Week 28
Ethics
and Moral Dilemmas
Ethics are thing things we say, “This is the standard we
adhere to and these are behaviours we display when you are with us.”
The morals we have are what we personally hold our selves too
and our beliefs and these can be from a religious or cultural background and belief
system that we have been brought up with and hold close to our being.
As a teacher I follow a certain ethical system that I adhere too,
some of these ethics come from teacher’s council and these are called the code
of conduct, others come from the school where I work. These ethics are what I follow
when talking to parents and working with children or dealing with situation
where I need a black and white answer, which I have needed over my years of
teaching.
Mana or Matatika - is respect , right, fair and honest this is the easiest way to describe the word ethnical
As a Maori, I use my moral up bringing to invite parents into
my class and share their child’s learning path and to offer them a cup of tea,
and this I do with all parents.
It is so exciting how education is becoming aware of positive
ways to include parents and make them welcome in our school. When I first
started teacher and asked parents in for a cuppa I was told not too, as this is
a learning place and not a social gathering – how things have changed for the
better.
Maanakitanga – to show hospitality, kindness,
generosity, support - showing respect, generosity and care for others in your
surrounding or presents.
In the video section of this week’s study there is a clip on
cyber bullying between students – I think building those positive relationships
with the students and their parents this could be solved. The tricky part is
when the parent corner you when your off guard and out of school.
For me the best thing to do would be to ask them to come and
discuss this at school – and don’t let them pay your bill (you would be finically indebted to them) By asking them to see you at school gives you time to review
the case and ask for assistants from senior management. – even ask both students
and parents to come in and talk - get to the root issues
Social media be great but it can also be very dangerous. Dumb
photos and comments –
These are bound to get anyone in trouble and the repercussion
of a heavy weekend can cost you a job. Do you as the colleague say something or
let it ride – this is a moral dilemma that can turn into an ethics situation and
be costly on friendships.
If I were the person’s friend, I would say something to them.
Better to warn them at the start that people can see what you are doing because
it online, than have them say nobody told me everyone knew.
Anyway sometimes you’re in a
no win situation with these ethical and moral dilemmas and you need to find
someone you trust in management to discuss these issues with, they can give
some insight on what you could do.
I have a situation a number
of years ago and being the union rep I told them to get in touch with the union
and listen to their advice and do it. I put the responsibility on back on them
to listen to sound advice. This meant I was not the person they came to see
when things went wrong, it also meant they could get legal advice if they
needed it.
References
Teacher Code
of Conduct - Conduct & Competence Overview
Ethical dilemmas: Situations involving
bullying.
LS1ClassPrsnttns. (2017).Ethical dilemmas: Situations involving
bullying. [Video file]. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zm-FjtUklPI
Social media dilemma
Cinelearning. (2016,
August 17). Teacher Ethics Video - Social Media Dilemma. [Video
file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGQbLSEPN5w
Teacher bear
LS1ClassPrsnttns. (2017).
Ethical dilemmas: Professional ethics. [Video file]. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_80gTxP71i4
Having Hard Conversations (Jennifer Abrams) is a good resource to look at and use if you get into a situation where you do have to address an issue or have a conversation regarding a challenging or tricky situation. Following school procedures is important, as a school leader we would always support and back the teacher if: school procedures are followed; we have all the facts; the teacher has tried to resolve the situation directly. Always acting professionally and ethically can ensure positive and responsible outcomes, but there are times when "a curve ball hits us"! They are the ones to watch. We don't have to respond straight away, often it is best to take time to reflect and seek advice before responding. With the ever growing digital work we and our students are living in will have an impact on this type of bullying and our response to it.
ReplyDeleteAgree Audrey, following the correct procedures is essential not just for the individuals having the issues but for yourself as the support person.
ReplyDeleteThere is so much more out there today that can cause us to stumble and keeping everything professional and transparent is important.
I think one of the hardest things facing us around the issues of bullying is the relatively new media which is having such a huge impact on everyone and that is social media as a platform for bullying. It's not just our kids we need to watch out for but for our colleagues as well. Adults can be equally affected by on line bullying as our children, especially if it can cause problems for us professionally.
I think that it is important we all understand that on-line bullying needs to be treated in exactly the same light as other methods of bullying, sometimes I think we sit back and try to work out what that person was trying to say and make light of it.
There is certainly a lot to think about.
Thanks a lot for this post - Amanda