Why Civility?

November 21, 2014 — JeanMarie Reinke and John van Bladel

What is civility? How is it applicable to our lives? The Civility Committee at FM has recently hosted two on-campus open discussions about civility. The discussions were focused primarily on student behavior along with some of the challenges we face inside and outside of the classrooms including managing classroom behavior, developing a “tool kit” for creating effective learning communities, and effectively preparing students for the workforce. Another subject was understanding the various cultures present at FM and the impact they have on learning. One of the questions posed was: What is it like to attend FM from the perspective of students who are new to the area?

Those in attendance of our discussions agreed that preparing students to reach their full potential includes assisting them in developing the skills to be successful students – so how do we facilitate this? Part of the solution may be something called socio-emotional learning, the foundation of which is civility.

What is socio-emotional learning? It can be defined as “developing the social and emotional skills that create responsive, caring, and inclusive classrooms providing the foundation for building and sustaining learning relationships that lead to academic success and responsible citizenship” (Kimberly A. Schonert-Reichl and Shelley Hymel). Within this approach, education goes beyond the particular topic we are teaching in a class and includes a broader definition of just what an education is. Some students simply need more attention as they often lack study skills, confidence, and perhaps motivation or direction. Sometimes some personal attention and direction can make all the difference.

A strategy we, at FM, can teach our students who come from a wide variety of economic backgrounds is the “Hidden Rules of College.” Some of these “rules” are fair, firm and consistent reminders of the campus civility guidelines. Reminding students that how they may behave at home and/or with their friends are not appropriate behaviors on a college campus and ultimately, in the workplace. Professors may have to set these rules for their classrooms on day one and again on a daily basis throughout the semester and model the act of civility.

It may seem to be common sense to the reader that at age 18+, people should know how to behave. Unfortunately, in today’s western culture, there is constant stimulation from texting and social media which abounds. There is little reprieve from the continuous influence the outside world has upon the individual. This has created a very different dynamic in the classroom than even 15 years ago. It can make it very difficult to get students to focus on the true task at hand, their learning.

So what is our role both in the classroom and in the FM community? This is a discussion that must include all of us, not just faculty, as we all contribute to the existing culture at FM. What can each of us contribute to supporting civility in the workplace? It begins with being inclusive and treating each other civilly. The example we model and reinforce will be transmitted to students.

JeanMarie Reinke is FM’s Outreach and Retention Coordinator – John van Bladel is a Psychology Instructor.