Teaching - Primary Ethics

Elizabeth: ‘I look forward to every one of my ethics lessons!’

Elizabeth Tosti looks forward to teaching her ethics lessons so much that she is going even deeper in her third year of ethics volunteering. She has just taken on the role of ethics coordinator at one of the three local schools she teaches at.

Elizabeth writes: “I first heard about Primary Ethics from a friend who teaches ethics at his child’s school. I had taken early retirement from a busy professional career and was discussing my search for meaningful volunteer work. He suggested that being an ethics teacher could be the perfect role for me.

After investigating further via the Primary Ethics website, I immediately felt that the ethics education program was a wonderful, important initiative to help children develop critical thinking skills and the ability to hold respectful discussions. So I signed up for the training. I really enjoyed that, finding it very helpful in preparing me to be an ethics teacher, since I’ve had no formal teacher training.

I started teaching Kindergarten at Ultimo Primary School in 2022 and immediately just loved it! I’m now teaching three classes at three different schools – kindergarten, Stage 2 and Stage 4 at schools in Ultimo, Glebe and Rozelle.

Glebe Tosti — Elizabeth Tosti on right with Anuya Velpanur, area manager, and Anna, another ethics volunteer.

I’ve found it doesn’t take long to prepare for a lesson – about half an hour – and they are cleverly scripted, with the right balance of storytelling, discussion questions, roleplays and fun games for the younger students, all based on interesting topics that are relevant for each age group.

Elizabeth Tosti

Ultimo kindy orientation 23 — Elizabeth second from right with some of the ethics team at the Ultimo kindy orientation day.

I thoroughly enjoy getting to know my students and am constantly surprised and delighted by their insights and opinions. It’s also extremely rewarding when you observe improvements in the way they listen to each other and articulate their thoughts.

Teaching ethics also hones your facilitation and multi-tasking skills – very often everyone in the class wants to voice their opinion at the same time!

I have learned over the past two and a half years that ensuring I have the support I need with class management from the supervising schoolteacher is essential. I’ve found that a brief discussion with the teacher at the start of term to let them know how they can best help me is all that’s needed and allows the lessons to go more smoothly.

I would highly recommend ethics teaching to anyone who wants to contribute towards helping children become thoughtful, critical thinkers, able to identify and evaluate different opinions – and for anyone who enjoys seeing children grow and learn from one another. I look forward to every one of my lessons and find teaching ethics great fun, challenging and extremely rewarding!”

We're always looking for more volunteers!

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!

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‘What I noticed was the remarkable level of engagement’ – two ethics volunteers speak

In June, two of our many thoughtful volunteers joined us for a webinar to talk about their very positive experiences of teaching ethics. Here’s an edited version of their questions and answers on the night.

Edwina Scerri is a psychologist, living in Wagga in the southwest of the state and teaching her daughter in Year 1.
What drew you to ethics and why do you think it’s important for children?

I’m from Sydney and I just assumed my daughter was going to be able to access ethics once we relocated to Wagga. And to my surprise, there were hardly any schools in Wagga that provide ethics. So I said, right, my daughter’s starting. I wanted her to have this opportunity, so I trained. I’m in my second year now. And I think it’s really important for her and her classmates to have the opportunity for these discussions.

Can you recall a recent topic or scenario that really engaged your students or one that got you thinking differently?

With ethics, there’s often a story. And then from that story, there’s questions and, you know, [for me as the teacher] practising being curious about what comes up. And this was a story about finding an injured bird in the wild, bringing it home, getting it well, then the child wanting to keep the bird.

And so we had this whole discussion about keeping the bird or not.

I think it's done something for me as a parent in terms of the quality of my conversations with my daughter.

Edwina Scerri, Psychologist

I don’t know if I’ve got the right words for it, but I could just see the kids processing and going, this is why I think I wanted to keep it, I might miss the bird [when it leaves] but the bird’s home is in the wild.

And it was just lovely. It wasn’t anything I said. It was me just facilitating the conversation and really practising being curious about what they had to say, asking ‘what do others think?’, having those prompting questions. It was, wow, powerful. It’s half an hour a week, but these kids really can get into it when they’re given that space.

And is there disagreement?

Respectful, curious disagreement. And again, it’s good to make that okay for children, that it’s okay to have a different thought or oh, now that you’ve heard someone else’s thought, how might that impact? Just having a moment to reflect and listen to someone else and then come back: I might think differently about this now. I think it’s a great platform that every child should have an opportunity to experience.

