Teaching discipline has been brought before the courts to help make decisions on the appropriateness of disciplinary procedures by teachers and schools. While the U.S. judicial system confirms that a school has the power to enforce standards, it also recognizes that this power is not unrestricted. For example, suspensions and breaks cannot restrict students and their right to public education. As you learned from this activity, there is not always a good “answer” to a particular situation. A code of ethics provides moral standards to help guide your decision-making and teaching practice. It helps with what you should do. There are no specific instructions on what to do or how to do it. As discussed in Chapter 1, the first step to becoming a legally recognized teacher is to obtain a teaching license. Each state has different requirements for obtaining a teaching license because they define the specific provisions, knowledge, and skills required to maintain and maintain employment in a school in that state. If you choose an educator preparation program (such as a college education major), work to meet the requirements for a teaching license in the state where your institution is located. Many states have reciprocity with teaching licenses from other states, which means you can get a teaching license in one state and teach in another, as long as you also qualify for a teaching license in that new state.
Often, reciprocity means that a second teaching license is as simple as a test, or that it may require some additional courses or training. In most states, you need a valid teaching license to teach in public schools. Private schools may or may not require a teaching license depending on the state. It is important that teachers, like other professionals, show an awareness of the possibilities and limits of their power and authority. In many communities, teachers enjoy the special respect that comes with the title “teacher.” They have the ability to assign grades that can have a lasting impact on the lives of their students and influence children`s and parents` perceptions of themselves, each other and the world they live in. It is crucial that teachers always use their influence and authority in the best interest of others. Random drug testing has always been allowed for teachers and students. In the Supreme Court case Board of Education of Independent School District No. 92 of Pottawatomie County v.
Earls (2002), the court ruled that athletes can be randomly tested for drugs to protect school safety and ensure a drug-free school. The safety and knowledge of the drug-free school took precedence over the personal rights of students who voluntarily participated in sporting events. The Court found that while students participating in extracurricular activities have limited rights under the Fourth Amendment, there are fewer expectations of privacy in the school environment and students` rights must be weighed against the school`s interest in minimizing illicit drug use (Staros & Williams, 2007). In Managing to Teach #3, trainees observe the beginning of teachers` daily routines, noting how each child is welcomed and how routines such as morning meetings serve to remind each child how much they are valued in the group. In their mathematical methods classes, trainees work on how to integrate students` alternative ideas into the whole-class discussion to support the learning of the individual student and the class as a whole. In this range of experiences, trainees begin their job of caring for all children and showing their commitment to them. It is not often that educators are allowed to strike because they are employed by the state and are considered vital to public services. Yet some teachers are on strike regardless of state laws that could prevent them from striking, as we saw in West Virginia, Kentucky, and Oklahoma in 2018.
If teachers go on strike, the school board can get a court order ordering teachers to return to school, and teachers can lose their wages for each day of strike. In many countries, they can also be fired from their teaching positions due to strikes. Similarly, teachers have an ethical obligation to ensure that all their students are challenged to achieve high standards of academic learning. This is the case even if external factors can complicate it. It is almost always unacceptable to blame students and their families. Virtually all students experience difficulties in school at some point in their careers. Some fight often and in many areas others fight only occasionally or in certain areas – but practically all have difficulties. Many factors influence students` learning and can become barriers to their academic success. Personal, family and social realities can cause difficulties for students at school, as can school-related factors, including teacher instructions. To pursue the goal of academic learning for all students, teachers have an ethical obligation to investigate the reasons why certain individuals or groups of students are experiencing academic difficulties, whether with a particular lesson or concept, or in a broader lesson, and to work to solve the problem. You may have heard of the #RedforEd movement where teachers in many states strike or protest to defend the interests of students.
Watch this video to learn more about this movement from the National Education Association (NEA). Each state must respect its respective constitutions as well as the U.S. Constitution when defining the role and responsibilities of public schools in its state. Although education is the responsibility of the state, school districts have authority over their individual schools in terms of curriculum and discipline. Rights are granted to teachers in normal day-to-day business and when appealing complaints about things such as contracts, policies, refusal of employment or suspension. Students must also comply with this power unless it overrides a student`s constitutional rights. A Chinese teacher in Taiwan once pointed out to me that there are no bad students, only bad teachers. I thought long and hard about this statement and came to the conclusion that it is true. When children are born, they have no manners and a general sense of what is right and wrong. Good, loving parents will teach a child the difference between right and wrong and develop other desirable qualities such as good manners and honesty. Similarly, teachers must recognize that students, parents, and other community members may have goals about how they want to use their education that are different from the educational goals teachers have for themselves or for their own children.
They should show appreciation for the hopes of others, especially those of students, and help students achieve their own goals and gain skills and knowledge that will allow them to make decisions about what they want to do at the end of their studies. One of the characteristics of good teaching is the responsibility of a teacher. In addition to being a source of knowledge and truth and a facilitator of learning, a good teacher works tirelessly to promote students` desirable qualities. The duties and responsibilities of a teacher are to ensure that all students develop the following desirable qualities or moral values: Racial harassment still exists in schools today. As a teacher, you are responsible for applying appropriate policies and procedures in the classroom to ensure a safe environment for all students. Immediate action is needed to respond to bullying and bullying, such as talking and talking to offending students and reporting the action to your principal if you hear or see questionable behaviour or actions in your school. Regular in-service teaching and training can also help inform and support teachers. School leadership needs a culture of inclusion and acceptance that permeates the entire school and community.
When preparing students for roles in society, the development of students` desirable qualities or moral values should not be neglected. If teachers shirk this responsibility, there will be more deviant behavioral problems in society in the future. In Hortonville Independent School District No. 1 v. Hortonville Education Association (1976) of the Supreme Court, the judges held that the school board was able to adequately ensure due process when it fired teachers who had gone on strike after contract negotiations had failed. Teachers were asked to return to work, but they refused. They were later terminated. The teachers argued that their dismissal was contrary to due process and should be reviewed by an impartial decision-maker. The court disagreed, noting instead that the school board was seen as an impartial decision-maker and did not have to be independent of the case. Whenever possible, teachers use the different types of personal and cultural knowledge and experiences that their students bring to the classroom as a source of instruction. To achieve this, teachers must continually learn about cultural differences and social diversity – theoretically, as they manifest themselves in the United States and around the world, and especially when they are present in their own classrooms. Teachers need to understand their students` cultural, social, and personal backgrounds sufficiently to recognize when local or global events are of particular importance to students, to protect students from ridicule, bullying, or other types of prejudice related to differences, and to leverage students` knowledge and experience as a resource.
explain concepts and ideas to other students.