Running head: ETHICS ASSIGNMENT - TEACHER CONDUCT OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL

EDUC 525 Learning Task 2

Ethics Assignment - Teacher Conduct Outside of School

Cooper Reed, Katherine Roach, Stephanie Quinlan, Cameron Taylor, and Christine Warner

University of Calgary
ETHICS ASSIGNMENT - TEACHER CONDUCT OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL

Introduction

According to the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA), professionalism is defined by the

quality of a person’s work and includes their conduct, demeanour, and standards of practice

(2018). As teachers are seen as professionals both while in school and while out in the

community, their conduct and demeanour must always meet professional standards. Teachers

need to consider how their public conduct would impact their perceived teaching competency if

they were to be observed by parents, students, colleagues, or other community members.

Teachers need to base their behaviour on what they believe is both ethical and professional.

Donlevy and Walker (2014) define ethics as, “a set of principles that guides our attitudes,

choices and actions” (p. 1). They also state that, “ethical principles are real, unchanging, self-

evident, self-validating, external, eternal, and universal human values that pertain to our relations

with others” (Donlevy & Walker, 2014, p. 4). These principles are what guide us to act in a way

we believe is virtuous. When teachers are considering how to conduct themselves outside of

school hours and off school premises, they are advised to use the 9 Step Framework for ethical

case analysis. Below is a description of how to apply this framework, which is tailored for the

field of Education and focuses on the well-being of students.

Applying the 9 Step Framework

Step 1: Compile Information

It is important for the teacher in question to identify all relevant facts about an ethical

situation, as well as know and abide by the law. The teacher is expected to follow the

professional policies and procedures that inform and guide teacher behaviour. When possible, the

teacher should record the facts to ensure they remain consistent throughout the ethical analysis

and can be used later if necessary.

ETHICS ASSIGNMENT - TEACHER CONDUCT OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL

Step 2: Consider the Various Participants

The teacher must reflect on all relevant parties affected by their public conduct, and

consider how each may feel about the behaviour in question. For example, a teacher must

consider how parents might feel if they discovered that a teacher was consuming alcohol at a

public event that their child was also attending. Once the teacher has identified all parties who

could be impacted by their behaviour, they must also think about what concerns each party might

have about the behaviour. Teachers need to consider how participants’ different cultures and

religions might impact what conduct is considered appropriate for a teacher and what concerns

they might have.

Step 3: Identify the Ethical Problem

At this stage, the teacher must determine what moral rules, standards, and values are in

conflict, and they must clearly understand the nature of the ethical dilemma facing them (Wong,

2019). With regards to consuming alcohol at a public event, the teacher may determine that the

ethical dilemma is one between the teacher’s personal freedoms and professional conduct. By

gathering information from the previous steps and identifying the conflict, the teacher can begin

to make an informed decision.

Step 4: Identify Options

Next, the teacher will identify all available options on how to proceed. There is always

the binary decision to act or not act, but teachers must reflect more deeply on other possible

decisions that more fully satisfy the ethical demands of the given situation (Wong, 2019). In this

case, the teacher can consider in-between options, such as to attend the event but not drink, or

attend the event and leave if a student or parent is present. A balance is possible between the

teacher’s freedoms and professional responsibilities.

ETHICS ASSIGNMENT - TEACHER CONDUCT OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL

Step 5: Do a Theoretical Analysis of the Options

When considering the teacher’s options, various ethical frameworks can be applied.

Virtue ethics asks teachers to act, at all times, with “virtuous habits...exemplifying a virtuous

character” (Donlevy, 2019). On its own, virtue ethics is problematic because not all teachers

would possess the “practical wisdom” (Donlevy, 2019) required to always act ethically; hence,

the need for deontological ethics. The ATA Code of Professional Conduct (2018), as a set of

“ethical principles or rules” (Donlevy, 2019), is an example of deontological ethics. The

Deontological teacher must also apply the categorical imperative, meaning that ethical decisions

“must be universally applicable to all persons” (Donlevy, 2019). In practice, a teacher may

decide to never be legally intoxicated in public. With respect to Teaching Quality Standard

(TQS) 1: “a teacher builds positive and productive relationships with students, parents/guardians,

peers and others in the school and local community” (Alberta Education, 2018, p. 4), a teacher

risks damaging these relationships if intoxicated in public. Therefore, it is fair to universally

apply the decision to all teachers, to never be intoxicated in public.

Utilitarianism only considers the outcomes, and lends credence to the decision that

produces the greatest net benefit. A teacher may find that unwinding after a stressful week by

having a few drinks at an event may outweigh the risks of running into a student or parent, and

potentially damaging that relationship. Postmodern ethics does not permit a definitive ethical

decision before circumstances arise unlike a Utilitarian approach. Postmodernism would ask, in

the context of a legally intoxicated teacher meeting a parent in public, that both parties consider

the other’s humanity and in doing so, avoid the ethical dilemma altogether.

