Victoria Hughes

ECD 243
02/22/2017

Ethical Dilemmas

Inappropriate handling of children-Grabbing them

Todays world is much different than it was several years ago. The
criminal violence, need for hurt and brutal acts that happen on a daily basis
are at an all time high. This often makes me worry for the children growing
up in this society. What will my children one day have to face, their children,
and so on? It is crucial that we set the bar high for todays children in the
area of having love and respect for one another. It has become almost a
normal thing to use physical discipline to get a point across. However, as
teachers, we should be modeling appropriate behavior in classroom
interactions with children on a daily basis. This means never taking out our
frustrations, or acting harshly toward the children in any manner whatsoever.
We must realize that under no circumstances is it ever ok to inappropriately
handle, or grab children. I feel very strongly about using conscious discipline
verses physical harm when it comes to the correction of childrens behavior.
It is our top priority as teachers to create safe classroom environments
where the children feel warm and welcome.

There are several readily available resources that speak the

importance of making childrens safety our number one priority, one of those
being the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct and Statement of Commitment.
This code offers guidelines for responsible behavior projected by teachers
and sets forth a common basis for resolving the principal ethical dilemmas
that are encountered in Early Childhood settings each and every day from
birth to eight years of age. According to NAEYC, when we as individuals enter
this field we are making a commitment to appreciate childhood as a valuable
stage of the human life cycle, base our work on how children learn,
appreciate the bond between the children and their families, respect all
cultures, communities, and society, respect the uniqueness of each and
every child, and recognize that all relationships are built on trust and
respect. Principal 1.1 of the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct states the
following, Above all, we shall not harm children. We shall not participate in
practices that are emotionally damaging, physically harmful, disrespectful,
degrading, dangerous, exploitative, or intimidating to children. This principal
has precedence over all others in this Code. In other words, there is no
procedure more important that the well being of our children.

Another source that feels strongly about the well being and safety of
our children is, The Intentional Teacher. In chapter two, there is an article
about interacting with children and creating a warm and caring atmosphere.
It says, Children feel secure and successful when teachers interact
 Victoria Hughes
ECD 243
02/22/2017
positively with them, both verbally and nonverbally. Warm, sensitive, and
nurturing interactions are more beneficial for childrens development than
harsh, critical, or detached adult behavior. This tells us that the best
practice for handing disputes in the classroom is through warm, interactive
communication. Grabbing and brutality are never an acceptable tactics to
use when correcting childrens behavior. How a teacher interacts with the
children is setting the stage for how children will handle situations in their
own lives. Another article in The Intentional Teacher states that, By treating
children with kindness and respect and engaging in conversations with them,
teachers set the tone for how children interact with one another. If a child
sees a teacher handling another child in aggression, or out of anger they will
interpret this as a proper way to handle disputes as well. We should be
modeling the behavior we expect them to use.
During the SCECA conference there were several sessions that were
very informative in this area, but there is one in particular that comes to
mind that was very useful when it comes to the teaching of discipline and
the correct measures to take. This was the Conscious Discipline class
teaching useful tactics by Doctor Becky Bailey. In this session we learned
several different ways to help decrease behavioral issues, none of them
being corporal punishment. According to Conscious Discipline there are three
problem solving steps to take when correcting a childs behavior that are
more effective than just yanking a child up and relocating them. They are as
follows: State what they did wrong, tell them why they should not do it, and
show them the correct way of doing it. These three ethical steps will begin to
solve any behavioral issues that may occur in the classroom.

Because I feel so strongly about the mishandling of children, and what I

have witnessed in the classroom so far I have thought of a couple ways to
help put a stop to it. During student teaching I plan to model good teaching
behavior and conscience discipline techniques in front of the teachers in
hopes that they may begin using tactics such as these instead of discipline
strategies that are currently in place within this classroom. Also, I plan to
give each teacher a copy of the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct for them to
use as a guideline when questioning what they should or should not be doing
while working with children. I believe that both of these attempts will better
their current classroom environment all the way around.

The inappropriate handling of children is growing in our world each and

every day. Our children are the future of this world, and the society we live
in. With violence at an all time high it is crucial that we are modeling the
behavior that we want in the world. Children look up to us as role models and
are replicas of what we teach them to be. Professional Early Childhood
sources stress that the way children are treated is the single most important
topic in our field. When we make the commitment to teach we make the
commitment to provide warm, and secure atmosphere for our children each
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02/22/2017
and every day. As teachers, we may not be able to change the lives of all
children, but we are able to create an impact on several children one
classroom at a time.