Parents

Rupert Standley gained much more than he first expected when he became an ethics volunteer almost a decade ago. He credits his volunteering experience with helping him return to the workforce. Here’s Rupert’s story.

When my eldest started Kindergarten in 2017, I didn’t quite know what to expect from our local primary school – either for him as a student or for us as parents.

Not long after he started, an opportunity to help with reading classes opened up for parent volunteers, and I decided to get involved. To an office worker like me at the time, a classroom of kindergartners looked like organised chaos. But I loved it. I loved seeing the kids explore new topics and perspectives through the medium of books and games.

Two years later, another parent gently ‘encouraged’ me to get involved in ethics to help plug a volunteer gap at the school. Truthfully? I was reluctant.

But I thought back to those reading groups and figured this could be a great way to help my son, support the school, and even test the waters of becoming a teacher as I considered returning to work from my stay-at-home Dad duties.

At the time, I thought ‘ethics’ just meant debating which track a runaway trolley should take; I hadn’t given it much thought in a primary education environment. If I am being honest, choosing Ethics for my son was initially more about not wanting him to pursue the alternatives.

We were embracing critical thinking, largely through storytelling that the kids absolutely loved, and we were teaching the art of respectful disagreement. Since then, I couldn’t be more convinced of the benefits of the program.

Today, as a Coordinator, I work alongside eight incredible teacher volunteers. We cover every year group at our school. We are a committed group of parents and supporters who deliver classes consistently each week, supporting the program and one another where we can. We receive excellent backing from our school, and I am proud to say that the families who have selected the Ethics program for their children now represent a significant majority of our school community.

When I finally did return to the workforce, it was actually my experience as a Primary Ethics teacher and Coordinator that helped me land a job as a Road Safety Workshop Coordinator for high school students. It also gave me a profound appreciation for what our primary school teachers do every single day. I was in awe of them — even if I ultimately decided classroom teaching wasn’t my permanent calling!

I am incredibly grateful to Primary Ethics for the benefits it has provided me and my family over the years. But more than that, I am proud to be involved with a program that equips our young people with essential life skills in a familiar, supportive environment.

Rachel Linton has words of encouragement for anyone considering becoming an ethics volunteer – she says just ‘go for it’!

I first became aware of primary school ethics lessons around eight years ago, when my son was in kindergarten. Our school needed more ethics teachers and the ethics coordinator approached me to ask if I’d be interested in volunteering. I was curious to hear more, and after meeting with her, I was keen.

The community of enquiry process is probably even more important than the content of what we discuss, because it helps children learn to engage thoughtfully, respectfully and collaboratively.

Not every lesson goes smoothly and sometimes the discussion might go over some kids’ heads. But I believe that participating in these conversations supports children’s development over time. A moment that stayed with me: in the end-of-year lesson last year, one of the boys in my class said that before ethics, he used to “just do things” — now he thinks about them first.

The ability to think critically and engage in constructive dialogue is needed now more than ever. So for anyone considering becoming a volunteer ethics teacher, I say go for it. It’s a wonderful way to contribute to your local school community and to the positive development of the next generation – and you might just find you love it too.

Ched Smokovic believes ethics lessons give children “crucial skills” for the modern world. He’s in his seventh year of ethics volunteering at his children’s Sydney school.

Starting out…

My wife was reading Greenwich Public School newsletter, saw they were looking for volunteer ethics teachers and thought it would be a good change of pace for me – balancing the abstract corporate role I had at the time with a more down-to-earth, wholesome activity. It took a few nudges on her part, but looking back, she was absolutely right. As soon as I started reading about the Primary Ethics methods and goals, I found that it resonated with my deep beliefs on how children should be educated – by allowing them to think for themselves.

After I got in touch with the Primary Ethics regional coordinators, they explained the process, which seemed simple enough. I remember going to meet the coordinator for an interview, where we discussed my reasons for wanting to volunteer and my availability.

The online workshop that followed focused on the outcome – to have a well-behaved classroom that works as a team discussing the topic, thinking and broadening their minds. It covered everything from the Primary Ethics curriculum methods to behaviour management to working with children of different ages, child safety and support structure. The workshop was very thoughtfully prepared and delivered.

Six classes a week

I’ve been gradually increasing the number of classes I do every week. It started with two a week, covering just my kids’ classes, to now six a week – one high school class and five primary school classes, all spread over three days. My typical preparation consists of downloading the material from the Primary Ethics website and going through it the day before the class. The material is well written and describes in great detail how the class should be run, what the main points of discussion are, what is expected, how to run various activities, etc. It usually takes me 15-20 minutes per class to prepare.

In the class itself, we usually open by briefly reviewing the Discussion Rules (setting behaviour expectations such as ‘one person speaks at a time’) and then refreshing our memory on what was discussed last time. We then jump straight into each topic and tell a story or a scenario that we discuss and ask ethical questions around.

