Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Community-Based Group:
Jessica
Lace
Kelly
Marsha
University of Calgary
hoping to spend our teaching careers working in those communities, we are extremely
aware of the unique dynamics that arise for teachers in rural settings. We see that it is
not uncommon for teachers to have valid and important reasons to engage with their
students after school hours in a way that is different than city teachers, such as
This overlap continues to develop because a teacher’s students are also their children’s
friends, and following school hours, they are often in the homes, cars, and even the
experience that these extending relationships provide many benefits to small-town life.
multifaceted entity and an intrinsic part of the society. Therefore, they are afforded more
understanding and grace in times of ethical misunderstandings. We will argue that the
reaction of the community toward a teacher’s behaviour after school hours and off
school premises is more tolerant in a rural community, that you are treated as part of an
“I-Thou” relationship instead of an “I-it”, and that virtue ethic are shared between the
It seems to be the common conclusion that the intrusion into your personal life in
a rural community is to be feared, and that the narrow-minded people who live in these
communities are unwilling to accept or tolerate any behaviour that is perceived to be
questionable. In a rural community it is common that people are related, life-long friends
may fear this kind of transparency and involvement with their students and their families
after hours, but in our communities this degree of interaction is normal and valued.
People who live in rural communities are invested in the relationships that come from
the unique situation of living so closely together, and, therefore, we feel that there is a
higher level of tolerance and problem solving instead of the perceived higher level of
narrow-mindedness that most would presume. For example, a simple hug with a
student in a small- town school would not warrant a call to the police, but the same act
may be questioned or have legal implications in an urban school. We feel that the
child’s parents would call for clarification first, or that this type of interaction between a
teacher and a student would not even be noticed. Of course, teachers in rural
communities are not immune to ethical issues entirely, but the possibility of a
through the lens of Buber’s “I-it and I-thou” theory. Buber states that the “I-it”
relationship comes into play when a leader places more value on oneself and less on
others, whereas the “I-thou” theory states the opposite approach, where leaders are
less egocentric and treat their fellow man with greater dignity and respect. We feel that
the “I-thou” dynamic is more present in rural communities and therefore, both the ethical
choices of small-town teachers and the possible repercussions of their actions would be
dealt with in a more forgiving fashion. “In other words, when making ethical choices a
leader ought to be committed to experiencing relationships where the goal is described
in terms of mutual wins, growth and appreciation” (Walker & Donlevy, 2005, p.16). City
teachers, or teachers that commute to communities for their profession may be seen as
one-dimensional “it” beings by both their students and the parents of their students, as
they do not fill any other roles within their teaching communities. Rural teachers, on the
other hand, have more investment in their community, and as such are valued in a
“thou” capacity. There is a special unspoken comradery in small towns which affords its
teachers special privileges, like the right to have a life outside of school walls in a
greater capacity than non-community teaching professionals. But, this requires earning
the trust of community members, and navigating accordingly to not break this trust.
Rural teachers have special insight regarding what is accepted or taboo within their
communities, as they know and understand the types of people that inhabit their small
towns. This knowledge allows them to avoid the types of conduct that would be
considered questionable or immoral. In contrast, city teachers may not have the same
insights regarding what’s right and wrong in the communities they serve, and their
involvement in an ethical issue may become exaggerated, which in turn could risk their
Our argument is highly dependent on virtue ethics from both the teacher and
community perspective. Due to the fact that everyone within a small town is cognizant of
being judged, most people adopt a belief of practical wisdom, which helps them to
consider all of the consequences to their actions before they act on them. We believe
that rural communities would adopt the “golden rule” principle when dealing with matters
involving a teacher’s private life, and likewise, most teachers would conform to this
virtue ethic as well. Teachers are aware that the likelihood of encountering parents and
present themselves as role models, in that they will not risk the possibility of becoming
an ineffectual teacher. Thus, their conduct wouldn’t even raise the eyebrows of school
officials or affect their professional duty or ability in the classroom. Even when parents
in a small town do criticize teachers’ public behaviour, most often “parental criticism [is
not] an automatic trigger for adverse employment action against teachers” (DeMitchell,
2011, pg.338).
Obviously, this tolerance has limits and rural teachers who cross the boundary
explains, “as expectations for students to be more moral continue to rise, there may be
an increasing desire to evaluate the character of those who teach it” (pg.271). When the
such as engaging in conduct that is prohibited within your morality clause or behaviour
that is illegal, members of the community have every right to call for disciplinary action.
But, minor ‘immorality’ offences are often subjective and as Assistant Superintendent
Allen Davidson explains, the way you deal with a faux pas speaks to your character and
may ultimately save your job: “own your mistakes when you make them, as this goes a
how advantaged we feel about our prospects of teaching in rural Alberta. We reiterate
our feelings that small towns are more supportive and accepting than they are intrusive,
and that other teachers should covet this special experience. It is inevitable that
teachers and students will encounter each other many times outside of school hours.
Rather than stress over these encounters, this paper encourages teachers to embrace
these interactions.
References
Davidson, A. (2018). Ethics and Law Presentation. University of Calgary. July 18, 2018.
DeMitchell, T.A. (2011). “Immorality, Teacher Private Conduct, and Adverse Notoriety:
339
Fulmer, J. (2002). Dismissing the immoral teacher for conduct outside the workplace –
Do current laws protect the interests of both school authorities and teachers?