Exploring Ethics

What is Ethics?

What would Jesus do? What is truth? Is it culturally acceptable? Do unto others as

they would do unto you. Right versus wrong. Right versus right. Whose ethics is it? These are

just a few of the examples that people may think of when being consulted about the meaning

of ethics. According to the article, What is Ethics?, ethics refers to a set of right and wrong

standards that direct what humans ought to do, usually in the form of rights, fairness principles,

societal benefits, or virtues. (Velasquez, Andre, Shanks, S.J, & Meyer, 2010) Ethic is also the

study and reformation of a person’s own standards, based on sound moral beliefs and moral

conduct. (Velasquez, Andre, Shanks, S.J., & Meyer, 2010) It is also important to note, that

according to the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, ethics is not a good feeling someone gets.

(Velasquez, Moberg, Meyer, Shanks, McLean, DeCosse, Andre, & Hanson, 2009) Nor, is it a

religion, law abiding, acting on culturally accepted norms, or a science. (Velasquez, Moberg,

Meyer, Shanks, McLean, DeCosse, Andre, & Hanson, 2009) Ethics is the behavior in which an

individual takes part that demonstrates how everyone should act in a given situation around

others, colleagues, friends, and those we serve.

In my study of national, state, and local professional codes of ethics, I found four

common expectations that each one shares. First, a professional must ensure the (educational,

emotional, & physical) well-being of all involved in the school community: the student,

colleagues, parents, and community members when making decisions. It is important for

leaders not to expose others to belittlement or embarrassment. Secondly, a professional must

fulfill all professional responsibilities with honesty and integrity. A professional educator must

provide a quality education for students, and a school district should make sure this is provided.

The professional educator should be timely and forthright with sharing information about

student learning with parents. Third, a professional must possess and maintain one’s

professional quality. They should be highly qualified to teach in the subject they are assigned,

possess a legal license in their profession, and make every effort to stay current with

professional development. Lastly, a professional must protect the confidentiality of

information of all individuals. Professionals should be aware of who they are sharing

information with, how they are sharing it, and where they are sharing information about

students or other colleagues.

Scenarios of Ethical Actions

While waiting to check in football equipment in a high school locker room, a student on

crutches began poking a fellow teammate’s knee with one of his crutches, just playing around.

He kept at it, poking harder, when all of a sudden, pushing, shoving, and slapping occurred. I

separated the two boys and talked to them individually away from the team, protecting the

confidentiality of both students. Later, the team was watching a movie as a celebration of our

season ending. Both coaches went into the hall to discuss how to handle the situation. It was

decided that after the team was dismissed, the two boys would talk about what happened and

apologize to each other. However, when the movie concluded, the head coach decided to talk

about the situation between the boys in front of the whole team as a learning lesson of how we

should not act. The head coach began by saying that kids like to poke fun and mess around

with each other, but at times it can go too far, people get hurt. He addressed the two boys,
pointing out their faults. It seemed in the head coaches mind he was doing this for the

common good of the team. Since this was the last time our team would be together, it just did

not seem to work in this moment. The boys looked embarrassed and ashamed. This concluded

with the coach asking the boys to apologize to each other. All of the dialogue that occurred

could have been handled in private in order to protect the two boys’ integrity. I found the

change in plans to be unethical.

A teacher was constantly being approached by parents complaining about a lack of

decision making on the part of the school board regarding hiring an additional teacher for the

following year to reduce the class size. The teacher was approached most likely because she

too, had a child in this large class. The teacher decided to tell the parents to go to the board

meetings and plead your case there. Somehow word got back to the principal that a teacher on

staff was giving advice to carry complaints to the board. This thoroughly upset the principal

that the issue was discussed during the next faculty meeting. The principal began the meeting

by saying that a teacher or faculty member on staff has been recommending to parents that

they go to the board meetings with their complaints about our class sizes. The principal said

bluntly that this person should not do this and was wondering why this was happening. The

teacher involved immediately spoke up and said it was her and that she was only giving advice

to the parents about who can handle the complaints. The principal became irritated in front of

the staff with the teacher as the teacher continued to tell why she was telling parents to do

this. The teacher said parents should go to the source of where the problem and concern can

be shared and resolved. The principal threw their hands down on the table and told the staff

that this should not happen, period. In my opinion, the principal did not handle this situation

professionally with integrity as recommended by the American Association of School

Administrators. It may have been more appropriate to calmly say that we can discuss this

further in private. However, the principal was trying to let the entire staff know that there is a

chain of command which should be followed where complaints and problems can be dealt with

in a logical order.

During a grade level meeting between teachers, a specific student was being considered

for a SIT (Student Improvement Team) plan. Discussion was occurring over possible reasons

why the student’s MAP scores were significantly low in reading comprehension. The special

education teacher made the comment that it could be the previous teacher’s fault. This

teacher being accused was not at the meeting. Immediately when I heard this, I commented

that it was an unfair accusation and how would she know anyways, how could she make such a

claim. Later, I felt compelled to share this comment with the child’s previous year teacher.

