Ethical dilemmas and decisions

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University of Phoenix *

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525

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Management

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Apr 3, 2024

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1 Ethical dilemmas and decisions Phil Raia III University of Phoenix CUR/525 Shari Carlsted March 24 2024

2 There are so many scenarios where you will find yourself in some sort of dilemma that makes you think about your moral code, your beliefs, ethics, and just how it mixes with your place of employment. Many situations happen outside of the allotted teaching time. Identifying potential risks is a great first step to making the right choice if and when the time arises. “Parent–Teacher Relationships Dilemma” This particular video, the dilemma is that a teacher has a very close relationship with a parent of one of his students. The teacher is dating one of his students' mothers, and was keeping it a secret. The dilemma he has is that while dating is fine, dating in that situation brings up possible favoritism and issues for the student of the mother. The teacher's reasoning seems ok, and he seems like everything is fine, but a relationship like that can be very delicate, depending on the seriousness of the relationship, and the trust that the teacher will do things the right way. This video really hits home to me. I consider, and I feel like I have the backing of so many people to agree with me in saying one of my two greatest strengths as a teacher, is my communication with the parents. I have known parents personally, and had great relationships with them outside of the realm of school, and I’ve also developed good friendships with parents even after just meeting them through school. None of these have ever been personal, but a relationship is a relationship regardless. When choosing to have a relationship of any level with a parent, you absolutely have to clear it with administration first. There are principals out there that will forbid relationships within the walls, so I know relationships with parents are right up that corner. This is one of those “if it’s done right” situations, that you may be safe with, if you take the right procedures. In this particular situation, I think knowing exactly what the school policy is would be the most key part. I think if the boxes were checked, and notice was given, I can see a smooth

3 process being played out. When knowledge of the relationship is given to staff, they can hold the teacher and parent accountable. I don’t see a problem, if it is done the right way. I don’t think there were many geographical factors to play, but situationally, it just wasn’t done properly. As an administrator, they may find this to be fine, but knowing that they hid it from you raises a red flag. With this particular teacher, now that they confessed, you question if they would have, had it not been noticed? Even after admission, it doesn’t look good for him. The principal now has to decide if he can keep things professional, or if hiding it is any indication of what is possible, should she squash it. My choice to handle it, and my viewpoints align with deontology, which is what I picked before. The relationship seems fine to me, but at what cost? If I knew I was in a relationship with a student’s mother, is there any possible way I could overlook an error on the student’s work, due to this reason. Even a point of work that is overlooked, is morally wrong. Work is either right, or it is wrong and it doesn’t matter whose work it is. Now you run the risk in one of two ways: either you overlook something, and grade unfairly, causing moral problems yet having a happy student and mother, or you grade fairly, the student performs badly, thus potentially causing a rift between the mother and you. Which is a greater risk I ask? “Ethics Coach Dilemma” The dilemma portrays a coach of a baseball team, being a mentor outside of the realm of baseball to a player. The coach does not seem to have a problem with it, until the player discusses a very personal matter. The coach clearly is unsure of how to answer the player due to the sensitivity of the matter. The player clearly trusts the coach, so that puts the coach in an even trickier position.

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4 I have been a coach for the last 13 years, and have seen my share of situations like this. I have acted, and have absolutely no problem mentoring a player of mine. The difference is, I will never speak to a player about anything outside of the sport without general parental permission. I make it a personal mission to earn the trust of not only my players, but the parents as well. Many of them have been around the team for many years, so I can honestly say we are in a good position. With that being said, I would never commit to that without approval. I refuse to be put in a position to have to do that. The parents have actually asked me to speak with players before, and that is a different story, but to have a player confide in me without parents knowing, is a conflict and will not go over well. I would simply tell the player that he cannot speak about matters like this without some parental knowledge. It just is not a safe option to go behind parents backs. The National Education Association describes parent-teacher or coach relationships as “The education profession is vested by the public with a trust and responsibility requiring the highest ideals of professional service.” (2020) There is a general rule of thumb that regardless of if you are a teacher or a coach, or both, the parents of the student and athletes place their children in the trust and care of you. As a coach, you are essentially an extension of the parent in these situations, but you do not become the parent. All matters, unless it concerns violence and problematic issues by the parent, should absolutely include the parents' consultation. I think acting on the least amount of harm would be a great comparison. On one hand, the player trusts you with this matter, but on the other hand, parents put trust in coaches to take care of their children and respect them. Withholding sensitive information like this to the parents could cause major conflict if and when they find out, but speaking with the parents betrays trust the player has in the coach. One could see it as an impossible choice, so you need to think about

