Above is an image of my notes from a class that really helped me to understand the ethical dilemmas that educators often encounter.
For my teacher education program I was engaged in problem-based learning. For our program this meant that a lot of our learning revolved around case studies that we had to solve over two weeks using research, classroom instruction, and personal experiences to support our solutions. Our final case study involved making an ethical decision about a special needs student named Sue. Through our case study we learned that Sue was a student in our Grade 6 classroom who was cognitively functioning at a two-year old level. Sue’s parents have come to you and asked your opinion on whether or not Sue should be pulled out of the classroom with her typically developed peers and placed in a more specialized program.
Thus began my thinking on an educational moral dilemma. There are many different factors to consider when coming to an ethical decision on this subject. The long term and short term effects for Sue. The financial situation of the parents. The school district’s available programs. My relationship with Sue’s parents. My roles and responsibilities as an educator. All of these became important factors in my decision making process.
Throughout the case study we were given the opportunity to learn about a variety of ethical viewpoints to consider the situation from, such as the Ethic of Justice, Ethic of Care, Ethic of Critique, et cetera. (For more information on this I suggest looking at the work of Nel Noddings in the Ethic of Care and Kidder’s Paradigms for Moral Decision Making.) As we discussed each of these I became more and more aware that the Ethic of Care (Noddings, 1988) was the driving force behind my own ethical considerations. As an educator I am often very nurturing of my students, a character trait that many of my advisors have noted in their feedback. Therefore, when resolving these kind of ethical dilemmas the Ethic of Care is at the forefront of my thinking. Taking into consideration the wants and needs of my students is the most imperative to me. As well as the possible consequences for all of the parties involved.
The next important ethical consideration for me was the Ethic of Profession. As a professional, I believe it is my responsibility to provide the most ethical and considerate care for all of my students. In this way you can see how for me the Ethic of Care and the Ethic of Profession are highly linked. I aim to always provide my students with the best care and education I can.
Over the course of my teacher education program, I was able to develop a better understanding of the roles and responsibilities of the different players involved in this kind of ethical dilemma. This past year has also given me the skills to find and use resources to support the ethical decisions I will be forced to make in my future career as a teacher.