And does your daughter bring the questions home?

I’m a psychologist and I ask people questions for a living, but there’s something different in the way I interact around her now. Those questions come to me more out of curiosity now. It creates another space ready to explore and be curious rather than ‘you should think this way’ or ‘that’s the wrong way’.

My daughter and I love talking and ethics is a lovely extension. It’s her favourite time of the week.

What’s your experience with the children’s behaviour?

The training was very practical and gave me lots of ideas of what to do to manage behaviour. Last year I had a couple of students I wasn’t too sure which way to go with. I had a lot of online support, I had telephone calls and felt really supported and just tweaking a few things made a huge difference. So I know I can ring any time. There are online modules in the training. It was very practical training I could easily transfer and I still refer to my notes sometimes.

In general, a bit of redirection does a lot for kids. And once they build that connection with you, it, it seems to flow okay. I actually think they look forward to it. It’s a different way of being at school, just getting to talk and to have somebody hold that space and facilitate a discussion rather than ‘you’ve got to do this or we’ve got to do that’.

Are there any benefits to you in teaching ethics?

It’s something I look forward to doing every week. It’s probably impacted the way I carry on conversations with my daughter outside my ethics teaching. So I think it’s actually done something for me as a parent in terms of the quality of my conversations with my daughter.

Were there continuities `{`between university teaching and primary ethics teaching`}`? To be honest, there were so many continuities that I was shocked.

Associate Professor Bruce Isaacs

Bruce Isaacs is an Associate Professor in film studies at Sydney University and teaches in his son’s school – but not his son – each week.
You’re a uni lecturer, which is obviously very different from teaching at primary level. What drew you to ethics and why do you see this work as important?

ProfBruceIsaacs — Associate Professor Bruce Isaacs

I’m the kind of person who would say everything’s philosophy, right? Our school was asking for volunteers. I was really interested in what were the alternatives being offered in schools. But more than anything, I really believed passionately that ethics should be a fundamental part of our curriculum, not just at primary school, but at high school. And so I wanted to be part of this.

I’m very interested in education at university. And I wanted to compare what we were doing to what would happen in a Year 6 classroom with an ethics curriculum. Were there continuities? And to be honest, there were so many continuities that I was shocked. The degree to which what the Year 6s were doing spoke so beautifully to what I was doing with 20-year-olds. It affirmed everything I’d hoped it would.

Can you recall a recent topic or scenario that really engaged those Year 6s?

Sure. Because they’re Year 6, I feel they are really up for high levels of uncertainty and open-endedness. Yesterday we talked about whether you should think for yourself – which on one level sounds very simple, but on another level has plagued us for thousands of years. I love the fact that the curriculum does not dumb anything down. You know what I wrestle with in them in Year 6? It’s precisely what I wrestle with in adults undertaking university education.

So the story was about Rosa Parks getting on that fateful bus. Rosa Parks in Alabama USA in the 1950s was not permitted to sit down on a bus because it was white-only sitting in a particular area – that was the law. And she (a Black woman) simply refused to stand up. Then she was escorted off the bus, taken to gaol in a police vehicle. And so the question that was posed to students to think about, which is stunning for me, is do you think she should have done what she did [broken the rule]? And what are some of the issues that opens up for us?

So we had this absolutely fantastic, engaging, but most importantly unclosed discussion about how you might respond to that. What is most memorable for me and most vital I think about the ethics curriculum is that it teaches young people to live with that degree of not-knowing.

So much of our lives growing up is find the answer to something. This lesson invites you not to find the answer, but to wrestle with the uncertainties of ‘what does this side look like? What does that side look like? And are there even only two sides to anything?’ And I’m amazed that 11-year-olds get it like that. It’s astonishing to me. I wish we did more at university, to be honest.

Is there any part of your experience with ethics teaching that’s spilled over into your day job?

Oh completely. So what I discovered with Year 6, I started teaching them two years ago, they were like sponges when it came to wanting to put forward their opinions. And what I noticed was the level of engagement, it was remarkable to me. They were highly expressive. They wanted to get into the meat of these questions. And the ethics classes are based so much on creating dialogue in those spaces and the script is incredibly supportive to enable you to create the dialogue. I lifted some of that for my university teaching, not the actual ethics script itself, because obviously I would adjust it for different levels of learning, but that dialogical mode. I leaned on that in my own university classes, especially in first year where I was teaching a critical theory course.

