All educators have a responsibility to be professional and ethical, not only for the benefit of themselves but for the benefit of others in the learning environment. Being professional and ethical means being cognisant of one’s practice and how it affects the people within their work environment. Three strategies for following this standard are consistent professional development, open and honest communication with colleagues, and self-reflection and evaluation.
Professional Development
Being an educator requires knowledge beyond content and standards. In order to remain professional and ethical, teachers must stay up to date on things like 
student diversity, current events, and classroom management practices. Teachers are met with professional development opportunities both inside and outside of their school, and many times these opportunities are required and made easily accessible to teachers by their administrators. Participating in professional development opportunities helps make teachers “lifelong learners”, and shows an initiative to be the best educators they can be. As a student teacher, I had the chance to take part in a few professional development opportunities. One of these opportunities was volunteering for a “Family Fun Night” for Roanoke County Title I schools. I helped welcome and talk to families and students from the community by serving dinner. Opportunities like this gives me a chance to make connections and relationships with families that live in the Roanoke valley community.
Communication
Being able to communicate openly and honestly with others within the learning environment may be the most important skill in staying professional and ethical. When issues arise between the many different roles in the school community (i.e. school staff, administrators, guardians, students, etc.), it is important for all parties to solve these problems to respect everyone’s differences. One way I have seen communication used to support a professional and ethical learning environment is through the use of grade level meetings (or PLCs). These meetings often include the teachers from the grade level, adminstraters, such as the principal and vice principal, and other staff, such as guidance counselors and special education teachers. I enjoy grade-level meetings as it allows teachers and administrators to be updated on special circumstances, like student needs, and also to discuss how all parties can make the school day better.
Self-reflection and evaluations
In order to both remain professional and ethical, it is important to self-evaluate and reflect often. As someone new in the classroom, I have to constantly and thoughtfully evaluate myself in this new role. As a student teacher, I have mentors that give me constructive criticism and advice on how I can handle situations in the classroom in a positive way. The advice I receive from my mentors allows me to self-reflect on how I will do better or try different strategies in the classroom. One example of constructive criticism I have received over my time in student teaching is how I can better talk to students professionally. For example, I began student teaching by asking students to follow procedures, however, I was quickly given the advice to direct students instead of asking them to follow procedures. I also have the chance to self-reflect through discussions with my fellow student teachers and by creating my InTASC webpages weekly. InTASC Standards are a worthwhile source to help any educator self-check their work and responsibilities.