Which is that one thing that lets you sleep peacefully with no regrets, no grudges at heart? Of course, that one most important thing is HONESTY. It is one quality which everyone admires, which everyone wants to see in others.
Staying truthful to self and others, not cheating self and others is what is called being honest. Honesty strengthens relationships. Our dear ones love the truth we carry with us. Relations never demand us to be fake, and honesty brings out the real us. Specially in classroom scenario, we as teachers have more responsibility on our shoulders to instill this value in our students as we seek to prepare global people with confidence, character and communication. Undoubtedly character comprises of honesty, integrity and trust .
How do children learn to be honest, respect societal norms, and act in ways consistent with the values, beliefs, and moral principles they claim to hold? How do we as teachers can instill and reinforce these virtues in them.
Children are not born with integrity or the behaviors we associate with it, like honesty, honor, respect, social responsibility, and the courage to stand up for what they believe is right. It is derived through a process of cultural socialization — influences from all spheres of a child’s life. Most importantly, the school, in their school environments, students acquires these values and behaviors from adult role models who are none other than we the teachers .When students learn integrity in classroom settings, it helps them apply similar principles to other aspects of their lives.
Academic curriculum needs to be constantly updated to incorporate these values .
5 Ways to Increase Student Integrity
- Infuse integrity into the classroom culture We need to make integrity the norm in our classrooms in several important ways. If students have only grades to measure themselves, then cheating is often a justifiable strategy to beat the system. If students are also rewarded for their courage, hard work, determination, and respect for classmates, they see and understand that the process of learning comes first. This kind of culture fosters integrity.
- The five fundamental values of academic integrity are:
- Responsibility
- Respect
- Fairness
- Trustworthiness
- Honesty
incorporate the teaching of these five values into our curriculum and help students use the vocabulary in the classroom. we can ask students to find examples of individuals stood up for their beliefs and values.
- Respond appropriately when cheating occurs.
While we cannot control student behavior completely we can respond with consistency .Listen and show respect for their thinking, and then state our expectations that dishonesty is never acceptable in our classroom.
- Use quotes to ignite meaningful conversations.
Famous quotes can be used as class starters, prompting students to reflect on topics related to integrity, moral development.
- Help students believe in themselves.
Students who stand up for principles in which they believe have high degrees of self-efficacy We as teachers need to
- Be Passionate for teaching
- Model a clear set of values and acting in way that supports these values.
- Commitment to give our time
- Have Selflessness
- Overcome obstacles and show students that success is possible
When young people learn to believe in themselves, dishonesty and disrespect no longer make much sense. Living with integrity becomes a way of life.
Poornima K