5 making the least amount of damage and harm. When thinking about it, going to the parents may upset the athlete, and cause a rift there. But acting and speaking on serious matters behind parental knowledge could lead to bigger rifts, involving more people, with potentially bigger consequences. “... least harm deals with situations in which no choice appears beneficial. In such cases, decision makers seek to choose to do the least harm possible and to do harm to the fewest people.” (Chonko) This video and comparison both aligns, and does not align with my personal beliefs. On one hand, I wholeheartedly think speaking briefly with the parents is the way to go, I also respect the confidence the player placed in the coach, and believe it would bring harm if the coach went to the parents. There just isn’t a right answer, so again, you should pick the decision with the least amount of damage. “Out for a Drink Dilemma” This video shows “Linda” going out for some drinks with some friends after the school week. The group she is with decided on a place closer to her work, and while out she notices some kids from class also there doing their own thing. She notices them, and is overcome with nervousness. She assumes that they feel awkward about her being there, and Linda probably feels guilty for drinking in front of them. Personally, I see absolutely nothing wrong with this particular situation. Sure, it may be odd seeing students while you are out with friends, but this is not the only time teachers have been out after a work week. Students of that age should know that teachers have their own life outside of the school walls. There should be nothing to fear if I’m the teacher. As long as you are not acting super foolish, being belligerent, and embarrassing, this is all normal behavior. As the teacher itself, enjoying life with friends has absolutely nothing to do with school. It was outside

6 working hours, outside the school property, and nothing at all to do with school. A few students happened to be there, but this does not concern them at all. You shouldn’t be wondering who is watching, when in reality, you’ve done nothing wrong. In fact, when I saw the students, it would probably be less awkward if Linda had gotten up for a minute, gone over and said hello to them. This probably would have taken the weirdness out. Students often get weird when they see teachers outside of school, but these students were older, and should have known better. This is a situational and geographical dilemma. The situation happens to be about Linda drinking and the students observing it, but also geographically due to the location outside of where she normally is. I don’t believe any school will say you can’t enjoy life and have fun outside of the school realm, rather it mentions about conduct hurting the school or its image. The world knows what teachers do outside of those hours, and this is no different. Despite me personally having experience in some of these same situations, as well as others, it really is difficult to go through in real time. Our morals, our ethics, and our beliefs are questioned daily, and whether they align with our professional code is another challenge in and of itself. It is important to stick closely to them as much as possible. Changing that will ultimately change who you are. When it comes to education, there are so many factors to consider, and I believe the stronger you become morally, the stronger you will become in general.

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7 Chonko, L., Ph.D. (n.d.). Ethical Theories . Www.Dsef.org. Retrieved March 21, 2024, from https://dsef.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/EthicalTheories.pdf National Education Association (2020, September 14). Code of Ethics for Educators . Www.nea.org. Retrieved March 23, 2024, from https://www.nea.org/resource-library/code-ethics-educators Chonko, L. (n.d.). Ethical theories . Ethical Theories. Retrieved March 18, 2024, from https://dsef.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/EthicalTheories.pdf Hayes, A. (2023, November 13). Code of Ethics: Understanding Its Types, Uses Through Examples . Investopedia. Retrieved March 18, 2024, from https://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/code-of-ethics.asp#:~:text=A%20code%20of%20ethics %20is%20a%20guiding%20set%20of%20principles,beneficial%20to%20all%20stakeholders %20involved .

Ethical dilemmas and decisions

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