Parents

Arpana: ‘So much more than I ever expected’

“I started as an ethics volunteer when my eldest daughter was in Stage 2 and now she’s at university! Teaching ethics has given me so much more than I ever expected.”

Arpana writes about her journey as an ethics teacher.

“When my daughter started school, I was looking to get involved in the school community. I became an active member of the P&C but wanted to find other ways to apply my interests in children’s learning for life skills. Then, one day, I saw a callout in her school newsletter for ethics volunteers. The idea of contributing to children’s learning in this way was incredibly exciting, even though I had no prior experience in the teacher role. Thankfully, the process of signing up was extremely simple. I submitted my resume, attended a weekend training workshop and learned how to deliver the scripted lessons. The training made it clear I didn’t need to be an expert. Everything I needed was provided and we even practised running discussions. I couldn’t wait to try it with real students!

“I still remember the day I taught my first ethics lesson. I was nervous about meeting the students and running an interactive lesson, but the kids were so engaged. They jumped into the discussions straightaway and it was wonderful to see how much they enjoyed it.

The principal asked a group of students what the best part of their day was and there was an overwhelming response of 'today’s ethics lesson'!

Arpana

“Later that day, the school’s Twitter page shared an update. The principal had asked a group of students what the best part of their day was and there was an overwhelming response of “today’s ethics lesson!” This served as a major confidence boost for me and from then on ethics became a highlight of my week.

“Currently, I dedicate just 30 minutes a week teaching ethics, although this has varied over the 10+ years I have been a volunteer. One thing that has stayed constant is how valuable each lesson is — not just for the students, but for also for me. I’ve been pleasantly surprised on multiple occasions by how thoughtful and mature the student discussions are. They’re learning to be open-minded, to listen to others’ perspectives, to share their own in a way that’s respectful. It’s inspiring to see them build on each other’s ideas and sometimes even change their minds after hearing someone else’s point of view.

“There have also been moments that really stayed with me. Once, I missed a class because I wasn’t feeling well. When I came back the next week, the children were all asking, “Where were you? Why didn’t you come?” I explained I’d been unwell and one of them piped up, “That’s not good — why didn’t you send your husband?” It made me laugh, but it also hit me how much they valued ethics lessons. They don’t see it as being about me; it’s about the lessons and the conversations we share.

“Over the years, I’ve also received more formal recognition for my efforts. I was honoured as a nominee for the NSW Volunteer of the Year Awards in 2018. Such credits really make me feel like I’m part of a larger team, with the shared vision of bringing these ethics lessons to many students.

“Watching my daughter grow up has been a reminder of how quickly time passes, but ethics has stayed a constant part of my life. It’s such an inclusive program, not tied to any religion or culture, which is what makes schools the perfect place for it. I hope these lessons can reach as many kids as possible because they’re learning skills that will stay with them for life.

“Teaching ethics has taught me to see things differently, to listen better and to appreciate the diversity of thoughts that young minds bring. It’s been an incredible journey and I’m so grateful to have had the chance to be part of something so meaningful.”

Find out more about volunteering >>

Graduating to high school ethics

Adam Bennett and Billie Acosta, after many years of teaching ethics in primary schools, have finally graduated to teaching high school ethics.

Billie and Adam have both taught ethics to their own children for over seven years, teaching all stages at primary school as their kids grew up. This year, they began teaching ethics at Smith’s Hill High School in Wollongong. Both have children at the school and in 2024 the school began offering ethics to year 7 and 8 students for the first time.

I’ve certainly appreciated the evolution of responses, when it comes to teaching high school ethics.

Adam Bennett has always enjoyed teaching ethics but was a little nervous about high school classes. “Even the most engaged children become more challenging as they get older, gain experience and develop more confidence. It can be hard to keep students engaged and pace the lesson just right to keep them involved. You never know which topic will captivate them and which will bore them.”

The Primary Ethics high school training observes how 11-to-13-year-olds can appreciate more advanced material and techniques and helped prepare Adam for the more self-assured students.

students-shhs — Some of the ethics class from Smiths Hill High School

Even so, both teachers are finding that employing the new discussion moves, introduced with the high school curriculum, can be hit-and-miss. They notice that there seems to be an implicit consensus among the students that the point of ethics classes is to argue. The year 7 and 8 students seem to enjoy verbal sparring, as they debate their points of view. But with occasional reminders of the guidelines for healthy discussion, they do respectfully disagree, giving reasons and examples.

