DO YOU FOLLOW THIS PROFESSIONAL CODE? 👩🏽🏫
A TEACHER'S RESPONSIBILITY DOESN'T END WHEN THE BELL RINGS; WHAT YOU DO BEFORE LEAVING ALSO MATTERS.
What do you do before leaving school at the end of the day?
Do you simply pack your belongings, lock your classroom and head home? Or do you take a few minutes to make sure the school is properly secured and that your pupils have safely left the premises?
In a Smart Teachers Avenue video, Atta Smart, Lead Educator, Educational Psychologist and Financial Educator, highlights an important aspect of professional conduct that teachers should not overlook.
The focus is on teacher closing duties — the responsibilities teachers should attend to before finally leaving the school premises.
According to the message in the video, teachers should not leave immediately after the official closing time without first making sure that certain important things have been taken care of.
TEACHER CLOSING DUTIES: CHECK THE DOORS BEFORE LEAVING
One of the key teacher closing duties highlighted in the video is checking that the school’s doors have been properly closed before leaving.
This may sound simple, but it is part of protecting school property and maintaining a safe school environment.
A teacher who leaves without checking the doors may unknowingly leave a classroom, office or another part of the school vulnerable.
Professional responsibility does not end simply because lessons are over.
Teachers should therefore make it a habit to check the relevant doors before leaving the school.
TEACHER CLOSING DUTIES: CHECK THE WINDOWS
The second important point is the windows.
As part of their teacher closing duties, teachers should make sure that windows are properly closed before they leave.
Open windows may expose classrooms and school property to unnecessary risks, particularly when the school will remain unattended for several hours.
Taking a few moments to check windows can therefore form part of a simple end-of-day routine.
This is not necessarily about adding unnecessary work to a teacher’s day. It is about developing a professional habit that helps protect the school environment.
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TEACHER CLOSING DUTIES: MAKE SURE PUPILS HAVE LEFT
The third and perhaps most important point raised in the video concerns the pupils.
According to Atta Smart, teachers should make sure that the children have left the school premises and are on their way home before the teacher leaves.
This places pupil safety at the centre of these teacher closing duties.
A teacher should not simply assume that every pupil has gone home because the official closing time has passed.
There may be different reasons why a pupil remains on the school premises.
Therefore, teachers need to pay attention and make sure that learners have actually left before they finally depart.
This is particularly important because teachers are responsible for learners while they are within the school environment.
DETAILED LESSON PLANS & SCHEMES OF WORK
Get detailed lesson plans and Schemes of Work for Nursery, KG, Primary, JHS and SHS to help you prepare, plan and teach effectively.
WHY TEACHER CLOSING DUTIES MATTER
The larger message behind these teacher closing duties is professionalism.
Teaching involves much more than standing in front of a classroom and delivering lessons.
Teachers also have responsibilities connected to learner safety, school property and the general running of the school.
A teacher who develops a consistent closing routine can reduce the possibility of forgetting something important.
The routine can be simple:
Check the doors. Check the windows. Check that the pupils have left. Then leave.
These small actions can demonstrate attention to professional responsibility.
READ RELATED RESOURCES HERE: GOOD NEWS FOR ALL TEACHERS | CHECK DETAILS AND TAKE ACTION NOW!
DO YOU FOLLOW THIS PROFESSIONAL CODE?
The question raised by Atta Smart is worth every teacher’s consideration.
Before leaving school each day, do you consciously complete your teacher closing duties?
Professionalism is often demonstrated through small actions that may not receive much attention.
Checking doors and windows and ensuring pupils have left the premises may appear simple, but they can form an important part of responsible school practice.
Teachers should therefore consider developing a consistent end-of-day routine instead of leaving the school immediately after closing.
DETAILED LESSON PLANS & SCHEMES OF WORK
Get detailed lesson plans and Schemes of Work for Nursery, KG, Primary, JHS and SHS to help you prepare, plan and teach effectively.
A SIMPLE ROUTINE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Teacher closing duties do not have to be complicated.
Before heading home, take a moment to check the environment around you.
Are the relevant doors closed?
Are the windows properly secured?
Have the pupils left the school premises?
Once these questions have been answered, the teacher can leave with greater confidence that the important end-of-day responsibilities have been addressed.
READ RELATED RESOURCES HERE: The Hidden Struggles of Teachers: What People Don’t See
SOURCE AND CREDIT
This article is based primarily on a Smart Teachers Avenue video presented by Atta Smart, Lead Educator, Educational Psychologist and Financial Educator at Smart Teachers Avenue.
The publication develops the professional-code message presented in the video for teachers and education professionals.
What do you normally check before leaving school?
Share your experience and ideas in the comments. Your strategy could help another teacher take the first step.
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