I can only speak from teaching Year 6, but I’ve talked to friends who do other grades and it seems to be the same experience. I can say that the dialogue that is established between the student and the teacher without telling the student right or wrong is absolutely transferable to the university space. And if anything, that’s what we require of all students at university. So I would like to think that what ethics is doing, and I see it firsthand, I see the students who come at 18 or 19 years old, from what I can tell from the Primary Ethics curriculum, ethics prepares them for a really high level of learning and critical engagement.

We often have questions about classroom management from our ethics teachers or new applicants. How do you deal with behaviour in your classroom? And do you feel the Primary Ethics training prepared you for what you found in the actual classroom?

Sure. Firstly, the ethics curriculum is amazing. Whoever designed that, kudos to that person and that team because they distilled from such complexity an amazingly elegant program. Then the training was astonishing. The help in how to manage the classroom is really great. And so I would say to anyone who wants to do it, in training you get in a team with other volunteers and you become close with that team and you do lots of mock lessons. I thought that was such fun. I loved it. I felt so much more confident then going into the class. This is not to say it isn’t challenging. I learned very early on that Year 6s are probably going to listen to you less than first or second year university students. And for that, if you have a teacher in the classroom from the school, which I do some of the time, that’s fantastic because this is a kind of authority. But if not, there are lots of support systems and I’ve got to say I feel equipped to manage the class.

Anyone who starts, I would say don’t be tough on yourself. If it’s a little bit challenging for a few weeks, the students don’t know you. And so you have to build a bit of rapport and get their trust and then slowly this relationship starts to emerge.

But the ethics training spends a lot of time on how do you work in the classroom, how do you deal with disruptive students, how do you support them and work with them. So I would say to anyone thinking of it, that’s the least of my concerns now when I go to class. I think the students are wonderful.

Have you found some personal benefit with having been through the ethics training and now teaching?

Yeah, absolutely. I love the classes. I love the bonds with students. I’ve taught at university for many years, but not in this kind of space. I know it sounds cliched … teaching is astonishingly rewarding in itself. So the act of teaching for me is as if you’re constantly engaged in a social good. So on that one level, it has been rewarding to teach people who are younger and to see that development in more stark terms in light of ethics lessons. It’s just incredibly rewarding.

I love Edwina’s word ‘curiosity’. One of the things I do research into is learning philosophies, pedagogy and curiosity is a big one. What ethics gave me in speaking to 10 to 11 year olds on a weekly basis is that when I talk to my own son, who’s eight (he does the Year 3/4 class), I try to remind myself to approach almost anything from that place of not-lip-service curiosity. What does it mean to be genuinely curious about any position? And I think that is something we have to craft in ourselves, which is why I’m so committed to ethics from very young. It’s something that needs to be developmental, all the way through your life.

Volunteer with us too!

‘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 communications@primaryethics.com.au”

Getting to ethical grips with AI

Our ethics lessons are an opportunity for students to engage in meaningful discussions of real-life issues. These discussions are not just academic – they’re about equipping young minds with skills in critical thinking, ethical reasoning and respectful discussion that will help them navigate the complexities of the world they’re growing up into.

Practical ethics isn’t a static subject. Since our curriculum was first developed, we’ve seen some pretty significant changes in the sorts of technologies students engage with on a day-to-day basis. Technologies that bring with them a whole host of new (and sometimes old) ethical dilemmas.

Is it okay to use artificial intelligence to help with schoolwork?

As artificial intelligence (AI) technologies like chatbots, search engines and personalised recommendations become ever-present in students’ lives, it’s important for them to reflect on how they engage with such technologies. So we’ve developed an exciting new topic on AI for Stage 3 (Years 5-6). Some of the big questions students consider in this topic include: How is AI different from and similar to human intelligence? Is it okay to use artificial intelligence to help with schoolwork? To what extent can we trust AI and how do we know when not to trust it? Can we be friends with a chatbot? Is it bad to be cruel to artificial intelligence?

This new addition to our curriculum is not just about keeping pace with technological trends. It’s about preparing students for a future where they can confidently and ethically navigate the digital landscape. By fostering a deep, nuanced understanding of these issues, we’re helping shape a generation of informed, ethical digital citizens.

‘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.

Ethics arrives on Lord Howe Island

Our most isolated program – Lord Howe Island Central School (LHICS) – commenced its first ever ethics program in Term 4 2023. Lisa Ralph and Lucille Wilson, friends who are both school parents, trained as ethics teachers and kicked off the program. LHICS is a tiny school with just 41 students from Kindy to Year 6. In its first term, ethics enrolled a third of the student body! The island does not have mobile coverage, but it does have an ethics program.

