Week+Six


 * Week 6 - Teacher Code of Ethics and Code of Conduct

Lecturer: Greg Powell**

//Week beginning April 20th 2009//

Hello Team Riskfactor, you're ready to take a risk I assume?? It's in your nature after all as a member of TEAM RISKFACTOR.

But sadly instead we will be talking about the ideas of teachers' Codes of Ethics and Codes of Practice, topics that don't ooze risk but are very important all the same. Now first of all let's sort out the difference between ethics and values. The Sherry (2007) reading puts it like this: 'values refer to those principles that guide our judgement about what is good and proper' 'ethics ... refer largely to the range of rules-based behaviours'

So put simply, values are the underlying principles you hold and ethics are the rules you have in place to ensure they happen. And so it is with teachers and schools. In Victoria, the Victorian Institute of Teaching has a Code of Ethics we must adhere to as teachers and this is based on: integrity (personal and professional) respect responsibility The Code of Ethics recognises that we are in a unique position of power and seeks to give us guidance as to how we should behave. Contention arises however because every individual holds different values. In my opinion at least, the core ideas of the Code of Ethics speak of common aspirations that every good citizen should strive towards. Thoughts??

As an extension to the Code of Ethics, work has commenced on a Code of Conduct focused specifically on the activities of the teacher. This has three parts: professional conduct personal conduct professional competence

The core idea of the Code of Conduct is that you are a teacher, not a friend or caregiver. As the Forster (1998) reading states, every teacher must follow the policies and practices of their school and accept direct personal responsibility for their actions.

Some time was dedicated to reinforcing the importance of never being alone with a child, I think that is a message we have all well and truly taken on board at this stage of the course.

Finally I'd like to say I enjoyed the ethics discussion in the workshop about tutoring a child in your class. The overwhelming consensus was no, though the difference in people's rationales for saying no was very interesting.

Cheers everyone, it's nice to see everyone after the break too, have you lost weight?!

Nick

Hi Nick, Ken Nee and Bec, its Ian again with my reflections on ‘Teacher Code of Ethics and Code of Conduct’. I hope you all had a relaxing yet productive mid semester break and you are ready to get back into it! Thanks Nick for the introduction and summary, you covered all the main points and issues well. I thought you were right to state the differences between values and ethics as defined in the Sherry (2007) reading. I also agree with your statement, ‘In my opinion at least, the core ideas of the Code of Ethics speak of common aspirations that every good citizen should strive towards’. What I would add to this is that I think as teachers we represent a moral and ethical pillar within the community. This means we must not only meet the standards but actually lead the way in our integrity, respect and responsibility. It is through our behaviour, character and actions that we will be judged and what students will respond positively to.

Okay this is all good in theory but I have been wondering especially with the day that I have had today (frustrating DIY assembly!) how difficult this will be in practice. When you feel angry, tired, frustrated, disillusioned or upset you are still expected to present to the class. While the issue of managing your emotions is important for any profession, children need a steady and reliable presence. As teachers, and as adults, we have a choice as to how we express ourselves in the classroom. I guess this comes back to the central dilemma as espoused by Socrates of ‘What ought one to do?’ I think if we are feeling any of these range of emotions before a class starts then it is a good idea to take a few minutes out and think about how you are going to present yourself and visualise how the lesson will pan out. This means you are mentally prepared for every eventuality and even a curve ball that will more than likely turn up!

I too enjoyed the results of the workshop activity. It was interesting to note that even an ethical question (should Karen receive extra tutoring?), that at face value seems straight forward, can actually result in many different decision making outcomes. This was even with the help of following the 8 step ‘Model for Ethical Decision Making’ (Sherry 2007).

Thanks for your attention everyone and I look forward to reading the rest of this weeks ‘Riskfactor’ reflections.

, Hi everyone, this is Ken Nee, joining in on the discussion about ethics and its ramifications on a professional teacher's code of conduct. Everything is based on Self-Respect. If there is Self-Respect, there will be Respect for Others. If there is Self-Responsibility, there will be Responsibility towards others. So, whoever said we should not be a Friend to a student, is more likely than not, not very friendly towards themselves. I can understand that if we are //too// friendly, we lose our professionalism. At the same time, if we are too //afraid to be friendly, we// perpetuate this spiritual constipation of a society that is driven largely by purely materialistic and egotistical priorities. If **warm** and **friendly** people can't be warm and friendly, then who can? African cultures are warm and friendly. Indian culture is warm and friendly. Only, somehow, there is some constipation that pervades some people's mindsets. Does it have to be only black or white???? Can't we **be Friendly, Caring**//, __and__// **Professional?????** Granted, there are those who would harm others. That's only because they themselves have been harmed. But why should we always give the attention to them? Most of them exist //within// families, OUR //OWN// families. But why do we only look at the situations that make us cynical? Why don't we look at all the **COMPASSIONATE** and **NOBLE** and **HUMBLE** and **CARING Beings** who are not only friends with children - (//Heavens forbid! you don't say!) -// they are also friendly with nature, and flowers, and the moon, and the stars, and, ultimately, and this is the very crux of the matter, they are also Friendly to //Themselves!!!!// Life is a Mirror. If I am constipated, I see only constipation around me. If I am healthily Loving, I recognize only Innocence and Beauty not only in children.....also in Adults. I RECOGNIZE MY __OWN__ //TRUE// NATURE, and I KNOW that INNOCENCE IS REAL if we allow - actually, irrespective if we allow or not. Do we chop off our own noses to spite our own faces? laughing how ugly everybody //else// is? or do we Recognize our ORIGINAL FACE, before the very first Brainwashing began? This is our journey back to Innocence....Well, maybe not everyone will agree, so, shall I say, that this is my journey, back to Innocence........and I will be (hopefully) the best Friend of All the Kids, but not before, along The Way, //becoming my own best// friend first. Why do they say that our children are our future? No, they are not. The children are The Present. But we can only know that, if and when //__we__ are// **Present.......**

Hi guys, Bec here with my week six reflections. I found this week's discussion of ethics and values very interesting especially because I come from a background in an industry where the notion of ethics is pretty shaky, and there is certainly no regulation put on conduct besides general laws surrounding workplace activity. In my previous workplace, gossip about other advertising agencies and tv production companies was encouraged, and in fact seen as an essential part of 'market awareness'. Gossip about clients was, on the surface, discouraged, but in reality it was a daily activity. We were encouraged to openly criticise others' work, a practice that was modelled by the worst offenders - the directors of the company - who would criticise and ridicule our work, often in front of an audience, based on personal opionion rather than constructive fact. Clients were sometimes treated differently based on what we could or couldn't gain from them.

Now, I'm under no illusion about the workplace in general and I'm quite sure many of the above practices could occur in a school, but the difference here is what is at stake. As was discussed in the lecture, teachers have a particular social standing in the community, and they need to behave accordingly for the wellbeing and safety of the children they teach. Sounds reasonably simple, but as Ian said, I am pretty sure in practice it is not always so. The issue here is that we need to rise above our own feelings in any situation that occurs and ask, as socrates did: 'What ought one to do'? Sometimes a difficult question, but I believe if you are coming from a professional, compassionate and integrity-based point of view, hopefully 99% of the time you can choose the answer that best suits the child.