Needless to say, the teacher was stunned that the special education teacher would say such a

thing. The teacher went back and analyzed his data and found on the contrary to the beliefs of

the special ed. teacher, this student made significant improvements during the year he was the

child’s teacher. This discovery prompted an e-mail from the teacher to the special ed. teacher

referring that her comments were not right and based on an arbitrary belief of hers. He said in

the e-mail that he was disappointed in hearing this. It was the belief of this teacher that the e-

mail was an important step in pointing out the unethical nature of her comment. He thought

by making this a teachable moment for her, it may help her realize that she should think twice

before deciding to do this again. The special ed. teacher since apologized for her actions. The

actions of the special ed. teacher were in violation of the district code of ethics, which refers to

handling information and decision making in a professional manner that secures everyone’s

integrity.
References

Velasquez, M., Andre, C., Shanks, T., J., S., & Meyer, M. (1987, October 1). What is Ethics?
Issues in Ethics, v.1 (1). Revised 2010

Velasquez, M., Moberg, D., Meyer, M., Shanks, T., McLean, M., DeCosse, D., Andre, C., Hanson,
K. (2009, May 1). A Framework for Thinking Ethically.
Retrieved on October 14, 2015, from
http://www.scu.edu/ethics/practicing/decision/framework.html
 Reflective Summary for Program Artifacts
Arkansas State University

Name of Assignment*: Exploring Ethics

Course in which the assignment was given (course number and name): ELAD 6103 Ethical Leadership

Semester/year assignment was completed: Fall 2015

ELCC Standard Element(s)*: ELCC.5.4: Candidates understand and can evaluate the potential
moral and legal consequences of decision making in the school.

Describe the details of the assignment and how you approached the completion of the
assignment:

Our first task was to use the knowledge we have gained about the meaning of ethics
and list four ethical concepts that were common to all the professional codes of ethics in our
reading material. I accomplished this task by first creating a table where I laid out the principles
of each of the different professional codes of ethics side by side. Then, I analyzed each for a
common theme. I picked four common themes and described each: Possess and maintain
one’s professional quality; Fulfill all professional responsibilities with honesty and integrity;
Ensure the well-being of all involved in the school community; Protect the confidentiality of
individual’s personal information unless it is required by law to be disclosed.

Our second task was to reflect on our everyday happenings within our profession and
describe three events that contained ethical ramifications. I chose three events to describe
which I was either directly or indirectly involved.

My final task was to write a well-written reflection of what I have done with this
assignment and to tell what I have learned through taking part in this activity.

List the document(s) documents included as artifacts for this assignment. (The work you
submitted for the assignment is your artifact.)

Exploring Ethics Paper.doc

Write a reflective summary of your knowledge, skills and understanding in planning and
implementing this activity. The reflective summary should be a thoughtful and well-
developed (500 words or more) response using the following questions as a guide:

 Describe in detail new knowledge and skills gained from participation in this activity.
What did you learn about this area of leadership? What did you learn about yourself?
What did you learn about your school and/or community?
 Describe in detail the challenges you experienced. What did you learn about your
school that might need to be changed or improved? How could you have been better
prepared for this activity? What would you do differently to improve the outcome? Did
you have any “surprises” as you engaged in this activity?
 What more do you need to know or learn about your school to be a more effective
school leader in this area of leadership?
 What do you need to do to improve in this area of leadership?
 Who could help you improve in this area of leadership?

Enter your response below. Response should be a minimum of 500 words.

______________________________________________________________ _______________________

Reflection

Ethics can be interpreted so many different ways dependent upon either society’s
morals, philosophical morals, or personal morals. When Pontus Pilate asked Jesus, “What is
truth?” This was an ethical question that can only be answered based on a person’s set of moral
standards. I am sure Pilate was thinking of his own ethical standards set forth by Rome and
possibly his own personal beliefs, which signals why he may have been in conflict with the
ethical thing to do with Jesus. On the other hand, Jesus was thinking of the ethical standards
set forth by God, when he said, “…anyone who hears my voice hears the truth.” So, whose
truth is truth? Pilate relied on the judicial approach initially when he sent Jesus to King Herod.
Herod found no fault in Jesus, and sent him back to Pilate. When Jesus returned, Pilate was still
faced with conflict of what to do with Jesus. He was worried about his own leadership’s future.
He did not want Rome to discover that he had lost control of Judea. He was afraid of riots by
the Jews, etc. So, he had to rely on the virtue of how others would view him, but he did not
want to have anything to do with the decision. This is evident when he said, “I wash my hands
of this man’s blood.” Finally, he decided to let the people decide, whether to free him or
crucify him. This final approach relates to the common good, letting society decide how to
handle him. In the end, Jesus was crucified, and the rest became history. This example reflects
on how difficult ethics can be. In my opinion, in the end, it solely rests on the individual and
his/her set of moral values that establish the difference between right and wrong. In my
position as an educator, I must take into consideration the rights of others, what is fair to
others, and my own moral character values and beliefs when considering what is an ethical
action. Based on the ethical scenarios mentioned earlier in part 2 of my paper, I felt that I was
following the previously mentioned standards. What I could have done in the scenario with the
head coach was I could have politely stood up and said that I think we can discuss this after we
dismiss the team.

When I sat down to think about the assignment of finding ethical/unethical situations in
my everyday life as a teacher, I found that for the most part, our staff does an excellent job of
being respectful to each other. It seems that we do our best to maintain confidentiality, but at
times we may forget who, where, and why we are talking about personal information with
others. At times, and they are few, there is a breakdown of moral behavior when adults
become upset with how they are treated. You will find them talking amongst each other, which
is not a healthy scenario. Research on adult learning suggests that adults do not like to be
treated like they cannot think for themselves. They value being a part of a discussion and the
decision making process and do not always take too well to how they are always being told how
and what they should do. Those in leadership positions in our district, on both sides of the
issue, need to continue to remember what common goals they share and that they are a team
who can work together to make things better for everyone: students, parents, and themselves.
It is important to always review these values and maintain them to the best of our abilities. I
am proud to say that our staff has always had the abilities to put each other’s ideas together to
produce a great solution to problems we face, and I know we can continue to do so. When
problems do arise amongst each other or within our classrooms, we must have the ability to
talk about it freely keeping in mind the environment where we are discussing them and make
sure all that are present know what is being discussed is not meant to lay the blame on anyone.
This must be said prior to discussing the problem so that others know the context of the
conversations. This is called “understanding each other’s thinking” or simply put,
communicating effectively.