so far as these affect what it
is suitable for the teacher to teach and for students to learn.
Teachers sometimes are assigned subjects for which, they have no degree or experience in
which to teach it utilizing integrity principles and quality. Sometimes this occurs as a result
of not enough teachers with the right credentials to teach specific subjects. If a teacher does
not possess the knowledge or experience for a subject they are assigned to teach, they
should respectfully refuse to teach it. Those teachers that make this kind of decision in my
opinion have integrity. I have a high regard for teachers and they should not be forced to
teach subjects that their degrees or experiences do not provide adequate resources. For
example, if the teacher has a degree in mathematics education, he/she cannot teach Physical
Health Education subject.
Teachers must also provide a connection from the classroom to the application of the
subject to society. This adds another element of integrity within the classroom for any
subject. It is important to show any student how the subject connects with the needs of
private industry. This will not only enhance the quality of the learning process for the
subject but will increase active participation of the students in the class.
When I was in secondary school, I felt that I was mistreated as a student. I was one of the
kids who always break the rules, one of the ones who liked to cause trouble. I also adhered
to what the media taught me about school being boring and my teachers being stuffy fools
who needed to get a life. I saw school as a prison that held me back from experiencing life.

|PHYSICAL HEALTH AND EDUCATION [ED226]

[INTEGRITY AND ITS IMPORTANCE

TO TEACHER AS AN EDUCATOR

EDU 630
[PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT]

As I matured, I found out the hard way that I was wrong. I had issues in my life that kept
me from being mature enough to see the benefits of having an institution whose sole
purpose was to offer me a foundation of knowledge that would help me succeed in life.
Though school offered me many good opportunities, I could not see past my negative
experiences to reap the benefits. It was not until before I passed the SPM and learned about
education in the faculty of education. This is at the essence of my heart as an educator to be.
I hope to reach the students who are like I used to be, I hope to put some concrete meaning
and purpose into their lives. I want to make my class a life experience rather than something
students just have to wait through to get on with life. I know it is easier said than done.
School should be a life experience in itself, not just a training ground. There are many
aspects of an effective classroom. Teachers should seek to know their subjects as thoroughly
as possible. In order to motivate their students they should try to make their subjects relative
to what students are interested in on their own time, and they should use every opportunity
to show students how important the skills being taught are in life.
Without taking away from learning, they should try to make it fun. How this will become
manifested depends on the subject and the teachers own personality, but school does not
have to be boring all the time. However, even if a teacher has come up with the most
creatively fun and productive activities, it does not mean anything if he cannot maintain a
positive learning environment in which the students are willing to put in their own work and
do the activities that are not always entertaining.

|PHYSICAL HEALTH AND EDUCATION [ED226]

[INTEGRITY AND ITS IMPORTANCE

TO TEACHER AS AN EDUCATOR

EDU 630
[PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT]

In my opinion, the most important step in creating an effective learning environment is to

establish trust. There are many ways to do this, but first you have to become a person of
integrity, to be consistent in your actions. A teacher who will make clear boundaries and
stick to them will give their students a sense of security in knowing what consequences to
expect from their actions whether positive or negative.
However, there must be an awareness of the individual as well. A teacher must take into
account the circumstances of every situation and try to be aware of when they need to be
flexible. Each person is different, what works for one student might not work for another, it
is important to find out what works best for the individual, especially in matters of
discipline.
In most cases, if a teacher truly seeks to respect his/her students and see them as people,
they will sense this. Just like everyone else, a teachers actions reveal his/her heart.
However it is difficult for some kids to receive even a positive response from someone in
authority, so it is important to become skilful in language that shows the students teachers
are for them and want to see them succeed. The language that teachers use should always be
in a loving and self-controlled manner that provides respect. Of course, once a teacher
develops a rapport with students and gets to know them individually, he/she can often use
humour or sarcasm to push them in the right direction. But this is only after a measure of
trust has been established, and the teacher truly knows the student.
In striving for integrity in teaching, the teacher may need to completely re-examine how to
think about the material that he or she teaches. The accessibility to students is important,
because by presenting important concepts in new ways it can be made possible for students
to present these ideas themselves, in class, as part of the teaching program.
|PHYSICAL HEALTH AND EDUCATION [ED226]

[INTEGRITY AND ITS IMPORTANCE

TO TEACHER AS AN EDUCATOR

EDU 630
[PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT]