Billie Acosta has noticed that building on others’ points remains a popular strategy for Stage 4 classes, which have discussed topics including the environment and custodianship vs. ownership, politics and the media, social and cultural responsibility, human longevity and how it affects society, mindful communication and respect, among others. However, not all topics receive rave reviews from the students. As Billie recounted, “If you’re a fan of the pithy response, I offer you this from one of our students after one lesson – ‘some topics have overstayed their welcome!’ I don’t disagree.”

Is this the age where it happens and we, as ethics teachers, get to witness it first hand?

Both teachers find that the new discussion moves serve as a crucial fallback when organic debate is not flowing freely, but timing can be very important. Guiding the class in this way is not always aligned with class feeling about the topic and can just as easily stall the conversation as prompt fresh ideas. One of the main aims is to make sure the lesson continues to be a safe space: students are safe to disagree, provide their reasons and to express their point of view. Arguing for one side of an issue or another is an important element of the class, which many of the students may have learned from primary school, and it can be challenging to keep some students from arguing all possible angles of a given question.

We realise there’s a need for curriculum and lesson plans but sometimes this may not leave the time or scope to tease out nuances in a particular discussion. Obviously, the demographic plays a part in student responses and Smiths’ Hill is certainly a specific demographic, as an academically selective school. Watching the students subconsciously sort through the issues and build on or try to refute each other’s ideas remains hugely satisfying. Occasionally, however, the discussion grinds to a halt.

Adam and Billy say: “As teachers, we often learn some interesting new slang and sometimes a little more about our students and the culture they live in, during these ‘brick wall conversations’. Sometimes we get stuck here and have to limp back to our questions and discussion moves, to get things moving again. Sometimes, the students surprise us with their lateral thinking and this level of understanding leads to a whole new class of ethical discussion.”

Adam and Billy agree: “Teaching ethics is a rewarding way to help children become skilled critical thinkers, able to identify and evaluate different opinions, formulate cogent arguments and disagree respectfully, as well as learning from each other.

Although we got involved to teach our own kids, even after 7+ years, teaching ethics is still great fun and we’d recommend it to anyone!”

‘This is for me!’ Ramya’s journey as an ethics teacher

Ramya is a volunteer ethics teacher in western Sydney. This is the story of her journey.

I still remember the day I saw a Primary Ethics leaflet in my child’s school bag. As I took it in my hands and read it all through, I felt straightaway, ‘this is for me!’

I like helping people and was already volunteering at our school P&C. When I heard about ethics and read about the topics, I was curious. My favourite activity is spending time listening to my children, so this opportunity to teach ethics to children looked perfect to me.

I immediately called the number and spoke to the Primary Ethics coordinator, who then gave me all the information about applying and training. It took me a long time, however, to take the next step and start my journey with ethics – but I did it in the end.

To begin with, I did my training, which at that time was available only on Zoom due to Covid. At first I was very anxious, as I don’t have any experience in teaching and, in the interview, I’d understood that I need to manage the classroom too. The training was a bit challenging at first but I suppose anything can be challenging at the beginning.

My main issue was my accent, as I was new to Australia. I was nervous about my accent and also not sure whether I would understand the students from different backgrounds.

Yet the trainers were so good and made me feel comfortable and confident even though I’d never had any experience of teaching. I had many doubts, but once I finished the training I was confident and clearly understood my ethics teacher role. And once I started my first class, I felt relieved with no doubts at all and began to enjoy each ethics day as my day. I completely fell in love with ethics!

I now volunteer at my children’s school every Wednesday morning. As an ethics teacher, I basically follow the script, which makes it easy and gives us clarity on what we have to do and where we are going in the lesson. Usually a class takes half an hour. That’s all! Thirty minutes to actually volunteer. I prepare ahead of my class by spending an hour reading, to understand the topic and the lesson.

Following the scripts and being neutral is very important. In the classroom I start the topic and read a scenario, using modulation of tone to make it interesting. Then ask the substantive questions and encourage the children to participate.

Anuya Ramya copy — Area manager Anuya Velpanur with Ramya as she received her 3-year volunteering certificate.

I’m just a facilitator in the class, listening and engaging with them to open up and share their ideas, plus reminding them about the rules. Managing the class was a bit challenging at first but once you know the class and the students, you get to know how to manage them. Or we can ask for the school teacher’s help if required (often there’s a teacher in the classroom during my ethics lesson, quietly doing their own work).