Lisa moved to Lord Howe 12 years ago and with her husband runs the Dive Lord Howe shop. Lu came to the island in 2021. Lisa and Lu were very enthusiastic about bringing ethics into their school as an alternative for the non-scripture students. In the past, students who opted out of scripture would sit in a separate room together doing colouring-in, hardly a ‘meaningful activity’.

A unique island

People living on the island find themselves in a unique environment. There are countless advantages to the tranquillity and beauty; there are also inherent challenges in the isolation. Note, though, the Primary Ethics remote online training model works really well!

Lu says that “offering Primary Ethics is an important part of ensuring our kids have access to the same educational experiences as students on the mainland. Having my own son in my class is really enjoyable, because I get to see firsthand how he works with his peers and I really love being able to engage with the kids as a teacher, rather than just Leo’s mum.”

Lisa Ralph& Lucille WilsonLord Howe crop — Lisa Ralph and Lucille Wilson outside their pretty island school.

Our remote location means our kids are less exposed to city-based influences, but they know there’s a wide world out there and I think ethics will help them be ready to embrace it.

Lisa echoes Lu’s thoughts. “I’d also like to add that I thoroughly enjoy fostering critical thinking and watching the students’ intellectual growth as they respectfully explore the complexities of right and wrong. Having my eldest daughter in the class is both challenging and rewarding and I love witnessing her contribute to our conversations, both during our sessions and at home.”

Lu also thinks that “the popularity of ethics within the school is a great indication of the progressive nature of the next generation coming through on the island. Historically, we might have a conservative culture and our remote location means our kids are less exposed to city-based influences, but they know there’s a wide world out there and I think ethics will help them be ready to embrace it.”

Working with a small remote school

Initially in 2023, both the classes on Lord Howe were just under the eight mark, which is usually our minimum for a class. We worked with the volunteers and school to ensure that lesson materials matched the group needs. In 2024, the program and class sizes have grown, so that both now number over eight. It’s wonderful to have a program that’s growing on such a small island!

Barb La Ganza: Kinghorn Award 2023

“Barb is a workhorse and superstar volunteer.”
Barb La Ganza is the Kinghorn Volunteer of the Year 2023. Barb, who’s been an ethics volunteer for nine years, is currently an ethics teacher and coordinator at one Sydney northern beaches school, as well as teaching ethics at two others. At one of her schools she teaches three back-to-back classes every week.
Barb was presented with her award at a lovely gathering in December 2023. Read excerpts from her acceptance speech below.

Barb Jill Swee2 — Barb La Ganza with ethics supporter Jill Kinghorn and the inaugural 2022 winner, Swee Goh.

Barb is always ready to go the extra mile … Barb has an encyclopaedic knowledge of the curriculum at all stages. She has mentored me and many other ethics teachers. She is always willing to share her knowledge. She has a calm encouraging manner. She is inspirational.

Barb’s story: “My ethics journey started when my son was in year 1. He brought home a note on bright red paper to say that ethics was going to be offered at Elanora Heights Public School and I was so excited I filled in the form, wrote ‘yay’ with a smiley face on it and sent it off with him. A few weeks later I found the form scrunched up at the bottom of his bag – it hadn’t made it to the channels that were allocating SRE classes. I then somehow found out that if you teach for Primary Ethics, your kids will be included on the class roll. And so here I am nine years later!

“One of my most memorable experiences in the classroom was when a kid came every week to class and sat quietly and read a book. He was neurodiverse and I didn’t think he was engaged at all as he never looked up from the book or joined in at all. Until term three, when he answered a question. It was so heartwarming to know he had been present in his own way all along.

“My favourite topic of all time is Stage 3 Homelessness, but it’s also the one I find the hardest to teach, as I teach in three schools in very privileged areas. Another favourite is the Stage 2 topic when a young boy had to go and make carpets to get money for his family instead of going to school. Getting the kids to tie their shoelaces starts out as fun and easy for the kids, but after tying their shoelaces over and over and over again for even just five minutes, you can see that they can imagine how someone might feel if they had to do that all day long.

“One of my Stage 3 kids asked me, quite incredulously, why I teach ethics if I don’t get paid. Well, there are not many opportunities to volunteer in the kids space – loads for elderly or homelessness. The curriculum is incredible and I love connecting with the students and hearing their points of view. Community is very important to me and I now belong to three communities of ethics teachers as well as the three schools I teach at. I learn so much from both the kids and my fellow teachers and it really makes me feel like a valued member in my local community. Nothing nicer than your students seeing you in the shops with their parents and greeting you.

