Week 28: Influence of Law Ethics in Practice
As a passionate educator and self-proclaimed people’s person, I take great pride in
establishing positive and lasting relationships with the families of students in my class/
school. As a means to establish these relationships I often begin with setting up a classroom
Facebook page in order to better connect and share with my parents.
Critical incident
A parent of one of my students has always been very active and involved in our classroom
page, sharing her thoughts and opinions about student’s work, posts, and photos that I’ve
posted onto the page. The ethical dilemma I’m faced with is the line between professional
learning conversations versus personal and private conversations with said parent. Because
the page is inadvertently linked with my personal account, this parent has reached out to me
on several occasions, messaging me privately through Facebook Messenger. Although none
of these messages were inappropriate in content, there was an issue regarding the frequency
and the timing of these events. In one particular I was messaged at 10pm at night via
Facebook Messenger. The parent in question made contact with me to share a news article,
that had nothing to do with our school, my classroom, or her son. According to Ehrich et al.
(2011) teachers are moral agents who operate in relationships with others, it is inevitable that
they will face tensions in their work.
A parent of one of my students has always been very active and involved in our classroom
page, sharing her thoughts and opinions about student’s work, posts, and photos that I’ve
posted onto the page. The ethical dilemma I’m faced with is the line between professional
learning conversations versus personal and private conversations with said parent. Because
the page is inadvertently linked with my personal account, this parent has reached out to me
on several occasions, messaging me privately through Facebook Messenger. Although none
of these messages were inappropriate in content, there was an issue regarding the frequency
and the timing of these events. In one particular I was messaged at 10pm at night via
Facebook Messenger. The parent in question made contact with me to share a news article,
that had nothing to do with our school, my classroom, or her son. According to Ehrich et al.
(2011) teachers are moral agents who operate in relationships with others, it is inevitable that
they will face tensions in their work.
Competing Forces
Professional ethics dictates that I maintain boundaries with my parents and families that are
associated. There are frames in what is acceptable and what is not, from both parties
concerned. Contradicting this however, is both my cultural belief of inclusiveness and open
communication, while also addressing my personal beliefs and pedagogical approach which
celebrates positive relationships with my families. Honesty, integrity and professionalism are
deemed characteristics of ethical behaviour (Kuther, 2003).
Professional ethics dictates that I maintain boundaries with my parents and families that are
associated. There are frames in what is acceptable and what is not, from both parties
concerned. Contradicting this however, is both my cultural belief of inclusiveness and open
communication, while also addressing my personal beliefs and pedagogical approach which
celebrates positive relationships with my families. Honesty, integrity and professionalism are
deemed characteristics of ethical behaviour (Kuther, 2003).
Personal beliefs
This incident has caused me a great deal of conflict, as my personal beliefs and my need to
remain professional are contradicting each other. From one side, I welcome my parents and
whanau to have open communication with me and feel comfortable approaching me. From
the other side, I’d still like to maintain some sense of privacy and distance, so as to give
space between school and home life.
This incident has caused me a great deal of conflict, as my personal beliefs and my need to
remain professional are contradicting each other. From one side, I welcome my parents and
whanau to have open communication with me and feel comfortable approaching me. From
the other side, I’d still like to maintain some sense of privacy and distance, so as to give
space between school and home life.
Choice
After much consideration I came to the conclusion that this parent meant no harm, so I opted
to ignore the situation entirely. I did intentionally create some space between them and I, and
chose not to answer messages outside of work hours. Noteworthy is Lyons’ (1990) point
that ‘many of the dilemmas of teaching are not solvable and must simply be managed rather
than resolved’ (p. 168).
After much consideration I came to the conclusion that this parent meant no harm, so I opted
to ignore the situation entirely. I did intentionally create some space between them and I, and
chose not to answer messages outside of work hours. Noteworthy is Lyons’ (1990) point
that ‘many of the dilemmas of teaching are not solvable and must simply be managed rather
than resolved’ (p. 168).
Implications
There are several implications, and things that have occurred as a result. Although this
parent and I are still on good terms, there has most definitely been a recognition of these
efforts from my parent. They’ve picked up on cues, and as a result the messages have
subsided, and the frequency in which I hear from them has dramatically decreased. This
also had potential issues for my own personal relationships, with my partner for example,
who could have had some issues with a parent constantly messaging me outside of work
hours. It is not as simple as choosing the ‘right’ option as opposed to the ‘wrong’ one
(Kidder, 1995). As Kakabadse, Korac-Kakabadse, and Kouzmin (2003, p. 478) state, there
is not always a clear-cut answer and what constitutes ethical behaviour is likely to lie in a
‘grey zone’. It is in the grey zone that teachers’ morality is tested in their everyday work.
Word Count: 592
There are several implications, and things that have occurred as a result. Although this
parent and I are still on good terms, there has most definitely been a recognition of these
efforts from my parent. They’ve picked up on cues, and as a result the messages have
subsided, and the frequency in which I hear from them has dramatically decreased. This
also had potential issues for my own personal relationships, with my partner for example,
who could have had some issues with a parent constantly messaging me outside of work
hours. It is not as simple as choosing the ‘right’ option as opposed to the ‘wrong’ one
(Kidder, 1995). As Kakabadse, Korac-Kakabadse, and Kouzmin (2003, p. 478) state, there
is not always a clear-cut answer and what constitutes ethical behaviour is likely to lie in a
‘grey zone’. It is in the grey zone that teachers’ morality is tested in their everyday work.
Word Count: 592
References
Ehrich et al. (2011) Ethical dilemmas: a model to understand teacher practice, Teachers and
Teaching: theory and practice, 17:2, 173-185
Teaching: theory and practice, 17:2, 173-185
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