I teach my own kids, which for me is a good experience. I discussed it with my kids before my first class and gave clear instructions to them how to behave. So far, my kids like me to see me as a teacher in their school. Watching them participate in the discussions has been an added perk.

From being an ethics volunteer, I’ve built confidence in myself that I can do something valuable while being a stay-at-home mum. Teaching ethics helped me get over some of the fears I had and I started to see the world from all aspects, not just with 'Mum-eyes'.

Ramya

The best thing about volunteering as an ethics teacher is the opportunity to be in the class with kids – and also growing to understand the topics. To listen and encourage them to participate. I enjoy seeing the way young children think and make decisions. When I saw them changing their opinions and giving reasons for that, that was my moment!

I also want to say I was nominated as a volunteer of the year 2023 NSW from Primary Ethics which was unexpected and felt good. And I enjoy the great support I get from all the team of Primary Ethics.

At the beginning I started volunteering for my kids as I was keen on sending them to ethics. Now after my almost four years of experience, I can surely say that it has opened up many benefits in my own life such as confidence, peace, understanding different perspectives and giving clarity to my thinking.

Choosing to volunteer for ethics has changed my life for the best, cleared all the doubts I had before about myself and given me clarity about what I can do. At the end of the day, the very best thing is to hear the children say, “she is my ethics teacher”.

Brilliant Bangalow

Claire McLisky has been the ethics program coordinator at Bangalow Public School in the far north of the state since 2019. Claire recently to the local Bangalow Herald about the value of ethics education.

Bangalow team - Copy — Some of the Bangalow team: Angela Saurine, Jane Barker, Deborah Green and Claire McLisky.

“I started teaching ethics in 2017, when I signed up in anticipation of my daughter starting kindy. Since then I have taught all four stages and have loved getting to know the school and all the smart, cheeky, funny and thoughtful children who have been in my classes. I’ve been the Bangalow coordinator since 2020 (a difficult year!) and am enjoying building and supporting my team of teachers as they discover the delights and challenges of ethics teaching.

“Ethics at primary school level is important for two reasons. Firstly, it gives students an opportunity to develop skills that are essential in our complex world – such as critical thinking, giving evidence-based reasons for their opinions, being able to discuss and disagree with others respectfully and how to make well-considered ethical decisions.

“Secondly, without the Primary Ethics program, the students who opt out of Religious Education would have to spend a half hour of their school time doing ‘meaningful activities’ in non-scripture, which mostly seems to just mean colouring in or chatting to their friends.

“Of course, some parents prefer for their students to do non-scripture, which is their right, but many more choose to enrol their children in the ethics program.

Ethics at Bangalow Public School is very popular! Around 60 percent of all students opt for ethics.

Claire McLisky

“In early stages (Kindy and Years 1 and 2), the classes focus on being curious and asking questions, with our trained facilitators employing storytelling and games to get the students engaged. Topics include the difference between knowing and guessing something, changing your mind, telling the truth. In later stages (Years 3 and above), students explore more complex ethical questions, with stories, contemporary issues and real-life scenarios forming the basis of their discussions on issues such as how we should treat living things, voting and fairness in our society.

“Primary Ethics has done a lot of research which shows that our teaching method – using a ‘community of inquiry’ approach where students sit in a circle and share their ideas with each other – improves children’s general reasoning skills as well as their ethical reasoning capabilities.

“We would love to welcome some new volunteers to our team. There are so many benefits that come from teaching ethics – from the chance to engage with young people in a meaningful way and feel connected to the local community, to the opportunity to give back, to the glow that comes from having a really good discussion and having our own assumptions challenged.

“We think our ethics education program is brilliant!”

Join us! Find out more about volunteering

@Home bulletin for parents Term 3 2024

Welcome to @Home for Term 3 2024, where we let families know what your children, from kindergarten into secondary school, could be exploring in their ethics lessons this term.

Subscribe here to receive our @Home email bulletin once a term.

The topics we show below are based on classes which began at the beginning of the year. Schools start at different times of the year, some lessons go faster or slower than others, some schools skip ethics for the first and last weeks of the term while others teach every single week – and so on.

We hope the students talk about ethics with you at home – ask them questions about it!

If your child tells you they are discussing a topic you don’t see in this bulletin, you can also look at the Curriculum section of our website.