“There is such a range of experiences from Kindergarten kids who can’t even read your name badge but who aren’t as filtered in their responses as the older children, to the stage 3 participants who have some incredibly insightful contributions. And my daughter who has just finished school will start teaching ethics this year which is so lovely to see her be inspired to volunteer in her community too.

“I am proud to be an ethics teacher and hope I can continue to be a volunteer and mentor to others in the Primary Ethics space. I look forward to continuing to be a part of my three school teams even when I am old and grey (although I am actually both those already!)

“Thank you to Primary Ethics and the Kinghorn Family. I am so grateful to be recognised for this award. I know I was amongst some impressive competition and a debt of gratitude goes to my teams plus my co-ordinators Joy and Dina for nominating me and saying such kind words to support their applications. Thank you in particular to my area manager Sandra, who has supported me since I took on the role of co-ordinator in 2022. Whilst I am not one to be motivated by accolades and awards, it really touched me to be recognised as a volunteer of note and my certificate sits proudly in my home on display for all to see.”

Barb is one of those volunteers who just ‘gets it done’. She will go out of her way to ensure that all classes are covered every week, not just at the school where she is coordinator, but also for the two other schools she teaches in. She is efficient and a great communicator. Her team adore her as do other volunteers in the region, as she is so amiable and genuinely helpful.

Vocal Variety Transformed How I Deliver Ethics Lessons

Ethics teacher Alicia Potts discovered a good method for enhancing her ethics lessons. Alicia writes: A while ago, I was listening to a business podcast when I heard voice coach Tracy Goodwin discussing how to use variety in your voice to tell a story and communicate your message. As I was listening, it struck me how useful this could be for me in the classroom as a volunteer ethics teacher.

Engaging students in meaningful discussions is essential to helping them develop strong values and ethical reasoning skills. However, it can sometimes be challenging to capture their attention and keep them focused on the lesson.

I wrote down the key takeaways from the podcast and have been successfully using these tactics during my ethics lessons. Below is my summary of Tracey Goodwin‘s five elements of vocal variety we can use to convey meaning and build connection with our students.

Tracy Goodwin’s Five Elements of Vocal Variety

Intentional pauses: This technique is the most powerful and involves taking a brief moment of silence before and/or after delivering an important message to create emphasis. This allows students to absorb your words and reflect on their meaning. It may also draw them back in if they have tuned out while you were speaking.

Elongation of words: Elongation is simply stretching out a word to draw attention to it. While telling a story, if you said, “Jack looked really upset”, it wouldn’t have as much impact as if you said, “Jack looked reeeeealllllllyy upset”. By drawing out the word, you emphasise the importance of the concept and help students understand its significance.

Shades of loud and soft: Varying the volume of your voice can also be a powerful tool to hold student attention. If you speak in the same tone the whole time, it can be boring and children can lose interest and get distracted. You can also use volume to communicate a message.

If you are reading a story with an exciting, action-packed section, you might use a loud voice. Speaking loudly can convey a sense of urgency or excitement and make your students sit up and take notice.

By speaking softly, you create a sense of intimacy and understanding, drawing your students in and encouraging them to listen closely. Talking as if you are telling a secret can make students feel important and valued in the lesson.

Pacing fast and slow: Varying the pace at which you speak can also make your ethics lessons more engaging.

Speaking fast is great when you are expressing excitement and urgency. However, speaking fast all the time could give the students the impression that you just want to get through the lesson, and they might be less inclined to engage with the content. Speaking loud and fast all the time has been proven to repel people.

By slowing down your speech, you can create a sense of gravity and importance. It also allows students to really take in the words you are saying. Sometimes, the concepts in ethics lessons are quite complex and foreign to the students, making it all the more important to slow down and allow thinking time. Don’t be afraid to speak extra slowly when the word or phrase is meaningful.

Changing melody (high and low): Finally, varying the pitch of your voice can add interest and emotion to your ethics lessons. Using variations of high and low notes in your voice helps build the listeners’ trust in you. Change your pitch and the direction (up or down) of your pitch regularly as you speak, and play around to find what feels natural to you. Often, the higher the pitch, the more excited you sound, and it could convey enthusiasm or worry. A lower pitch can be used to express confidence, seriousness and authority.