The Integrity within the Identity

Palmer’s reading on Identity and Integrity as a Teacher highlighted to me how important it is for teachers to have strong self-assurance in order to successfully make themselves available to their students. I particularly resonated with the truism of identity and integrity as Palmer notes that teachers with a strong sense of Identity can connect themselves to the teaching profession within a general sense, however, integrity involves delving deeper by connecting ourselves within a teaching identity through identifying the particular qualities, values and vulnerabilities that connect our self to what and how we teach. It is important that as teachers we allow ourselves to explore our integrity so that we can understand best define our selfhood so that our students can develop their own identities as young people. Furthermore, teaching built on the lived experiences including the personal and professional beliefs that I have learnt throughout my life over short and long term periods. Identity is a complexity that continues to morph and change over time. Finally in think that what is most important is being open and vulnerable to these changes. Allow for the changes for these as it is through that their is growth.

Link to Palmer's article: Parker J. Palmer (1997) The Heart of a Teacher Identity and Integrity in Teaching, Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning, 29:6, 14-21, DOI: 10.1080/00091389709602343