MacKenzie Hooker

EDU 201
Dr. Haberlin
Personal/Professional Code of Conduct

Create your own ‘Personal Code of Conduct’ specific to your social, personal, and
professional choices and beliefs as a future educator. These choices should be based on
your personal choices/beliefs and grounded in the ethical standards and sexual awareness
expectations discussed.
You should cite specific standards and protocols as you utilize them in each section APA
style.

Your Personal Code of Conduct should possess the following elements:

Part 1: A well drafted and thought out personal statement of your acceptance of ‘In
loco parentis’ and how seriously you take your role as a professional educator and
the safety of the children under your supervision.
(Approximately 1-2 paragraphs in length)

A student is an educator’s responsibility at all times that the individual is present on

school property. The educator is responsible for the safety and care of his/her student’s.
When a student is in custody of a school system, the student loses the protection of their
parents and the protection is then handed over to the staff of the school. While under the
watch of an educator, the educator is under the doctrine of “in loco parentis”, meaning in
place of the parent, towards his/her select number of students. This doctrine allows
educators the right to discipline students to the same degree that a parent may legally do
so. However, I do not believe that such punishment should be practiced by an educator
upon a student and in the school systems, the Constitution rights of students must be
protected. Instead, an educator in this position should treat the student in a respectful
manner and allow the guardians of the student to decide a punishment for the individual.

The doctrine also states that educators owe students a duty to anticipate foreseeable
dangers and the take responsible steps to protect those students from danger (US EDU
LAW, 2015-2019). I do believe that it is the responsibility of an educator to protect
his/her own students in the event of danger. While under an educators watch, the students
should be protected first and the educator becomes a line of defense for his/her own
students. The same circumstances that a parent would take to protect their child should be
taken by the educator. The safety of the students is the primary responsibility of an
educator.

