I got thinking about the hat policy and what it means to students. The policy has been handed down from generations of teachers but what does it mean for the students? "Back in the day" removing a hat was second nature when walking into a building, speaking to someone in a position of authority, before a meal, etc... Although I do still think that there are times when a hat should be removed, I think that there is a bit of a disconnect with what the hat means to people of an older generation vs. today's youth. If you are to ask a student today what wearing a hat represents to them, most of their answers revolve around fashion, team support, or comfort. The hat has little representation of respect to the students. They understand that when the national anthem is playing that a hat should be removed as a sign of respect but that is about as far as the connection goes. So if there is this disconnect, why do we persist on asking students to remove their hats?
As a young teacher, I am just starting to develop what my values are and what is important to me as a teacher. Delivering curriculum is my professional obligation, but I do think mutual respect among students is vital to character education. I have felt some pressure from the more experienced teachers to have my students remove their hats in my classroom. But I ask myself, is this really teaching respect or is this simply training them to remove their hat? I have a hard time seeing how the hat is impeding the learning in my classroom therefore, I allow students to wear their hats. This isn't an act of spite or disregard of respect, I simply see other ways to address the issue. If a student feels more comfortable with a hat, I will allow it.
I think that if our goal with the hat policy is respect we need to look at what respect means to the students. There are many other ways that we can teach the value of mutual respect to students. With digital media and social networking permeating throughout society, digital citizenship is becoming exceedingly more important. Incorporating collaboration through the use of technology in the classroom can help with this lesson on respect. Having the students work with each other and respect each other online is a vital skill that students need in order to succeed in today's society. I think that teaching respect in this manner is far more relevant to students than removing a hat.
There is a theory that was presented to me by a veteran teacher that I don't necessarily disagree with, but I think that it needs to have a different angle added. The theory is: Veteran teachers have been teaching for long enough that they don't need to wrestle with curriculum or lesson planning etc... These teachers have more time to "take issue" with character development. Although I do think that this is true to an extent, I'd also argue that new teachers also value character development but that we may approach it in a different manner. I also think that what a teacher takes "issue" with depends on their values.
This debate has been an area of professional growth for me. It has been very interesting to hear my colleagues opinions on the matter and I now understand more of where they are coming from with the character development in their classroom. There has been an interesting development among the staff because having this discussion about hats has unintentionally led staff to a better understanding of each other and increased mutual respect. It has been reiterated to me the importance of COMMUNICATION and respect. I think that if we as teachers feel that a hat is a sign of respect that we need to explicitly state that to our students so that they know what the hat symbolizes to us as educators. It has been a valuable discussion to have.