Kindergarten: Disagreeing
Disagreements happen all the time, both big and small. In Term 3, our Kindergarten students will dive into the ethics of disagreeing with others. Is it okay to tell someone they’re wrong? Are there good and bad ways to voice disagreement? Our curriculum aims to help children think about their ideas and those of others. By listening to different viewpoints, especially ideas that challenge their own, students learn that respectful disagreement is an important part of learning together.
Later in the year, they’ll tackle topics like owning up and being truthful.

Stage 1 – Years 1 & 2: Being brave
In Term 3, our Stage 1 students will explore what it means to be brave. Can you be brave if you aren’t afraid or does being brave mean overcoming fear? They’ll also think about a special kind of courage – moral courage. When is it important to stand up for what we believe is right?
Later in the year, students will think about saying sorry and forgiving people.

Stage 2 – Years 3 & 4: Understanding diversity
In Term 3, our Stage 2 students will reflect on some big questions about cultural diversity. Why do different groups of people have different laws? Is it because they have different moral values or is something else going on? And is it fair that the punishments for crimes sometimes differ? For example, in Australia, we might fine someone for stealing, while in traditional Inuit culture, they might banish the person from the tribe.
Later in the year, students will reflect on whether we should always strive to avoid harming living things.

Stage 3 – Years 5 & 6: Getting ahead in sport
In Term 3, our Stage 3 students will discuss the ethics of sports and unfair advantages. Athletes use various methods to gain an edge, but what exactly counts as an unfair advantage? Is loading up on carbohydrates before a race fair? Drinking coffee? Training at special high-altitude camps? Wearing a special swimsuit? Or taking performance-enhancing drugs?
Later in the year, students will consider whether we can blame people for their actions when they have no other options.

Stage 4 – Years 7 & 8: Lizard people and fake news
The internet is full of all kinds of information, some of it quite strange. How important is it, therefore, to think carefully about what we believe? Why do so many people fall for conspiracy theories? Why might politicians spread fake news and does fake news harm democracy? Do media organisations have a duty to combat fake news? In Term 3, our Stage 4 students will dive into these questions, learning how to navigate the complex world of online information responsibly.
Later in the year, students will discuss the ethics of being ignored and whether it’s important to be true to oneself.

Twelve years an ethics teacher

Peter Scott has been an ethics teacher at an inner-Sydney school for more than 12 years now. In this blog post, Peter looks back – and into the future.

I have been a Primary Ethics teacher at Glenmore Rd PS for 12 years now and I still wake up each week with the excitement of exploring the curriculum with new students. In my early years I used to get butterflies at the thought of managing a group of students. The school’s teachers and Primary Ethics colleagues helped me with lots of tips and built up my confidence. I have taught three stages and seen the curriculum evolve over the years, becoming easier to deliver and more effective in the discussions.

I recently started a new topic with my stage 3 class, Interacting with AI. We were all excited to discuss something so important. About 10 minutes in, I asked the class to tell me what they thought artificial intelligence was. Hands shot up around the circle, but before I could choose a student, a voice calmly rang out with a full description. The class went very quiet as calling out was breaking our class rules.

More disturbing though was that the voice was not one of my students, it was Siri!

I use an Ipad to deliver the curriculum and Siri had been listening in. When the question was asked she couldn’t contain herself and jumped into the middle of the discussion. It was quite spooky and seemed entirely appropriate, although it took several minutes to get the class calmed and back on track.

So now I have an extra student in my class. I have asked Siri to please observe the class rules before she decides to call out again!

Find out more about volunteering with us!

Ethics @Home bulletin for parents Term 2 2024

Welcome to term 2 @Home bulletin for parents – and a special welcome to those of you whose children have only recently commenced ethics classes.

Our @Home bulletin lets you know what your children will be discussing in their ethics lessons this term. We hope the students talk about ethics with you at home – ask them questions about it! These topics are relevant to us as adults too. We’d love to hear of any good discussions you have.

Subscribe here to our @Home email bulletin.

Here’s a brief look at what your children, from kindergarten into secondary school, could be exploring in their ethics lessons this term.

The topics we show you below are based on classes which began at the beginning of the year. Schools start at different times of the year, some lessons go faster or slower than others, some schools skip ethics for the first and last weeks of the term while others teach every single week – and so on.

If your child tells you they are discussing a topic you don’t see in this bulletin, you can also look at the Curriculum section of our website.

