Global ethics is more than stuff for lessons!
On the road to a new school culture, to a school ethos.

The global ethic idea stands for elementary, binding rules for getting on with each other – not in questions of detail, but rather by way of fundamental attitudes. In this way, it is possible to discover values and norms that hold in school as well, indeed for all aspects of school life.
 

• An ethos for students, i.e. a classroom ethic
• An ethos for teachers
• An ethos for the school as a whole

In class: An ethos for students, a classroom ethos
 

• Classroom rules are to be worked out by the students themselves and put up for discussion, for example by answering the following questions:

“How would I like to have us deal with each other in class?”
“What means fair-play in class?”
“What do we as a class expect from our teachers?”

• Rules that everyone, including the teachers, agree upon can be declared binding. They should then be posted in the classroom to be visible for all.

• Violations of the rules should be discussed by trained referees or by the class as a whole, in order to resolve the conflict and eventually to punish the violators.
 

Example of classroom rules [show]
Example of rules for the teachers [show]

Classroom rules

1. I have a right to express my own ideas and to ask questions.
2. I have a right to be heard.
3. I can speak up immediately, when I am bothered by others.
4. I should show consideration for everyone else in the class.
5. I have a right to express my worries and my concerns.
6. I should talk about others only in their presence.
7. I can tell everybody what I think, but only in a way that is acceptable for that person.
8. I should do my best to cultivate a pleasant and friendly atmosphere.
 
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Fair-play in class: Rules for the teacher

1. Don't take it out on us, when you are in a bad mood.
2. When one of us is speaking, don't interrupt; let us have our say, even when it is unpleasant.
3. Take all our questions seriously, even those that seem funny or stupid.
4. Treat us as fairly and as nicely as you would like to be treated by us.
5. Help us to see clearly the consequences of our actions. In the process of growing up we sometimes have to make unpleasant and painful experiences. By being consistent, you let us know how things stand.
6. Don't think it's beneath your dignity to ask our pardon, when you have made a mistake. By excusing yourself you don't lose our respect instead you gain it.
7. In a conflict with an individual student, do not reprimand him or her before the whole class, if this can be avoided. A reprimand in private will be more effective.
8. Set us a good example yourself, when you want something from us. That makes it easier for us to comply.
9. It would be good of you to give us praise now and again.
10. Give us your best, without pretending to be infallible.
Then we will also try to do our best.

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In the teaching staff: “An ethic for leaders”

Children and adolescents need convincing role-models, credible authorities, who not only communicate values in their teaching, but also "live them out" in their daily lives.

In the teachers' conference, teachers need to ask these or similar questions:
• “What do the students mean to us?”
• “How do we apprehend the students' needs?”
• “With what expectations, conscious or unconscious, do we meet them?”

The teaching body needs to be aware that as a group they have a common responsibility for maintaining a good atmosphere, not only among themselves but also towards the students.
 
Example: Guiding principles for the staff of a school in Berlin [show]

“What do the students mean to us?”
 
1. The students are the most important persons in our school.
2. The students do not depend upon us; we depend upon them.
3. The students are not an annoyance; they are the purpose of our work.
4. We are not doing the students a favour, when we teach them; on the contrary, they do us a favour in giving us the opportunity to teach them.
5. The students are not there for us to fight with them or to impose our views on them.
6. No one has ever profited from a quarrel with a student.
7. A student is a human being who comes to us with his/her own needs. It is our task to fulfil these needs to his/her advantage and to our own.
8. We are successful, when we treat the students as our most important co-workers.

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In the school: A school ethic
 

For the schools, it is increasingly important to develop a clear profile and to find answers to questions like:
“Who are we at this school?”
“How should we deal with each other?”
“What are we aiming for, what kind of students?”

• A school ethic is the attempt to formulate the ground rules for living and working together as students, teachers, staff persons and parents. A school ethic is a voluntary commitment in which all take part.
• Working out a school ethic requires much time; it can easily take a year or two to draw up.
• The working-up process should be coordinated by a steering committee in which all concerned are represented.
• The realization of a school ethic requires a lot of persuasive work. To insure better realization and to resolve conflicts, it is well to set up an observance committee of teachers and students.
• The school ethos can take the form of a written agreement, which each new teacher, student, and parent must sign upon joining the school.

 
pdf  “Example for a school ethic”