Professional Code of Ethics

Professional Code of Ethics

EDU 689 Personal Ethics & Leadership Capacity

In any profession it is necessary to outline the organizations Code of Ethics and have guiding’s that will help mold what the organization will be. When the organization develops their Code of Ethics it is essential to inform every member of the organization to ensure they know what is expected of them. With expectations openly discussed and seen all employees, parents, administrators and board members all know what the expectations are. In the 21st century, as society becomes even more demographically diverse, educators will, more than ever, need to be able to develop, foster, and lead tolerant and democratic schools .

Ethical Expectations

The expectation that I find myself living by and would want to have as an administrator are ethics that keep everyone grounded in the areas of treating everyone with respect and dignity. A code of ethics and professional conduct outlines the ethical principles that govern decisions and behavior at a company or organization. They give general outlines of how employees should behave, as well as specific guidance for handling issues like harassment, safety, and conflicts of interest .

In having the military background, I have seen how strong a good ethics statement can be and to mimic it somewhat as an educator is important to me. With the understanding that my new profession is not the military and all of the people I have are mainly civilians and educators who never experienced the military structure.

In the effort to have a strong code of ethics I would continually demonstrate the professional ideal I want to see. It is also essential for everyone to understand we as a whole continue to grow and learn in everything we do. A learning organization has the ability to have strong ethics and to grow together.

Integrity- I would expect all employees to have the integrity to do what’s right and have to constitution to calmly communicate differences between employees.

Fairness- Fairness isn’t always what a person feels is fair. With that I feel the organizational goals come first and employees need to be aware that as an organization there will be fair treatment and fair distribution of tasks.

Respect- this is one area that there is no flexibility in for me. Respect to each other and for the organization is the uppermost important.

Professionalism- Educators are professionals and we need to act as such. This one would come with some training on how to professionally talk to people and how to professionally send emails and messages to the different entities we must communicate with. I do not expect everyone to communicate the same just as a professional.

Discipline- Discipline goes hand in hand with respect and we at adult professional educators must show discipline in all we do, to include how we deal with parents and teachers.

Honesty- For me Honesty is also high on the list of ethics that needs to be in the forefront of an educator’s mind whether it is talking about students, collecting data and representing ourselves to others we must remain honest no matter what. In this honesty educators can’t be afraid to collaborate with everyone.

Loyalty- Loyalty is one are that takes time, the days of blind loyalty are over, and it must be w two-way street between all educators, and administration. I must give the people working for me a reason to be loyal and follow the expected Code of Ethics.

Ethical Paradigms

I believe that there is no way for a person to choose what paradigms they will use within their ethical framework. I am a person who will use all of them depending on the situation. I am very good at being a situational leader when needed and reacting to what the need is. In learning about the area of Ethic of Justice, Ethic of Critique, Ethic of Care and the Ethic of Professionalism I have learned that I have already used this one way or another in my time in the Army. Until now I sum it all up with taking care of people and the organization through the ethical paradigms.

In using the Ethic of Justice, it is imperative to keep the laws and rights of people in my mind at all time as to not go too far and break the law and become a person who is not equally treating people. With this I must ensure there is equality within my school and ensure the people working for me can express themselves to gain a better respect for each other without consequents. The former school considers the individual as central and sees social relationships as a type of a social contract where the individual, using human reason, gives up some rights for the good of the whole or for social justice. The latter tends to see society, rather than the individual, as central and seeks to teach individuals how to behave throughout their life within communities.

Within the Ethic of Critique, I see a way to ensure the people within the school are on a somewhat even playing field as to not single out the have to the have nots. Most importantly ensuring the educators understand I am here to support them and that just like my expectation of them I will follow my Ethical Code also. I want everyone to feel they are heard no matter what the situation is.

The Ethic of Care is the one that I would most likely use the most in an effort to ensure employees, parents, students and staff know that I care. Everyone is human and with the understanding that I know that we can continually have good conversations to improve the workplace. When it comes to solving problems, it is essential to be caring and compassionate to the people involved. With the vast diversity we face today it is important that we have conversations to see where people are coming from. Not everyone is raised the same we all have different values and ethics and getting to organization to be on one sheet it takes a team and the team must care for each other.

Ethics of Professionalism is important to all employees it gives the employees the ability to continue their learning. Teachers have a lot to do and with an emphasis on their profession and to assist them in maintaining certificates. Continued professional development day are needed to ensure teachers are receiving quality learning and since I feel that every organization is a learning organization it would be no different for a school, I am leading.

Paradigm Defense

I have chosen all of the paradigms for a good reason. I feel that a leader must have all the tools they can in their toolbox and even if a leader doesn’t know how to use these paradigms, I feel it is up to the leader to learn and be as responsive as they can. I feel I have the ability to move from one paradigm to the other depending on the situation. Not to mention all of the ethics of care, ethic of justice, ethic of critique and the ethic of professionalism go hand in hand with each other.

We must expect that teachers are collaborating with each other and the staff and staying within the Code of Ethics set by the school administration to ensure good order and discipline. As employees of the school face day to day challenges all employees need to be on the same page when dealing with situations. I would even say that these fundamentals of ethics needs to be taught to the teachers. Teaching the teachers, the paradigms of ethics can only strengthen the school and help with the daily transactions of problems. Because they have a daily influence on the lives of children, teachers are often held to high standards. In the midst of all of their responsibilities, they’re required to serve as strong role models and demonstrate ethical behaviors as they interact with students, colleagues, parents and others .

Stakeholder Agreement

During the construction of the Code of Ethics I must include the stakeholders. The parents and board members and some community members need to be included in the development of the Code of Ethics in that it is their children and their expectations that will be present at all times. It is necessary to have buy in from the stakeholders in the event some of them do not want to see certain ethics in the school. I feel it is important to come to a combined agreement as to what ethics will be included into the schools Code of Ethics.

Decision Making

I am making decisions I must have my ethics at the forefront of my decisions. The Code of Ethics is a public paper open to anyone to see and I must make decisions that align with my Code of Ethics.

In the process of making the decisions necessary to solve problems and fix issues I will move from one paradigm to the other, I must show the ethics of care to all people and at the same time ensure the principles of the ethics of justice are relevant. As the decision is made, I will have to consider the ethics of professionalism, since it may require training or a discussion on the decision I came to.

Finally, as I stated I am a leader who will use the paradigm that I need to at the right time, whether its and ethics of care to ensure everyone is treated equal or the ethic of justice to where I ensure we are within the laws of equality and fairness. A leader must learn as much as they can to ensure the principles set up are sustainable and can be easily taught to new employees.