The curriculum covers a wide range of topics from fairness and justice, honesty and lying, friendship and loyalty, how we should treat animals, the environment, cheating, misinformation and what it means to be a member of society. What I find particularly well designed about the curriculum is that the topics are age-appropriate and relatable but never dumbed down.

Personal motivations

I started volunteering as I wanted to do my part for the community, wanted to get out of my comfort zone from a corporate role and, I admit, I was curious to see how my kids were doing at school and how different they are from the kids I know at home.

Although I do get most of those things, there is one thing I enjoy the most.

What’s in it for the children?

I always saw Primary Ethics lessons as a chance to show the young ones the wide variety of scenarios they will inevitably encounter in their lives and ask them ‘what do you think? and ‘what would you do?’ and more importantly, ‘why?’ There’s been many a time that as soon as I ask for the reasons behind their opinion, I can clearly see the student assessing their world view and either coming up with a very strong argument for, or acknowledging to themselves and others that perhaps their original thought was not the best and the group discussion made them change their mind.

One time when we were talking about what’s fair and unfair in society, the consensus in the class was that the laws are already set and the government already has rules for these things so there was little point in discussing them. When I mentioned that government consists of people just like us and one day some of them might be in the government and might need to decide on things like these, the discussion completely shifted and broadened and it was great to hear their uninhibited thoughts.

Osher Günsberg, radio and television presenter and now popular podcaster, has joined the ranks of ethics volunteers at his son’s school. Osher says: “When I open my phone, it explodes in a cascade of fear, fury and furphies… leaving me spinning in a tizz of desperation and powerlessness. … I think I have found something that makes that feeling less intense and instead gives me the feeling that I am actually doing something that will make a difference.”  Thanks Osher for this lovely reflection, we wish you the best in your year of ethics volunteering ahead.

Evelyn Levisohn is an ethics volunteer at Bondi Beach – a teacher and team coordinator. She writes here about their thriving ethics community, who help children look beneath the surface and have come together in firm solidarity after the recent tragedy on their doorstep.

Beyond the surface: Surfers, sunshine, run clubs and speedos: these might be the first things you think of when you think of Bondi Beach. It’s a place often associated with the ‘surface’: the tans, the activewear, the perfectly poured Instagrammable matcha latte. [Though tragically, it is also now known for the terrible shootings that took place in December 2025. More on that later.]

Look a little further, past the tourists on the promenade, and you’ll find there is a community engaged in something much deeper. At Bondi Beach Public School, just across the road from the beach, we have a thriving ethics program that is teaching the next generation how to look beneath the surface and question the status quo.

I’ve been part of this organisation for six years now, teaching two classes a week and serving as the ethics coordinator. We currently run 11 classes every week, from Kindergarten to Year 6, powered by a dedicated team of nine volunteers.

Journey into the ethics classroom: My journey into the classroom actually started at my day job. I’m a Marketing Manager for Studiosity, a purpose-driven edtech company that believes in the power of education to change the world. Because they value social impact, my work is flexible enough to allow me to teach and coordinate each year. In fact, I first heard about Primary Ethics because my boss was a volunteer. Every Wednesday, she would come into the office and regale us with stories about how funny the kids were, how fascinating the topics were and how rewarding and challenging the role was.

It sounded incredible and I signed up to teach at Bondi Beach the year before my eldest son even started there. I still remember the nerves of that first day teaching Kindergarten. They were so sweet and charming, offering unselfconscious answers with brash honesty. But the moment that truly hooked me, the moment I felt that click of satisfaction, was when a child made a logical argument about a story that even I hadn’t considered. Watching a child learn to reason, think and find their own voice is incredibly gratifying.

Becoming a coordinator: Eventually, my passion for the program outweighed my fear of stepping into the team coordinator role. When our previous coordinator moved away, I realised I was too invested to let anyone else take the reins. I cared deeply about the program’s success, especially as we navigated the long road back from the COVID shutdowns. Our school was actually the last in the state to bring scripture and ethics back onsite, only resuming in 2023. During that break, I kept my skills sharp by doing relief teaching at other local schools. When we finally came back onsite, my mission was clear: I wanted to build back a sense of belonging and camaraderie within the team. I started ensuring we had termly coffee catch-ups and end-of-year dinners.

Depth and compassion: Today, we have a thriving team from all walks of life, parents and community members alike. Our catch-ups are no longer just an admin checkbox; they are filled with deep personal reflections and philosophical musings. We support each other, as does the whole Bondi Beach community who came together with steadfast compassion when the school had to close for a few days following the shootings, ensuring nobody was feeling alone and the kids had a sense of togetherness and normalcy.

The world beyond the beach: Despite recent events, Bondi will always have its sunshine and its tourists, but what happens inside our classrooms is what prepares these kids for the world beyond the beach. Considering what our community has been through, and in an era of AI and global upheaval, these lessons in critical thinking and logical reasoning are what will truly help our children navigate the changing world. We aren’t teaching them to follow a specific set of beliefs; we’re teaching them to think for themselves. And there is nothing more important than that.