Part 2:
Complete the following chart
Appropriate and Potentially Harmful and Inappropriate and prohibited
Encouraged Questionable Interactions Interactions with my
Interactions with my with my Students Include: Students Include:
Students Include:
Praise the students Using profanity within the Using any type of corporal
accomplishments by classroom. I believe that the punishment against a student.
writing encouraging use of profanity shows the There are only a select few
notes on completed students that there is little to school districts that allow
work such as “Great no respect present in the corporal punishment to be
Job” or “Good Work”. classroom. Students should used in classrooms within 18
be respected and appropriate states. However, I do not
Encourage the students language should be used believe that a child should
who may be struggling while in an educational ever be harmed by their
by writing notes on atmosphere. educator. Students should be
completed work such punished in other ways that
as “You’ve Got This” Showing signs of favoritism do not involve violence or
or “Keep Working to certain students and not physical harm to the student.
Hard”. others. Showing favoritism
can harm other relationships Helping a student on any
Give rewards to with students that a teacher standardized test. According
students who achieve may have previously made. If to standard eleven of the
in the classroom in the one student is being treated Georgia Code of Ethics, an
forms of candy, toys, differently than another educator shall administer
pencils, etc. student, the students will start state and mandated tests
to think of ways in which the fairly and ethically. Study
Use constructive and teacher may not like them as guides, the changing of
positive language when much as others, creating answers, reading passages to
speaking to a student in possible signs of depression a student, etc. are all
a way that will and/or declining acceptance examples of how an educator
encourage the student. within a group. can be suspended of their
teaching certificate. The
If physical contact with Photographing children students could also be
a student is necessary, without permission. Taking punished and their test could
the student will need to pictures of students without be ruled invalided, possibly
give their permission their permission can damage preventing them from
before they are the trust between yourself moving to the next grade.
physically touched. and that individual. If a
student came across a picture Participating in sexual,
Handshakes and/or of them and was not aware intimate, or romantic
high fives may be used that the picture was taken, relationship with a student.
as a strategy to create a the student could feel hurt An educator should never
professional and betrayed for the action have a relationship with a
relationship with the made. student that is not a
students. professional relationship. A
Contact with students during students is anyone enrolled
Technology alerts, extracurricular activities in a school, private or public,
such as social media, outside of the school. under the age of eighteen,
will be publicly posted Supporting students during and individuals are still
to both the students extracurricular activities that considered a student until
and their support the school can help August 31st of their
parents/guardians. to build a bond between an graduating year (GADOE,
educator and their students. n.d.). Standard two of the
Students will be However, if an educator is Georgia Code of Ethics
respected in the going out of their way to states that if there is sexual
classroom by being attend event that one of their abuse towards a student, an
spoken to in a students is participating in educators license will be
respectful and and the event is not a school
appropriate manner. event, judgements and
assumptions may be made
about why you may be
attending that certain event.
Giving out personal phone
numbers and/or email
addresses. This action may
not be a violation of the code
of ethics, however it is not
professional. Standard two of
the Georgia Code of Ethics
states that all relationships
should remain professional
(GADOE, n.d.). Each parent
should be given the school
phone number with the
connection to their students
teacher and not given the
teachers personal contact
information. Emails should
also be sent in a professional
way through the school’s
email address specific to that
teacher. This also keeps a
professional track of any
communication between a
parent and teacher.
One-on-one interactions with
students when no one else is
present. This action may
single out an individual
student from the rest of the
class, damaging trust
between the two. If a student
needs to be addressed away
from other classmates, the
student can be pulled aside in
the classroom and be spoken
with. This protects the
educator and the student.
Private contact with parents
involving their student using
technology such as social
media and text messaging.
This is not a professional
revoked.
Touching the personal areas
of any student such as the
mouth or genital areas. This
is also a violation of standard
two of the Georgia Code of
Ethics. Not only could a
license be at stake of
revocation, touching a
student in this way could
create a negative relationship
between the student and
educator. No student should
ever be inappropriately
touched.
The use of pornography
within the classroom. No use
of pornography should be
used in the form of pictures,
slideshows, videos, etc. This
subject should only be
presented in classrooms that
have permission to such
images such as a health
classroom in a higher
educational system. The use
of such images could result
in a suspension or revoked
license.
Threatening a student in any
way. This action could also
be a form of sexual abuse. If
a student is threatened by
their educator, that student is
not going to have any respect
nor trust towards that
individual. Each student will
be treated with respect and
dignity.
Interacting privately with a
student via social media sites
or messaging systems.
Standard two of the Georgia
Code of Ethics also states the
expectations of an educator
 action and all communication
between students and an
educator should remain
professional according to
standard two of the Georgia
Code of Ethics (GADOE,
n.d.). Private contact could
also show signs of
favoritism, tutoring, etc.
Giving a gift to an individual
student and not the rest of the
class unless it is an earned
reward for an achievement. If
a gift is given in a classroom
to a student, there should be a
gift for each individual.
Occasions such as birthdays
should not be singled out and
each student should be
recognized on their special
day. On national holidays if
gifts are given, there should
be enough gifts for each of
the students to receive one. If
not all students receive the
gift, favoritism is present.
involving social networking.
The standard states that
educators should decline all
social networking friend
request that are student
initiated (GADOE, n.d.). The
standard also states that for
the safety of a teaching
certificate and license, an
educator should “be friendly,
not a friend” (GADOE, n.d).
The use of degrading or
frightening language towards
a student. Each individual in
the classroom, including the
educator, should treat others
with the same respect as they
would want to receive from
another person. Such
language as stated above
could damage relationships
between the classroom as a
whole.

Part 3: Your plan as to how this personal code of conduct will be presented to your
future classes and/or potential employers. In other words…how will you get this
message across to those who matter?

The message of personal code of conduct and the responsibility of an educator under the
doctrine of “in loco parentis”, should be available to any individual that may be affected
by the statements made. The interactions presented in the chart above should be clear to
all guardians and students to ensure that the students are being treated equally and
respectfully while under my watch as an educator. The personal statement of my
responsibilities of my students should be provided to and discussed with every guardian
of every student. It is my responsibility as an educator to ensure that their children will be
safe and accounted for while under my watch. It is also my responsibility to discuss how
I choose to interact with my students in a professional way. The chart above should be
included in a welcoming package so that the students and guardians understand my ways
of earning trust and creating relationships with my students. Each student should know
that I can be trusted in order to create a positive relationship and each guardian should
trust that I am treating their child in a professional way.
 References

In Loco Parentis. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://usedulaw.com/345-in-loco-parentis.html

The Code of Ethics for Georgia Educators. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.gadoe.org/Curriculum-Instruction-and-
Assessment/CTAE/Documents/GAPSC-Session-Code-of-Ethics.pdf

*personal note---as you complete more EDU courses you may want to add to this
document making it a work in progress as you grow and develop your ideas and
philosophy. Consider this a starting point of a very powerful future document that will
allow you to provide comfort and build trust with families you’ll have in your future
classrooms.