Character and Citizenship: Who We Are When No One is Watching
When I was young, my father would take me to the Berkeley Marina. We’d walk along the shoreline, the salty breeze carrying our conversations as we watched the boats bob in the water. These weren’t just casual outings—they were lessons. My father would remind me that my actions were a reflection of him, of my mother, my brothers, my grandparents, my entire family. He told me that whether I realized it or not, I carried our family’s name emblazoned across my back, visible to the world through my words and actions. What I did and how I behaved would always be traced back to them. If I wanted them to be proud of me, I had to choose to speak and act in ways that would make them proud.
That lesson has stayed with me - not as a burden, but as a guiding principle. It’s a reminder that true character is not about how we act when we know people are watching or when we think it could give us some advantage—it’s about how we act, regardless of whether someone is on hand to see it.
In the IB framework, being principled is a key trait in the Learner Profile. It means acting with integrity, honesty, and a strong sense of fairness and justice. It’s about making the right choices, not because of external rewards or punishments, but because we recognize that our actions matter. Being principled naturally leads to being caring and reflective. When we hold ourselves accountable, we start to consider how our actions impact others. We develop empathy, and we take the time to think about our decisions, learning from our mistakes and striving to be better.
Citizenship is more than just following rules; it’s about understanding our responsibility to our community. When children learn to be principled, they begin to see how their choices contribute to the world around them. They recognize that their actions—big or small—shape the culture of their classroom, their school, and beyond. We see citizenship in action when Helen, Thea and Lorenzo choose to walk, stop and look both ways before crossing to the playground (even though they didn’t know I was keeping an eye on things); we see it when Dani and Logan notice their classmates feeling a bit down and they make genuine efforts to cheer them up (again, without knowing that anyone was around to witness their actions); we see it when Ernest chooses to remove himself from a shared Google Slide because he recognised - on his own - that something wasn’t right about the content it contained; we see it when Charlotte, Siomha and Anahita choose to return a large sum of money to the Reception desk when other choices were open to them.
As parents and educators, our role is to nurture this sense of character and citizenship in our children. We do this not just through words, but through the example we set. We model integrity in our daily lives, we encourage reflection when mistakes are made, and we remind our children—just as my father reminded me—that they carry their name and their values with them wherever they go.
The world needs principled individuals—people who will stand up for what’s right, even when it’s difficult - and even when the situations that challenge or tempt us take place in the online world. Let’s continue to work together to help develop children who will act with honesty, fairness, and kindness—not just when it’s easy, but always.
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