Victoria Slack

4/18/19
Professor Dawson
Ethics and Culture
My Code of Ethics

As part of my personal code of ethics, I know that I want to create an environment where

the students feel welcome and safe. The article, Ethics in Education states “Ethics in education

are essential as they help run the system smoothly”(Ethics in Education). Through my code of

ethics, I can make my classroom run smoothly by understanding each individual student and

getting to know who they are. As a teacher, I will take the time to understand each of the

students’ needs and figure out the best way to teach the students. By understanding my students'

needs I will learn more about their interests and this can help me to create more engaging lessons

which will also help them succeed. I also think that it is important to understand the students

academic and cultural backgrounds and incorporate certain artifacts into the room like photos,

and books of different cultures. This will help the students feel more included in the classroom. I

also want the students to understand that there are different cultures within their own classroom

and we have to be aware of these cultures and be culturally sensitive. Another part of my

personal code of ethics is to create a meaningful and personal relationship with both the students

and their families. It is important for both the families and students to feel welcomed into the

classroom. One other relationship that I think is ethical important is to have is a relationship with

other teachers because everyone needs to work together to create a positive environment. As a

professional, I want to make sure that all students have a chance to succeed, and I can do that by

understanding the student and learning about their cultural backgrounds and creating an

environment that is appropriate for them, along with working with others to help the students be

successful.
 One part of my personal code of ethics is to understand each individual student and learn

about who they are and how they learn. I believe that this is important to do this in order to

create lessons that are developmentally appropriate for the students. I also believe that it is

important to do assessments throughout the year and use documentation of the students' work to

show their abilities and to help create lesson plans. But it is important to create plans that are not

to easy or too difficult for the student. By understanding the students' strengths and weaknesses I

am able to determine what their learning styles are and figuring out the best way to give the

information to the student so that they can succeed. Part of my ethical stance is that I need to

look at the whole student and make sure that I am creating lessons that are geared towards the

students' needs. The article Ethics in Education states, “They should treat every student equally

and do justice while taking any action. It's important that an instructor understands that every

student is different and shouldn't be evaluated the same”(Ethics in Education). By understanding

the students I can learn about their home life and their past academic performance, which can

also give me some insight into why the student might be acting a certain way. This is part of my

ethical code because as a teacher I want to understand each child as a whole and make sure that I

am able to give them the best education. As I begin to understand the students and where they

come from, this information will help me to educate them in the best way possible.

Another part of my personal code of ethics is to teach with the best interest of the

students in mind. I am the students advocate and I am the one that sees what the students are able

to do in the classroom. I also see the effort that the students put into their school work and

because of that information, I know what the students are able to do. The article, Beyond the

Classroom: The Importance of Ethics in Education written by Laurie Futterman explains that

when your a teacher there are going to be times that you need to take a step back and understand
what is going to be the best for the students and how you can make sure you are giving them the

tools that they need to succeed and not just doing with what the community or society tell you to

do (Beyond the Classroom). I need to create assignments and administer them in a way that I

know is appropriate for the student. Ethically if a school tries to get me to administer something

that is too challenging for my student, I need to stand up for my students and make sure the

school understands that the students will not be successful and try to find a way around the

problem. I could not make my students do something that they are not capable of doing. With my

degree, I focus on lower elementary grade students and this is when students develop their

feeling towards school. My job is to make school enjoyable and fun but also to teach them the

appropriate material for their developmental level, I need to be a voice for the students when it

comes to creating curriculum.

As part of looking at the students as a whole, I think that it is ethically appropriate to

make sure that I am aware of the students' cultural background. Throughout the school year,

there is going to be different holidays that different cultures celebrate, and I want to make sure

that my classroom understands that there are other cultures all around the world and there are

different cultures within the classroom. I think that it is important to expose students to different

cultures. I believe that I can teach students about these cultures by having different pictures

around the room or incorporating different books into the curriculum. My personal code of ethics

in this matter is that it is important to expose students to different religions and cultures around

the world and create a culturally sensitive classroom. The article Culture in the Classroom states,

“To truly engage students, we must reach out to them in ways that are culturally and

linguistically responsive and appropriate, and we must examine the cultural assumptions and

stereotypes we bring into the classroom that may hinder interactions”(Culture in the Classroom).
I can do this by talking with the families about what holidays they celebrate at home, and when

the holiday occurs during the school year I can ask the students to explain the holiday to the

class. I will also include cultural books that I can read and that the students can read on their

own. My goal is to teach students about different cultures and teach them how to be respectful of

other students backgrounds. I can learn about my students’ cultures by creating a relationship

with the students.

