Trust in Education

#UKEdChat session 597
Trust in teachers may be high, but there is always room for improvement
Trust is the bedrock of education.
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The question of trust is in the news, as leading politicians in the UK have been criminally charged by the police. Cynics may say that misleading the public is what should be expected from politicians. Others would say that we should expect more from those who wish to govern.

This does allow us to reflect on how ‘civilians’ outside of the teaching profession view educators, whether that is warranted, and how to improve the levels of trust in the profession if it is found to be lacking. After all, parents and guardians are in trusting us with their children every day and expecting us to do our best to help them progress.

In this #UKEdChat session, which took place on Thursday 14th April 2022 at 8pm(UK), we discussed how trusted teachers feel by the community, society at large, by political leaders, by colleagues, and what can be done to improve trust in teachers, schools and the whole education project in general.

Questions
1. In society in general, do you think teachers enjoy a high level of trust? Why (not)?
2. Even if you feel teachers are trusted in society, how can the profession improve the trust in teachers?
3. Do you feel trusted by colleagues? Why (not)?
4. How do teachers earn (or lose) the trust of colleagues when new to a school?
5. Do you think teachers are trusted by political leaders? Why (not)?
6. How can trust be improved between teachers and political leaders?
7. How do you gain the trust of your learners when you are new to them?
8. How much do you think trust is part of the educational process?