Chapter 8 Notes

Using good ethics in teaching makes for special relationships with students and co-workers

Ethics=refers to a system or a code of morality embraced by a particular person or group
The characteristics of ethical teaching are: Appreciation for moral deliberation, meaning teachers need to see the complex dimensions of the problem and appreciate that care must be taken to protect the rights of others; Empathy: the ability to get inside the skin of another person. we need to feel what the other person is feeling. Knowledge: to deal effectively with ethical issues; Reasoning: means to reflect systematically on an issue; Courage: to be able to act in what is perceived to the be the right way.
Three ways to teach ethically are: Personal Example: The manner in which teachers treat students and the way a teacher works and the seriousness of their teaching sends a powerful message to their students; Classroom Climate: providing a safe and trusting environment for students will help students feel satisfaction in what they are learning; Ethical Dialogue: discussing with students the values of honesty, respect, and responsibility will help students in real life events.

Law=is a written rule that members of a given community must follow. Teachers are affected by the law.

Due Process=fairness. Due Process comes from two amendments, the Fifth Amendments states that “no person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process law.” Fourteenth Amendment states that” no person should be denied the equal protection of the law.” Types of Due Process include: substantitive due process: has to do with the issue itself; and procedural due process: concerns the fairness of the process followed.

Contract= is a binding agreement between two or more persons or parties. Contracts differ from district to district and from state to state. Grievance=is the formal expression of a complaint about an unsatisfactory working condition. They usually concern disputes over working conditions. Continuing contract= states that it’s terms will remain in force until the teacher is given notice that the contract will be terminated on a particular date.
Tenure= teachers are hired on a probationary basis with the probationary period often lasting three years. State law determines when a teacher is eligible for tenure. It helps to maintain an adequate and competent teaching staff. Dismissal=to justify dismissals the school district must prove that the tenured teacher has violated some provision of the tenure law. Most common reasons for dismissal are: immorality, insubordination, incompetence and conduct unbecoming of a teacher. Liability= means blame. Meaning that the teacher is accept liability for a students injury
Reporting child abuse=teachers have the responsibility to safeguard students from the abuse and neglect from their parents and other adults. A teacher does not have to be certain that a child is being abused before they make a report. It is better to act than to be wrong. Assault and Battery=means a willful attack on another person that results in harm. Incidents should be reported immediately and disciplinary action demanded or legal charges filed.
Freedom of expression=includes symbolic expression=dress style and verbal or written expression. Academic Freedom= the freedom a teacher has to select course materials and to teach in a way he or she thinks fit. deals largely with issues in the classroom and the teachers rights as well as students to discuss ideas and read material of their choosing.
Absolute Academic Freedom=does not exist in K-12. Often generated a great deal of heat.

Teachers bring into their classrooms more than their minds but their attitudes and values

personal appearance, hair, clothes, and weight= teachers according the current view, do not have a constitutional right concerning their style of dressing and obesity may be it’s own punishment.
Private sexual behavior= courts have view a teachers private sexual habits as separate from their public lives as teachers. Conduct with students=allow a good degree of freedom when it comes down to their private and personal lifestyle as long as it does not affect their performance as teachers.

Students and the Law=most legal issues that affect teachers relate to students rights.

Suspension and Expulsion=example Columbine High School in Colorado in 1999, schools need to keep in mind as the drug, violence, and drop out rate increases that some students are severely and deeply unhappy. Schools have three disciplinary alternatives; in-school suspension=for minor offenses and is brief in duration; out of school suspension and expulsion= are more serious and last longer periods with expulsion meaning complete separation from school.
Pregnancy, parenthood and Marriage= dismissing these students has been found to be discriminatory by the courts and a denial to their rights to education. Most schools make arrangements for the education of pregnant students
Corporal Punishment=the trend among states is clearly in favor of banning it.
Search and Seizure= a students locker may be searched by an appropriate school official, usually a school administrator if there is reasonable grounds to suspect that the locker contains something illegal. Authorities must have probable cause for believing that the person is in possession of something illegal to conduct any kind of search of a persons possessions.

Ethics and Law play an important role in a teachers career