My Thoughts on the OCT Standards of Practice

As a governing framework for our profession, the standards of practice form the foundation of, and are the on-going sounding block for my teaching; they guide my decisions and inform my daily practice. With that said, I am torn between defining the standards as ‘goals’ for my practice, and as ‘rules’. I guess the difference lies in whether a teacher is proactively pursuing the standards, or if there is a reactive (read: disciplinary) response to their practice.

The ideals of the standards certainly resonate with my values as a teacher. This is logical because I find they speak more to foundational beliefs - I find it hard to disagree with creating a “safe and supportive learning communit[y]” - than to the ‘how’ of day-to-day teaching, which is where we see the triumphs and struggles of teaching. If the standards were to be more explicit in their definitions - what is caring? when is a teacher committed ‘enough’ to students? how current does a teacher’s practice have to be? - I may find that my beliefs do not match as well with these guidelines.

I believe all of the standards are relevant to teaching and learning, possibly more so now in the 21st century classroom than ever before. As our definition of the role of the teacher changes, and we see more “shared responsibilities and . . . leadership roles” between teacher and student, these become more important. We cannot have a teaching-learning partnership with care and commitment for our students, and our students must see that we care, respect, trust them, and act with integrity, in order to make this new learning possible.

When it comes to promoting innovation and risk-taking, I believe the standards are neutral; they do not promote it, nor do they obstruct it. While the professional knowledge section encourages teachers to be current in their practice, concerns for safety and appropriateness may hinder certain types of change. I believe the role of the standards is more to create a critical awareness about teaching as we continue to learn. If our intended plan upholds the values in the standards, then it may be worth pursuing.

Having just graduated from Teachers’ College, I feel I have been inundated with professional knowledge and learning for the past 5 years. Now that it’s time to start my professional practice, I’m concerned for my ability to bridge theory and application. I’m ‘qualified’, I should know how - but I don’t know that for certain. I believe I know the concepts, but I want to be able to facilitate my students’ understanding, not simply impart my knowledge of the ‘right’ answers. I don’t know that I’m ready to “share[] responsibility and leadership” yet. I know I struggle with forming relationships, but I recognize how important this is to a productive classroom. Perhaps most of all, I’m afraid I may have been better suited to teaching 50 years ago rather than in the 21st century.