Kindergarten: Doing harm without meaning to

Accidents often happen and sometimes things are broken or someone is hurt. In Term 2, students in Kindergarten talk about accidents and responsibility. They’ll talk about the difference between doing something wrong on purpose and by accident – and whether it’s okay to punish someone who does something bad by accident.

Later in the year, students will consider whether it’s okay to hide a mistake by making up a story.

Stage 1 – Years 1 & 2: Laziness

We can all be a little lazy from time to time. In Term 2, our Stage 1 students explore the ethics of laziness. They’ll think about what counts as being lazy (for example, is there a difference between relaxing and being lazy?) They’ll also consider what, if anything, is wrong with being lazy.

Later in the year, students will talk about when it’s important to share with others.

Stage 2 – Years 3 & 4: Should we keep animals in captivity?

In Term 2, our Stage 2 students ponder the ethics of keeping animals in captivity. They consider whether it matters whether the animal is kept in a zoo or a circus and whether it’s okay to treat animals and people differently.

Later in the year, students will think about bragging and taking the time to imagine how others are feeling.

Stage 3 – Years 5 & 6: Beliefs, opinions, tolerance and respect

People have all sorts of beliefs and opinions – about things like smoking, politicians, the moon landing, aliens, ethics and so on. In Term 2, our Stage 3 students reflect on how tolerant and respectful we should be of other people’s beliefs and whether people are always entitled to their beliefs.

Later in the year, students will consider the ethics of how they can now use artificial intelligence, like ChatBots.

Stage 4 – Years 7 & 8: From moon trash to migrant horses

In Term 2, our Stage 4 students discuss some big questions to do with environmental ethics and what caring for our land can mean. As part of this, students consider custodianship, land ownership, littering and introduced species.

Later in the year, students will discuss the ethics of being ignored and how to navigate fake news.

‘Each lesson is an adventure’ – Lee’s story

Lee Edgerton’s story of volunteering as an ethics teacher at his daughter’s school in Sydney’s north.

“Volunteering as a Primary Ethics teacher has been one of the most enriching experiences of my life. It’s been a journey that has not only allowed me to bring such a valuable curriculum to young minds but also to learn and grow alongside my students.

Their unfiltered perspectives often challenged my own, pushing me to view situations through a lens of simplicity and honesty.

While Primary Ethics readies their volunteers with in-depth training, nothing can prepare you for taking those first steps into the classroom. From my first lesson with my Stage 1 class (Years 1 and 2), there were students absolutely soaking up what I was sharing. Teaching ethics isn’t about conveying morals; it is about nurturing their ability to find their sense of right and wrong and helping them understand the importance of values and principles in everyday life.

Each lesson is an adventure, for the children and me. In term 1 we explored the theme ‘pride’ through storytelling, interactive discussions and visual aids. While they were thinking deeply about what it means to be proud, I was learning about myself and about how I can engage with my own children on these topics in a better way.

It was very rewarding to see how involved the students were. With six-to-seven year olds, you need different strategies to manage the class, so that you can cover the topics and reach every student. But by the end of the first term, when a child was being noisy and distracting, their classmates would tell them to pay attention. It was amazing to see students so interested and encouraging others to be interested too.

As much as I was there to teach, I found myself learning from these young philosophers. Their unfiltered perspectives often challenged my own, pushing me to view situations through a lens of simplicity and honesty. Not only that, but the positive Primary Ethics approach to managing behaviour in the classroom has given me tools to use at home with my own children.

Volunteering has given me a profound sense of fulfillment. Knowing that I’ve played a part in helping these young minds to develop their reasoning skills – and their compassion – is rewarding in itself. It’s a privilege to contribute to their journey of ethical development and to plant seeds that can grow into strong, ethical foundations for their future.

Where magic happens

I’m very grateful for the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of these children. While I’ve sometimes felt out of my depth, I’m often reminded that’s where the magic happens. I look forward to continuing this journey of teaching, learning and growing together.

Teaching ethics to primary school children is not just an educational endeavour – it’s a way to build a better world, one lesson at a time. And for anyone considering volunteering in this capacity, while I can say it comes with its own challenges, I can absolutely also say it will be one of the most rewarding experiences you can have.

Please feel free to reach out to me if you’re thinking about volunteering to teach ethics, via [email protected]”

‘It’s a privilege’ – Kangaroo Valley ethics

Every Thursday in term time, three trained volunteers teach ethics at Kangaroo Valley Public School. In ethics classes, children from kindergarten onward are guided to develop their skills in critical thinking, ethical reasoning and respectful discussion. Ethics lessons explore everyday ethical issues such as truth and lying, getting even, being fair or unfair, cheating and friendship.

