Lessons for Educators
From my experience as a supervisor in institutions that serve children, adolescents, juveniles, and families, I decided to systematize some practical-reflective basics with the objective of contributing to the professional performance of various actors.
Editorial
From my experience as a supervisor in institutions that serve children, adolescents, juveniles, and families, I decided to systematize some practical-reflective basics with the objective of contributing to the professional performance of various actors.
Educators are professionals who work from the educational perspective focused on the care, defense, and establishment of rights, social protection, and human development. Therefore, the following lessons allow professionals in various fields – socio-legal, social service, healthcare and mental health, school, cultural, etc. to reflect on ways and methods for working, which consider their objectives, contexts, and uniqueness.
Formation
Being an educator first requires learning the practice, purposes, and techniques, as well as study and continuous self-care. The education of an educator happens in various spaces, and not just the academic field. A crucial aspect is that an educator must be created by another educator and even sometimes without the recognition.
Ethics
Ethics is one of the pillars of an educator’s work. Here, the guiding principles of respect, care, responsibility, and solidarity are emphasized. The latter must be distinguished from charity. Professional confidentiality is also considered as an ethical and protective aspect. However, depending on the context and the confidentiality of the case, the breach of confidentiality must be done based on a thorough analysis of the situation, with the disclosure of strictly necessary information; properly reported to the relevant sectors.
Humility
Every educator must have the humility to identify and recognize points in his/her performance that may be the most professionally invested. Humility to share what you know. Humility to ask what you do not know. Humility to learn from others who know. Humility to reevaluate what you know. In other words, humility here does not signify weakness, submission, but educational action focused on learning, transmission, supervision of knowledge, and empowerment of actions.
Creativity
Previously constructed references and work tools are always good, but educators should also use creativity, propose new practices, observe the spontaneous, and expect the unexpected and unplanned. Creativity is not set but develops in the working relationship; articulates with institutional relations, in contact with others; and is sensitive and transforming.
Reference of Positive Values
An educator should be a positive reference for those with whom he/she works, i.e. a mirror. He/she must set an example in motivating and explaining something to a client, wanting the other to be and/or do something by imposing it upon them. An educator should consider contradictions as spaces for learning, but not develop moralistic interpretations about the other. This also applies to the relationship between educators.
Bond
A bond serves to unite and not to restrain. Bonding can be a channel for assessment and continuity of care. From this precept, bonding involves relationship and various types of affections. The educator, in his/her professional relationship with others, occupies a possible position to identify the bonds that the person assisted has in his/her family, in friendship networks or in social life, such as bonds through blood, emotional, economic, community, family name, dependency, etc. Therefore, the educator must be careful not to confuse his/her personal life with professional, nor his/her life with that of those cared for. Thus, the educator should take care of his/her emotions and understanding and responsibility for his/her role in other’s lives. Moreover, in many practices, ties may be abruptly broken, which in some contexts is unhealthy for the parties involved.
How to
Every educational or caregiver should be guided by a methodological planning or work methodology. This does not mean using “recipes”, which are palliative and inflexible, but strategies and techniques based on the objectives and understanding of the conditions of those who are served. This, how to requires abilities to develop work, for example, the use of artistic methods, from the perspective of strategic management and the mediation of professional practice. Educators should use listening and dialogue as working instruments, plus when necessary, record and systematize the activities developed.
Reflection
An educator must identify the demand; reflect; decide; plan the intervention; gather the necessary materials; execute the plan; monitor and develop periodic evaluations; and reflect on the work process. For the attentive educator, each intervention is the construction of a new way of working and the recognition of the uniqueness of those cared for. To reflect on work is to review and evaluate it, as well as to review oneself as a professional. There are several ways to reflect on the work involved, such as the reflection that should occur throughout the process and the reflection made after the close of the work cycle. In general, without reflection, or without possible changes regarding the result of reflection, the work becomes monotony, just to get it done. Significant reflection, as a working tool, can strengthen practices, broaden the field of intervention, and reach the goals built in the act of socio-education.
References
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An educator should be a positive reference for those with whom he/she works, i.e. a mirror. He/she must set an example in motivating and explaining something to a client, wanting the other to be and/or do something by imposing it upon them. An educator should consider contradictions as spaces for learning, but not develop moralistic interpretations about the other. This also applies to the relationship between educators.
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