With this approach, the student becomes a teacher, and it is one way in which learning can
become an explicit mutual task for the teacher and student, and a shared task for the class as
a whole. For the teacher wishing to promote intellectual integrity in the sense in which the
term is used here, such possibilities must be actively sought, but the attempt to then realize
the possibility as an actuality may require a great deal of fundamental rethinking of the
basic logical and scientific framework.
Teachers should also seek to show students that even the negative consequences of their
actions are intended to push the student to learn to make positive choices which will result
in an overall higher quality of life. I like the Love and Logic theory of discipline. Love
and Logic does not take away the students power of choice. In a time when adolescents are
testing their boundaries and learning to become more autonomous, it is important to give
them this sort of control over their lives.
When students are given a choice in their actions and an understanding of the consequence
students will learn they are responsible for their actions, and will pay the consequence,
whether positive or negative, of the choice they make. It helps them to own their decisions
and their consequences, both positive and negative.
With guidance and direction from positive adults, students can learn to see the good results
of their positive choices and eventually begin to develop higher self-esteem. A higher selfesteem will give students the confidence of an I can attitude. Once the child believes in
him/herself, the hardest battle has been won. Again, easier said than done, but I have seen
this principle work in real life.

|PHYSICAL HEALTH AND EDUCATION [ED226]

[INTEGRITY AND ITS IMPORTANCE

TO TEACHER AS AN EDUCATOR

EDU 630
[PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT]

Under no circumstances should a teacher ever put down a child or make them feel less
intelligent, yet I also am against giving students praise for something they do not deserve.
This can be even more damaging in the long wrong. A child with a false sense of
accomplishment can become discouraged and even devastated later in life to find out he/she
does not have the skills necessary to move ahead.
It is important to keep it real with your students. Honesty with tactfulness and respect goes a
long way. We need to meet our students where they are. If we give them positive
encouragement and confidence in their abilities to gain the skills needed for success, then
they can move up and progress at their own pace, seeing their growth and accomplishments
in a substantial way.
Another way that can help teachers gain the trust of their students is to be available for them
outside of the scheduled class time. I do not mean teachers should hand out their phone
number to students, and I do not think teachers should be friends to their students in the
sense of buddies. It is important to be a professional first and to draw the line if you sense
a student getting too comfortable in their relationship with you, for reasons concerning the
respect of authority, as well as possible legal ramifications. But a teacher should never be
this unapproachable person that students are afraid of.
Teachers should take an interest in their students personal lives; they should ask them how
they are doing on a regular basis. It does not take much for a teacher to show they care.
Teachers should also let students see who they are as individuals. They should talk about
themselves, their personal interests and how the weekend went. If students can see that
teachers are real people too, they will be able to relate to them better. If teachers took the

|PHYSICAL HEALTH AND EDUCATION [ED226]

[INTEGRITY AND ITS IMPORTANCE

TO TEACHER AS AN EDUCATOR

EDU 630
[PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT]

time to show students they really do care, students will tend to care back and work harder in
class.
These have been just a few ways to show integrity to students. No person is perfect, even
teachers, but trying to teach with integrity will go a long way in gaining the students
respect. Being real, being someone who cares, and being someone who can be trusted is
being a person who is respected. When teachers gain the respect of their students, behaviour
problems will be greatly minimized and students may get interested in learning just because
they like the teacher.
Of course there are many other factors that go into learning, but once there is a manageable
classroom, there is more time and opportunity to present the material and teach the skills
that students will need to move up and be successful in their lives, and there is greater
opportunity to offer them a life experience to grow and become more than what they were
before they entered the classroom.
To summarize the integrity of teachers is measured not only how they teach but their
qualifications and experience to teach specific subjects. Teachers should never be assigned
to teach subjects for which they are not qualified or comfortable in teaching a subject. If
qualified teachers for specific subjects are not available, then it is the responsibility of those
in school administration to make sure the training and resources are provided. This applies
to private industry in addition to our public and private schools systems across the country.
Teachers in private industry typically have the knowledge and/or experience for subjects
they teach but if they lack any training or experience it needs to be provided.

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10

[INTEGRITY AND ITS IMPORTANCE

TO TEACHER AS AN EDUCATOR

EDU 630
[PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT]

|PHYSICAL HEALTH AND EDUCATION [ED226]

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