1

Mercy Values Reflection

Allison S. Brooks

Department of Education, Mount Aloysius College

EDUC 213: Basics of Early Childhood Education

Dr. Shoff

December 3, 2022
2

Mercy Values Reflection

As a future educator, it is important that I develop values that influence my teaching in a

positive way. From studying at Mount Aloysius College, the four mercy values that the campus

endorses serve as excellent models that all educators should strive for. The four mercy values are

as follows: mercy, justice, hospitality, and service. Through both my time at Mount Aloysius and

after I graduate, it is and will be my goal to reflect these values as an educator and in my

community.

The first value is mercy. Our school defines mercy as a willingness to enter into the chaos

of another’s experience in order to ease their pain (“Mission & Values”, 2022). I am a firm

believer that the innate desire of every human being is to be loved. Everyone desires love,

especially when they are in pain. My students will be coming from all different types of home

lives. Some of my students may not be receiving the love that they deserve. As an educator, it

will be my goal to make my students feel loved and know that someone cares about them. In a

broader sense, there are numerous ways that I can reflect mercy to my community. There are

people in every community that are hurting for various reasons. It is too often that people walk

right past others, not willing to recognize or care that the person is hurting. I love the saying that

goes like this: everything I have is a blessing and I can use my blessing to bless others. I can step

into another’s pain and help to easy it by sacrificing my time, money, and skills to help others in

need.

The second mercy value is justice. Justice can be defined as relationships among all

created beings so that everyone can move steadily toward fullness of life (“Mission & Value”,

2022). Justice is such a huge part of education. As an educator, we have a responsibility to

advocate for those who can speak out on injustices for themselves. I will strive to fight for justice
3

for all of my students because everyone has the right to an equal education. I want to be known

as the teacher who fought for justice no matter the consequence because what is right is more

important than what is efficient or what is “acceptable”. When it comes to my community, these

same principles can be applied. We can bring the change that we want to see in the world. All it

takes is more and more people having the confidence to speak out against injustices to fight for

what is right.

The third mercy value is hospitality. Hospitality can be defined as an openness of heart

and mind which allows for one to be at home with oneself and others (“Mission & Values”,

2022). Hospitality is another value that is vital for all educators to have. Whether you agree with

what the world has come to accept to be true or not, your classroom needs to be a safe space

where all children feel accepted and motivated to learn. Hospitality can be an extremely hot topic

when it comes to education and classroom environment considering all of the changes the world

has gone through in the last 20+ years (i.e., LGBTQ+, transgender, etc.). Not everyone will agree

with these things, but it is not our place to judge those who think differently than us. We must

foster a loving and safe environment where all students can be challenged in their academics and

develop the confidence to participate because how we treat our students and conduct our

classrooms will impact their lives. In my community, many of these same principles can be used

as well. As stated above, everyone desires to be loved and I have no right to judge anyone for

their beliefs and opinions. I have no knowledge of a stranger’s personal life, but the way I treat

them can have a significant positive or negative impact.

The fourth and final mercy value is service. Service is the generosity one has in sharing

their talents and time to help individuals and communities (“Mission & Values”, 2022). The first

thing that comes to my mind when I read the definition of service is Maslow’s hierarchy of
4

needs. Laid out in a pyramid structure and starting from the bottom, the lowest level of needs

must be satisfied before the needs higher up can be satisfied. As an educator, I will strive to put

the needs of my students above my own in the classroom, focusing on what they need in order to

be a successful student. I will make adaptions to the curriculum and lesson plans in order to best

fit the needs of my students so that I can foster an environment that they can succeed in. Service

can look similar to this within your community as well. Sacrificing your time to help a neighbor

in need may not be exactly what you want to do, but like I said before, with our blessings (or

talents) we can bless others.

5

References

Mission & Values - a liberal arts education in the Catholic tradition. Mount Aloysius College.

(2022, July 27). Retrieved December 4, 2022, from

https://www.mtaloy.edu/about/mission-values/