Step 6: Consider Your Role as a Teacher

ETHICS ASSIGNMENT - TEACHER CONDUCT OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL

Applying theory to practice can often be inconclusive. It is important to existentially

examine what it means to be a teacher. The argument presented here, in line with the ATA Code

of Professional Conduct and the TQS, is that teachers have a critical role in their communities,

and are therefore bestowed with certain responsibilities that extend beyond school hours and

school premises. At all times, teachers are responsible for maintaining “relationships with

students, parents/guardians, peers and others in the school and local community” (Alberta

Education, 2018).

Step 7: Educate Yourself

If time permits, the teacher must educate themselves around the ethical issue. How do

others in their profession conduct themselves in public outside of school? What consequences, if

any, have there been? They can speak with colleagues, administrators, the ATA, legal counsel,

experts, mentors, or consult academic articles and books (Wong, 2019). This provides a deeper

awareness of the parties involved and the nature of the ethical dilemma, and allows the teacher to

make an educated decision.

Step 8: Make the Decision

At this stage, based on all the information the teacher has gathered about the ethical

dilemma, the teacher makes a decision and acts upon it. No matter the decision, they must have

justification for why they made that decision, and why they did not choose another course of

action.

Step 9: Decide How to Evaluate Your Decision

Based on the decision, the path taken, and the results of that choice, the teacher will

determine how they can evaluate whether they made the best choice, or whether they would

make a different decision in the future when faced with a similar ethical dilemma. They can also
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inform the creation of policies that could help prevent similar dilemmas for other teachers in the

future (Wong, 2019).

ATA Professional Code of Conduct

The ATA (2019) outlines that “teachers are bound to the Code of Professional Conduct

outside of their scheduled work life”, during every hour and every day of the week. A teacher is

considered to be a person of trust in society and represents all members of the association,

therefore, they are held to a much higher standard compared to other members of the general

public. When applying the Professional Code of Conduct to ethical dilemmas regarding teacher

behaviour after school hours and off school premises, there are two sections that explicitly

explain why a teacher is subject to the code outside of school hours and why it is important for

them to think ethically about their choices: section 18 and section 19.

Section 18 of the ATA (2018) Professional Code of Conduct states that “the teacher acts

in a manner which maintains the honour and dignity of the profession” (para. 20). Section 19 of

the code also states that “the teacher does not engage in activities which adversely affect the

quality of the teacher’s professional service” (2018, para. 21). In both of these sections, it is

evident that the ATA expects members to not engage in behaviours or actions that would be seen

as unethical or indignant to members of the public and profession. If a teacher chose to not

follow the 9 Step Framework when faced with an ethical dilemma, they could potentially engage

in an activity or action that affects how they are viewed by the public and other professionals,

and/or could lead to a charge of unprofessional conduct.

Summary of Our Opinions

In conclusion, a teacher’s behaviour, after school hours and in public settings, is still

subject to the ATA Professional Code of Conduct. Teachers should always base their behaviour
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on what is considered professional, or an ideal role model’s behaviour, and ensure that if they

were observed by students, parents, and other professionals in the field of education, that their

behaviour would be considered appropriate and professional at all times. Since teachers are in a

position of trust with respect to caring for and helping raise children in the community, it is

essential that their conduct would not negatively affect the trust the community has for that

teacher or school to provide a safe, caring, quality environment for children.

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References

Alberta Education (2018). Teaching Quality Standard. Retrieved from

https://education.alberta.ca/media/3739620/standardsdoc-tqs-_fa-web-2018-01-17.pdf

Alberta Teachers’ Association (2018). Code of professional conduct. Retrieved from

https://www.teachers.ab.ca/SiteCollectionDocuments/ATA/Publications/Teachers-as-

Professionals/IM-4E%20Code%20of%20Professional%20Conduct.pdf

Alberta Teachers’ Association (2019). On the journey towards excellence in teaching

[PowerPoint Slides]. Retrieved from

https://d2l.ucalgary.ca/d2l/le/content/277365/viewContent/3695747/View

Donlevy, J. K. (2019). Ethics personal ethics inventory [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from

https://d2l.ucalgary.ca/d2l/le/content/277365/viewContent/3691890/View

Donlevy, J. K. & Walker, K. W. (2014). Ethics handout. From Donlevy, J. K. & Walker, K. W.

(Eds.), Working through Ethics in Education: Two Plays and Ethical Analysis. Sense

Publications, Netherlands.

Wong, H. (2019). Ethics - application [PowerPoint Slides]. Retrieved from

https://d2l.ucalgary.ca/d2l/le/content/277365/viewContent/3696711/View