Michael Cox is entering his seventh year as an ethics volunteer. He started out teaching his grandchildren but they’ve moved on. Michael stayed because he wanted to keep contributing within his community and finds the course materials “excellent” and personally interesting.

“The course explores how we humans derive our sense of right and wrong and our principles such as honesty, fairness and equity, how we can live together in a way that facilitates human flourishing and wellbeing. We could do with a bit more of all that,” Michael says.

The capacity to evaluate

‘In these times where there is increasing blurring of what’s true and what’s not and lapses of ethical behaviour in some of our social institutions, I think children need to be equipped with the skills to reason out ethical dilemmas and to engage in respectful dialogue with others. And to develop the capacity to evaluate and make their own considered judgements about what they see, hear or read and to become proficient at spotting bias.”

Irene Dungey has also been volunteering for several years – in fact she taught ethics in Dapto and Port Kembla before moving to Kangaroo Valley.

“Initially, I was retired and searching for something to volunteer for in the community. When I heard about the ethics program, I was excited at the prospect of teaching something I believed in. I found my initial training excellent and we were given feedback that was very useful.

“When the fires went through the valley in 2020/21 our house was destroyed. By the time I was back on my feet I heard that ethics had started at our local school and here I am.”

Gai Halcrow also initially began teaching ethics outside of Kangaroo Valley. “I first volunteered for Berry Primary School when my child was in preschool. Then when he started at our local small school here in Kangaroo Valley, I joined Michael and started teaching my son as part of the kindergarten class. We are now up to Grade 4.”

Each of these volunteers greatly enjoys teaching ethics.

Says Michael, “I sometimes feel quite inspired by the ability of the children to address complex issues … when a child comes up with an insightful way of looking at a problem we’ve posed and others pick up on this and make a further contribution, even though there may be no clear black and white answer.

“I feel I’m making some humble contribution to the emerging generation of good citizens and community members. I would hope they feel that it has been of benefit to them in developing ways of figuring out what’s okay and why it is okay – or not. And we have a bit of fun.”

Irene echoes this. “The lessons constantly make me rethink some of the ideas I had about certain topics and hearing the children’s perspective is encouraging to me.

“I enjoy the interaction with the students. Giving them the space and time to think about the reasons for their decisions is, I believe, a big step towards them understanding and thinking more deeply about the question. Hearing what others think and say can guide their mind to thinking in another direction, other possibilities.”

What are Gai’s reasons for volunteering with Primary Ethics? “Firstly, volunteering with small schools is a really lovely way of being a part of this community. Secondly, I’m an aid worker by profession and I’ve always appreciated the values and ideas behind ethics and the types of discussions we have around social justice issues. Thirdly, the kids! Each ethics circle as the years have progressed, they bring their own perspectives and ways of thinking through topics.”

Pro-social behaviours

Michael explains how he came to be an ethics teacher. “I had never taught children before, but as a grandparent I have a personal interest in fostering the ability of children to think for themselves, solve problems in living and develop pro-social behaviours. Having retired from work I had the time available.

I undertook a two day in-person training course [there are also fully-online training courses]. I did not find the course material difficult, I think it is excellent and well thought out.”

Michael estimates that he spends 30 to 60 minutes in preparation each week, a bit of time printing out material [some people read the lesson scripts from a tablet], 20 minutes each way in travel. Kangaroo Valley’s class time is 50 minutes.

“The classes are discussion-based and follow a clear format provided in the lesson script each week. I don’t impose my own views but try to draw out ideas from the children using the course material provided. Questions are posed, stories read that raise issues for consideration within the group or sometimes in pairs.”

Irene feels that being an ethics teacher is a privilege. “To have the opportunity to teach children ethics is a fulfilling and rewarding experience.”

Gai agrees. “It’s a privilege and it’s great to have our little valley school be able to support this program and to have our numbers grow to the point we can offer three classes this year.”

In fact there is demand for a fourth ethics class at Kangaroo Valley Public School in 2024 but all ethics lessons require a volunteer to teach them. If you have a spare hour a week on Thursdays, find out more about what is required on our website. To chat about options, call the helpdesk between 9am-5pm on weekdays on (02) 8068 7752.

Arpana

'More challenging...'

Ramya

Claire McLisky