Guiding Principles for Faculty and Students of the CSB/SJU Education Department

As colleagues with us in the pursuit of learning, in the advancement of scholarship, and in the nurturing of community, those students we accept as candidates for teacher licensure uphold the same standards of intellectual honesty, professional responsibility, and personal integrity that we hold for ourselves.  To that end, they are bound with us by a simple code of ethical conduct.

• We accept responsibility for our performance of the duties included in our roles as teachers, scholars, and learners. 
• We celebrate the accomplishments of others; we do not claim their work as our own. 
• Our word is our bond; we keep our commitments to each other. 
• We profit from the contributions that diverse women and men bring to our profession.  We do not demean the race, ethnicity, cultural heritage, religion, gender, or sexual orientation of others.
  
  "We reverence all persons, respecting each person regardless of class, background, or professional skill."
   
• We work for unity with diversity that draws on our individual strengths to form a unified community of scholars, teachers, and students.
  
  "We become who we are by our relationships with others."

As educators we are guided in our practice by the tenets of codes developed by governing agencies and professional organizations.  Teachers licensed in Minnesota are bound by the Code of Ethics for Minnesota Teachers.  The Code of Ethics for the Catholic School Teacher published by the National Catholic Educational Association and the National Education Association's Code of Ethics for the Education Profession offer further guidance.

Excerpts from the 2001 essay, Catholic, Benedictine Values in an Educational Environment by John Klassen OSB, Emmanuel Renner OSB, and Mary Reuter OSB.