I believe that it is ethically appropriate and important to create personal relationships with

both the students and families. This naturally happens when a teacher starts to get to know the

student anyway. For the students, a teacher is more than just someone who teaches them, they

are caregivers, nurses, parents, maids and so much more. It is important to develop these

relationships because it helps the student to open up and this can help the teacher to know what is

happening at home, or if there is something that is happening at school. My personal code of

ethics is that it is necessary to create these personal relationships because they can really help a

teacher to understand what is happening inside the child's mind, which can help a teacher to

create more influential lessons and know how to help the child. The article written by Laurie

Futterman states, “ Teachers are better able to structure their content and presentation methods

when they have an understanding of their individual students and the way they live” (Beyond the

Classroom). But I also personally think that it is just as important to create a personal

relationship with the families because the more they are involved in the students' education the

better the student will do. I want families to be involved in the classroom. My personal code of

ethics is about creating a very welcoming environment and creating a community within the

classroom. By creating this relationship with both the students and the families I have made it

clear to the students that their families and I are a unit, and that we will work together to make
sure the student is successful. My personal code of ethics is about creating these personal

relationships but it is also important to know where the appropriate line should be placed.

I also believe that it is important to create professional relationships with other teachers

within the school. This is part of my personal code of ethics because I think it is important for all

teachers to work together and share ideas, and provide each other with helpful tips on ways of

teaching on a deeper level. The article Professional Code of Ethics for Teachers written by Stacy

Zeiger explains that as teachers we need to collaborate with other professionals in order to create

an environment that is safe and positive for the students. We also have to listen to one another

because we are showing the students how to act towards others and adults (Professional Code of

Ethics).  Being an early elementary teacher, I will have the students as they are first starting out

and are beginning to learn the rule. I get to see right away how the students act in the classroom

and how they learn. When I communicate with the other teachers in the upper elementary I can

explain to them, certain things that I have seen the student do and what teaching techniques

worked for me. It is important to create these positive relationships with colleges because some

students may go to the resource room and it's important to communicate with the teacher and

openly talk about how the student is doing, what needs to be worked on. When you form

professional relationships with other teachers you can communicate and share management

techniques with each other. This is part of the personal code of ethics because I think that it is

important to communicate and work together with the people around you because it creates a

supportive environment.

My personal code of ethics really focuses on the students and makes sure they are in an

environment that is appropriate for them. Through my code of ethics, I focus on understanding

students’ needs and being able to adapt lessons to meet those needs. By understanding the
students academically I am able to know the best way to create lessons that will be appropriate

for the student and challenge them enough, but not frustrate them. It is also important for me to

understand where the students are from and learn more about their cultural background, and see

if it influences the students in school. By understanding their different backgrounds and how

their home life is like, it can give a lot of information on the student and why they might be

acting a certain way. Some cultures might view education in different ways and it is important to

know how the family feels about education. But it is also important to include their culture into

the classroom and have the other students understand that there are different cultures around

them. As a teacher, I will also create personal relationships with the students and their families.

This is a big part of my personal code of ethics because I think by forming these personal

relationships it makes a major difference in the students' performance in school.  But it is also

equally important to build professional relationships with colleagues. Through my personal code

of ethics the students to understand that they are always welcome in my classroom, but they will

also understand that their family and the other teachers are working with me to help create an

environment that is safe, and that makes the students feel like they can be successful. The bottom

line of my personal code of ethics is to help the student be successful to the best of my abilities.
 Work Cited

Futterman, Laurie. “Beyond the Classroom: The Importance of Ethics in Education.” Miami

Herald, 31 Mar. 2015, www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/community-

voices/article17030966.html. Accessed 14, April 2019

N.A. “Culture in the Classroom.” Teaching Tolerance, www.tolerance.org/professional-

development/culture-in-the-classroom. Accessed 14 April 2019

N.A. “Ethics in Education.” EdDirect Education, www.eddirect.com/resources/education/ethics-

in-education. Accessed 14, April 2019

Zeiger, Stacy. “Professional Code of Ethics for Teachers.” Chron.com, 1 July 2018,
https://work.chron.com/professional-code-ethics-teachers-4132.html Accessed 14, April 2019