Introduction
The professional behavior of teachers involves following specific rules that shape the status and ethics of teaching practice. Teachers must adhere to principles that are fundamental to the practice and are not subject to controversy because violating them can be considered a violation of human rights. For Florida, there is a set of rules that predetermines the behavior of educators and interprets the central tenets. As part of professional practice, the educator conducts his or her work by ethical and disciplinary principles, fulfilling obligations to the student, the community, and the profession.
Key Elements
The first thing to consider is the ethical principles without which the professional work of an educator is impossible. Ethics as a science is an essential foundation for many professions because it is based on moral statements that become the way of communication and interaction. It helps to overcome difficult situations and find peaceful resolutions to conflicts. As part of being a teacher, each person’s values and desires should be considered (Florida Department of Education, 2016). A teacher can ensure this with equal treatment of each student or colleague. The teacher has a duty of care to ensure that their students receive professional development and growth and should strive with all their might to ensure these freedoms (Matyanto & Nor, 2019). Finally, a teacher’s aspiration should be to improve oneself and work within an ethical framework (Florida Department of Education, 2016). No decisions that are interpreted as immoral should exist in the practice of teaching. Teaching ethics is a standard, violations of which go against the meaning of teaching and education.
The disciplinary principles of the teacher should be evaluated, which are divided into obligations to the student, the community, and the profession. Obligations to the student resonate with ethical behavior: the teacher should not violate a student’s rights and freedoms or discriminate (Florida Department of Education, 2016). In addition, the teacher must be concerned for the student’s safety and keep the student safe from violence, humiliation, and loss of confidential information (Matyanto & Nor, 2019). Commitment to the community requires the teacher to be faithful to the goals of the educational activity. Among these rules are no bribes or demands for bribes from students, respect for the educational institution, and adherence to its rules (Florida Department of Education, 2016). Obligations to the teaching profession include creating healthy relationships with colleagues and no discrimination, harassment, or coercion to do anything (Florida Department of Education, 2016). Teachers must report Florida School Code offenses and avoid dishonesty in the workplace or the law. Having disciplinary action for violations is positive in the practice of the code of ethics, but there is a problem with where and how the law passes.
Case Studies
Despite the efforts of faculty ethics and conduct oversight committees, ethics violations continue to exist. For example, Apgar (2018) points out that the most frequent violations are sexual misconduct and physical aggression. These problems stem from teachers having personal unprocessed traumas and deviations that can use students to gratify their needs. Apgar’s (2018) study also indicates that ethics violations remain a serious problem, and individual cases should be used to shape future policy. The problem of sexual harassment is reported by the Innocent Lives Foundation project, which states that approximately 1 in 10 teenagers is abused in the classroom (Sexual misconduct in the classroom, n.d.).Other violations are reported by Wang et al. (2021): men are more likely to neglect community commitments and not follow equality principles than women. Krauth (2021) reports a case of physical aggression by a faculty member against a student. All acts of ethical misconduct overshadow the profession and teachers’ societal perception. These cases demonstrate that the code of ethics does not fully restrict faculty members from committing misconduct.
Lesson Learned
This study leads to the idea that the effectiveness of enforcing a code of ethics and rules of professional conduct is not enough to prevent sexual or physical abuse. The examples gave me a bad feeling, and although I have not personally encountered such aggression, I believe that many adults have not yet worked through this kind of trauma. It suggests that in the professional behavior of a teacher, ethics is a rule to be followed, but it does not always work out for everyone. Such acute and critical behavioral violations have taught me that I cannot behave this way in my practice. In addition, these examples, especially the Apgar (2018) study, bothers me because there is a question about providing preventative tools for ethical violations in schools. I believe stricter and more responsible measures must be taken to achieve ethical and appropriate workplace behavior.
Conclusion
Thus, the code of ethics for professional teachers in Florida requires them to act a certain way. Behavior must be based on mutual respect with students and colleagues, and teachers must respect personal and professional boundaries in communication and learning requirements. Teachers must also respect the principles of student care and safety, avoid discrimination, and report misconduct. The frequency of violations is relatively high, so additional measures are needed to achieve a positive school environment.
References
Apgar, K. P. (2018). Teacher ethics code violations that result in licensure or certification sanctions [Doctoral dissertation, University of Portland]. Graduate Theses and Dissertations, 49. Web.
Florida Department of Education. (2016). Rule 6A-10.081, Florida administrative code, principles of professional conduct for the education profession in Florida. Web.
Krauth, O. (2021). JCPS fires Marion C. Moore teacher shown in cellphone video fighting with student. Courier Journal. Web.
Matyanto, M. Sc., & Nor, K. (2019). Code of ethics for teacher as legal pillar to improve educational professionalism. Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Education and Social Science Research (ICESRE 2018), 287, 224-228.. Web.
Sexual misconduct in the classroom: Everything you need to know. (n.d.). Innocent Lives Foundation. Web.
Wang, J., Wang, X., Li, J., Zhao, C., Liu, M., & Ye, B. (2021). Development and validation of an unethical professional behavior tendencies scale for student teachers. Frontiers in Psychology. Web.