In practicing their profession, teachers frequently face issues that have ethical or legal dimensions. Several possible issues are listed below. Select one as the focus for your discussion. Decide whether the decision involves professional ethics or the law and explain the consideration. For your chosen issue, describe one solution that represents sound legal or ethical thinking

Question

a. One of your students appears to be abused at home.
b. You think you see a student cheating on a test. The evidence is fairly convincing, but there is room for doubt.
c. You write a letter to the editor of the local paper expressing your view that sexual preference is a private matter and should not be used as a basis for employment. Your letter elicits a response, and you would like to continue the dialogue in another letter. Your principal reports this civic activity to the superintendent.
d. You have used only one or two of your sick leave days this year, and today is the first warm, lovely day of spring. You would like to take what you privately call a “mental health day.”
e. After months of good-faith negotiation, your professional association has determined that only a strike can persuade the school board of the teachers' seriousness about getting improved working conditions. The board continues to put off making any decisions and has said that working conditions are good as they are. You agree that the current board offers are not fair. The strike is supported by a clear majority of members. You feel very uneasy about joining it because you are by nature very reserved and quiet in public.

Answer 1

ANSWER: a. Law. Teachers are required to report suspected abuse. Tell the principal. b. Ethics. Teachers are supposed to help students achieve their best and also to behave honestly. Several different responses might be ethical. c. Law. Teachers are permitted public expression of conviction, just as are all citizens. You may write your second letter and may decide to remind the principal that you never use the classroom as an arena to advocate your beliefs. d. Ethics. You have agreed to serve in good faith, and only you can judge when you are capable of working and when you are not. However, you are clearly bound to teach when you can. In real life, people have various responses to this common problem. Any answer supported by an ethical interpretation is correct. e. Ethics. By becoming a member, you have agreed to work collectively. The call for a strike is warranted by the board's inaction. As this case is described, joining the strike is probably the ethical response.