Ethics in Teaching

Ethics in Teaching
Ethics should be a main concern when a teacher is deciding how to teach and what he or she plans on teaching. Ethics are the morals that a person believes in. Teachers are expected to have professional, ethical conduct with students, the public, other educators, the profession, and toward the school or district. A professional educator strives to create a learning environment that nurtures to fulfillment the potential of all students and demonstrates effective pedagogy. Pedagogy in the Webster’s dictionary is defined as, “the state or art of teaching” (Merriam-Webster, 2010). "Ethics must be seen as a central concern of critical pedagogy( Giroux ,1994,)" said by Henry A. Giroux, who believes that morals used in teaching need to be coherent with high regards and exemplify the highest ethical standards.
Ethics in teaching can have both positive and negative effects for the students. Giroux believes that teachers in elementary school and early childhood levels should set an example for their students. They can do this by being responsible, treating student’s fairly, and respecting others in the classroom (Esselen,1991). When a student sees his or her teacher doing so, the student will then want to be more like the teacher and follow the teacher’s example. Several students do not have a positive environment at their homes and their teachers may be their only image of a good citizen (McClendon,2010).
The National Education Association (NEA) “Code of Ethics for teachers” states that “the educator, believing in the worth and dignity of each human being, recognizes the supreme importance of the pursuit of truth, devotion to excellence, and the nurture of the democratic principles essential to these goals is the protection of freedom to learn and to teach and the guarantee of equal educational opportunity for all. The educator accepts the responsibility to adhere to the highest ethical standards” (NEA, 20210). With this in mind there are a few standards that the NEA expects teachers top follow by. Some stated rules are that a teacher must not discuss any information about a student with anyone other than appropriate school officials, the child’s parent or legal guardian. This is done so that the student’s privacy is protected and kept from the eye of the public. Teachers should keep their personal opinion on certain subjects such as religion, race, and sexuality to a minimum or not disclose them at all due to the sensitivity of the school system and the impression that it might leave on the child. Teachers at all times should display themselves as good citizens and remain in good standing with the school district. Teachers should remain drug free and limit themselves to the use of alcohol or the use of any other substances that may hinder themselves from showing good character (NEA, 2010).
In Freire’s “Pedagogy of the Oppressed”, Freire often talks about two contrasting teaching styles. One involves a banking concept where the teacher lectures all of the time and tries to put the information into the student’s head as if he or she was a robot. The other involves a humanist, revolutionary teaching style. Under this style, the teacher goes out and shows everything that the student is learning in class. Freire believes that the best teaching style is a combination of both of these styles (Freire, 2000). Students should learn from both lecture and also seeing things in our daily lives. The educator should always strive to help each of their students realize his or her potential as a worthy and effective member of society. The educator therefore works to stimulate the spirit of inquiry, the acquisition of knowledge and understanding, and the thoughtful formulation of worthy goals (Louisell,Descamps, 1992).
Certain examples of an ethical teacher or classroom can be demonstrated to the students in various ways. The classroom’s climate, ethical dialogue of the teacher, and obligation to the public are all personal examples or guidelines of the code of ethics. Teachers can establish beneficial classroom climates by creating an environment of safety and trust where students are free from fear and ridicule (eHow.com). It is important for teachers to conduct a spirit of cooperation and friendly competition. It is against any code of ethics for teachers to harass or discriminate against a student due to their race, color, sex, nationality, religion or physical or mental condition. All students have the right to an education and should receive quality care from the teacher. Finally, precautions should be taken to distinguish between teachers' personal views and those of the institution or organization in which the teacher is affiliated. Teachers should not knowingly misrepresent information in communicating with students, parents or other teaching professionals (eHow.com).

Implication for Teachers: My implication for teachers would rely itself solely on the fact that educators should remain faithfully to the code of ethics that they vowed to keep in and out the classroom for the teaching profession. Teachers have a duty to not only teach and educate or youth but to also encourage, motivate, inspire our youth to make the right decisions and rise to their highest potential.

References:

-Esselen, M. (1991). A Professional code of ethics for teachers, and its implications for school management . Pretoria: [s.n.].

-Freire, P. (2000). Pedagogy of the oppressed (30th anniversary ed.). New York: Continuum.
-Giroux, H. A., & McLaren, P. (1994). Between borders: pedagogy and the politics of cultural studies. New York: Routledge.

-Louisell, R. D., & Descamps, J. (1992). Developing a teaching style: methods for elementary school teachers. New York: HarperCollins.

-McClendon, S. (n.d.). Code of Conduct for Teachers - Associated Content from Yahoo! - associatedcontent.com. Associated Content from Yahoo! - associatedcontent.com. Retrieved November 19, 2010, from http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2099465/code_of_conduct_for_teachers.html

-Merriam-Webster Online. (n.d.). Merriam-Webster Online. Retrieved November 19, 2010, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/

-NEA - Code of Ethics. (n.d.). NEA - NEA Home. Retrieved November 19, 2010, from http://www.nea.org/home/30442.htm

-Professional Code of Ethics for Teachers | eHow.com. (n.d.). eHow | How To Do Just About Everything! | How To Videos & Articles. Retrieved November 19, 2010, from http://www.ehow.com/about_6639418_professional-code-ethics-teachers.html