Teachers should give students the opportunity to learn about values and ethics and how to make decisions, weighing up consequences and considering the effects on other people.

Because teachers have students for 6 hours a day, I feel that it is a necessary part of teaching to encourage and facilitate behaviour that is conducive to a learning environment. After all, with 30 students in a class, there has to be a fair degree of control and consideration for the learning of others.

I am a student teacher (3rd year at uni) and we have completed courses in psychology, behaviour management and values & ethics. In my opinion, teaching a student to make choices and consider consequences as well as behave in acceptable ways is just as important as teaching them Maths, English, Science etc. They are life long skills that will stand the student in good stead as he/she reaches maturity and beyond.

At the same time we need to guide the students in terms of right and wrong as well as their behaviour. Some very difficult students have undergone drastic changes with proper guidance by teachers. The teacher need not be a ‘ spare the rod and spoil the child’ type. Those days are long gone. Friendly nature of teachers can influence the students to a large extent. Of course,some cases need the help of specially trained counsellors. The word teacher should not be restricted to only academic teaching but should be extended to guidance of the young citizens.

To be perfectly honest, after leaving my class, I really don’t care if a student remembers what an iamb is or the names of all the characters in Lord of the Flies. But if someone learns how to empathize with other people, or how to stop and consider the consequences *before* acting, I have done my job.

It is not the job of any one person or group to teach students right from wrong. Every person who comes into contact with a child/teen/young adult has an opportunity to make a difference. It is a collective effort and we must all do our part.