Exploring the Ethics of Care

Today I was exposed to the research of Nel Noddings on the Ethics of Care. It occurs to me that I now have a name to give to that which I believe is integral to meaningful teaching, and I marvel that I have not come across her work before. The concept of “caring” is one that I would have described as “relationship building.” It doesn’t mean learning all the details of a child’s life; rather it is being present and authentic when interacting with students, and acknowledging all aspects of their development, not just those that fall under the academic umbrella. Listening with intent, and being open and trustworthy are the ways we can show students that we care. While this seems to be something that one would expect from teachers, sadly it is not universal. Noddings says that “we have all known teachers who are cruel and uncaring” (http://infed.org/mobi/caring-in-education/). In my own teaching, I have more frequently encountered teachers who are merely indifferent. The emotional cost of truly caring for the children they encounter appears to be too much effort. Or perhaps they lack the emotional strength to help mold so many young lives. However, this indifference has the same effect on a needy child as cruelty - ultimately, the child’s needs are not being met. Noddings also states that one of the struggles with “caring” in this sense is that it requires great competence from the teacher; not just competence in the subject area, but the ability to move flexibly from academia to teachable moments on life lessons.

Our instructor today was Kel McDowell, a professor and researcher at SFU. His research has been on whether or not students feel that their teachers care about them. What a fabulous question! It makes me wonder about my students. I would hope they think I care. I make a great effort every day to listen intently, to smile and share stories, to ask questions and remember details. However, McDowell’s research shows that the teachers in his study thought that they, too, were showing “care.” I’ll have to think of a way to find out if I’m behaving toward students the way I think I am!

As I engage in research of my own, I have been working to find ways to increase parent participation in an inner city school. The parents I encounter are wonderful people who would, I feel, have a tremendous amount to offer in the school if they felt welcomed. After listening and reading about the Ethics of Care, it occurs to me that not only the students need to feel cared for; so too do their parents.This seems a bit obvious, but it is not an area that is typically considered a priority. However, the fledgling research I've done in the area supports the idea that increased and positive parent support in the school has a beneficial effect on student achievement. Therefore, I’m going to focus my research on the Ethics of Care as it relates to our parent community. This is why learning is so exciting! You never know when you’ll hear something that sends you passionately off in a different direction!