If you bring up the topic of ethics in business you may hear a conversation about Enron, insider trading, fraud or Northern Rock. In education circles the topic of ethics may take a slightly different slant.
In 2007, Baroness Blackstone stated in the House of Lords, “We have to allow the working group led by the local authority employers to see whether it is possible to remove grossly incompetent teachers …. After all, they are damaging the education of children.”
How do you feel about Baroness Blackstone’s comment? Has she identified a major ethical issue? Does her statement generate an emotional response from you? Do you basically agree or disagree? Perhaps society gets the teachers it creates and deserves? In my opinion, educational institutions are microcosms of the culture and the society that supports them. As such, they should be bastions of ethical behaviour. Our institutions should be the training ground for staff and students to determine and practice their personal ethics code, which will guide them for the remainder of their lives and professional careers.
As I see it, decisions which have substantial impact are made within administration bodies. These decisions affect the entire institution, including staff, support personnel, students, and even visitors to the school. As such they should be a model of ethical consideration for all involved, and should serve as an example for the school community. Higher education has the role of providing not just such examples for students, but of providing students with education in ethical values, including the underlying concepts, critical thinking skills to help in decision making, a broad view of universal ethical codes, and a sense of responsibility for others when making personal choices. A quote from the Ethics Workbook 1999 states that “Ethics, like the gyroscope, is a mechanism that must be used consciously and continuously to maintain direction, stability, and equilibrium.”
The tragedy is that teachers are often afraid to take ownership of their beliefs. They fear alienation and rebuke for as society is all too keen to blame teachers when things go wrong. Faith schools still have a strong underlying ethos of moral guidance and many parents and students are drawn to these educational establishments and yet these too are under government scrutiny. So it is little wonder that teachers feel disconnected and dissatisfied and go on to consider alternative employment.
Read Chapter 9 Thorny Issues and post the questions you would ask...
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