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 for teachers to understand how they should view and teach their students, what their priorities should be, the standard that they are to be held to, and the importance of being confidential with information given to you by students, parents, and other colleagues. Making a safe environment for all students to learn is the number one priority in all classroom. If a student does not feel safe, they will not make any growth academically or socially. One of the biggest things that stands out to me is how it mentions professional development. This is important to me because I believe that if a teacher is not constantly trying to make themselves better, they are not doing their job. As a teacher, as long as I am constantly putting my students first, I believe that I am being ethical in my practice.

 

2. What is a specific detailed example from this semester when you demonstrated being an ethical educator? 

 

A specific example of when I demonstrated being an ethical educator in my level three experience was when I attended my first parent/teacher conference night. Different information about the student’s personal lives and special things were said to me in confidentiality such as a student in my class, Z, is homeless. When the parents attended conference night with Z, they told us about their situation and why Z had been struggling so much with her school work. Unfortunately, it all started to make sense. This is something extremely heartbreaking and personal, but they trusted the myself and the other teachers not to say anything until they were ready to seek help. It made me feel good that my student knew that she and her family could share this information with me and the two CT’s. I believe that this is what teaching is all about. The fact that Z and her parents felt comfortable enough to come to the CT’s and I and tell us how she was feeling was a big step, and I believe this helped her classroom growth too.  It is important to keep these personal things private unless it is harmful to their well-being. Since sharing this information with the CT’s and I, Z has been able to stay on track with classroom content and has felt comfortable enough to get other assistance from the school.

 

3. How is the specific example connected to the Code of Ethics?

 

This specific example is connected to the Code of Ethics because is falls in line with the aspects of respect, truth, and care. My concern is always about the growth of the students and showing them respect. Those are two big things found in the Code of Ethics which I exhibited in my specific example. By understanding Z’s current situation, I was able to better help her understand the content and stay adjusted in the classroom with the other students. I always want to be the teacher who can be counted on in any circumstance and by following the Code of Ethics, it will help me guide myself to be the teacher that I always have wanted to be for all of my students.