Social responsibility does not normally come naturally to students. It must be taught to them by their parents, teachers, other family members, and community. From a young age students must be taught to respect themselves and care about others. A teacher interjects character, ideas, and values into their lessons that will inspire students and shape their minds and heart to become citizens of noble and moral character (Bougulia, 2013). Citizens that change the world for the better. Teachers must influence students in such a way that they want to make the world a better place through their actions, words, and attitudes. By inspiring students to care for those who cannot speak for themselves we are fulfilling the work of Christ. “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy” (NIV, 1973, Proverbs 31:8-9).
Students must understand that it is their responsibility to be active in their community. They should learn why voting is important and why they should speak up when situations arise in their community and in their nation. In the classroom, students should be given opportunities to show their citizenship by serving their community. This will show them that taking care of their planet and community does not just happen, it takes lots of hard work and heart (Shapiro, 2011).
Resources:
Chirichella, C., & Chirichella, C. (2022, May 10). Educators and social responsibility: What this means to informed citizenry – American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE). American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) – Serving Learners. https://aacte.org/2019/08/educators-and-social-responsibility-what-this-means-to-informed-citizenry/
New International Version Bible, NIV. (1973). Biblica, Inc.
Pearson. (2023). Social Responsibility: Executive Summary for Educators. chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.pearson.com/content/dam/one-dot-com/one-dot-com/global/Files/efficacy-and-research/skills-for-today/Social-Responsibility—Executive-Summary-for-Educators.pdf
Shapiro, A. (2011). Teaching Social Responsibility. Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility. https://www.morningsidecenter.org/teachable-moment/lessons/teaching-social-responsibility
Sihem, Bougulia. (2013). The Social Responsibility of Teaching. SSRN Electronic Journal.
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