6. Professional Responsibility and Ethical Conduct. Understanding that educators are held to a high moral standard in a community, the effective educator adheres to the Code of Ethics and the Principles of Professional Conduct of the Education Profession of Florida, pursuant to Rules 6B-1.001 and 6B-1.006,F.A.C., and fulfills the expected obligations to students, the public and the education profession.
Ethics Performance Task
1. What do you see as the purpose of the Code of Ethics and Principles of Professional Conduct of the Education Profession of Florida?
The purpose of the Code of Ethics and Principles of Professional Conduct of the Education Profession of Florida is to hold educators accountable for their actions. Educators are held with higher expectations from parents, families, and the state to ensure we are being ethical and professional. The Code of Ethics and Principles of Professional Conduct of the Education Profession of Florida also holds educators accountable for being respectful to all students and their families as well as giving equitable opportunities for students and families of the classroom.
2. What is a specific detailed example from this semester when you demonstrated being an ethical educator?
This semester has provided me with many opportunities to demonstrate being an ethical educator. However, there are two situations that come to mind immediately. In my placed classroom, there are three students who struggle with number recognition and meaning while the rest of the class is able to add and subtract. When my collaborating teacher is teaching a math lesson, the three students are sitting alone with no idea of what is going on because they do not understand the first step of number recognition and meaning. When students have the opportunity to do an activity, I take initiative by pulling the three students in a small group to go over counting and reteach the math lesson that was just taught. The mini-lesson helps the students concentrate and learn a lesson that focuses on their learning needs.
In my classroom, students work in math centers with their tabled groups that focus on the unit being taught. The three students who struggle with numbers are given a different center than their group that focuses on counting and number recognition. While this is their learning need, they have been given the same center without any challenge or encouragement while other students are given different ones. Very often, the three students complain about the centers and claim that is boring. I used this opportunity to be an ethical educator by creating centers that would engage and challenge each student’s knowledge. Rather than assigning them to the center alone, I interacted with them and completed the center together to monitor their interest and success.
3. How is the specific example connected to the Code of Ethics?
This is connected to the Code of Ethics because although they do not understand number recognition or its’ meaning, they are given the right for additional support for their learning needs. It does not mean that they should be left at the same level of understanding and to not be encouraged or challenged.
Each student of the classroom should be given an equitable opportunity to learn and as an educator, I found these situations to be a great opportunity for me to step in and change what I feel was unfair for the three students. Seeing the students engaged, happy, and succeed in what they struggle in reminds me of why I want to be an educator and I hope for more opportunities where I can create equal opportunities for my students.
“The educator’s primary professional concern will always be for the student and for the development of the student’s potential. The educator will therefore strive for professional growth and will seek to exercise the best professional judgment and integrity”.
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