According to NAEYC's code of ethical conduct, ethics is defined as "the study of right and wrong, or duty and obligation, that involves critical reflection on morality and the ability to make choices between values and the examination of the moral dimensions of relationships." As a professional in the early childhood field, I could face ethical dilemmas...and maybe I already have....
the ideals meaningful to me:
I-1.1: to be familiar with the knowledge base of early childhood care and education and to stay informed through continuing education and training.
--in order to be effective in any job, an individual must know about and have experience with that job; things change and we must stay up to date with what is happening; it is important to always learn and develop as a professional through more education and training
I-1.5: to create and maintain safe and healthy settings that foster children's social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development and that respect their dignity and their contributions.
--we have learned that children have voices and have the right to be heard; this is meaningful to me in that I need to listen to those voices and facilitate to what they need and want; above all, we will not harm children in any way, we HAVE to provide them safe, healthy, and stimulating environments for them to learn and develop
I-2.3: to welcome all family members and encourage them to participate in the program
--we need to close the gap between home and school; learning will only be as effective as those that encourage it; communication is everything! for all those children that have a hard time transitioning into a childcare setting, if parents would visit more and talk more about school at home, it would be easier for their children; word of mouth spreads the fastest, so from a business perspective, we can spread high-quality care through this ideal as parents actively participate and tell their friends how well that program is...
I-3B.2: to do nothing that diminishes the reputation of the program in which we work unless it is violating laws and regulations designed to protect children or is violating the provisions of his Code
--this ideal brings to mind those individuals who wear their program's uniforms wherever they go, including a bar-scene; we represent this field and our companies wherever we go, whatever we are doing should NOT reflect negatively on the company; this includes, to me, keeping thoughts about co-workers to yourself instead of sharing them with a parent standing in your classroom dropping off her child to your care...
I-3C.1: to promote safe and healthy working conditions and policies that foster mutual repect, cooperation, collaboration, competence, well-being, confidentiality, and self-esteem in staff members.
--I really want to post this ideal on a former employer's office door! If you are going to be in a management position, then be a manager. Be involved. Be present. do NOT hide under a stack of paper!
All of these ideals came from NAEYC's Code of Ethical Conduct and Statement of Commitment:
NAEYC. (2005, April). Code of ethical conduct and statement of commitment. Retrieved December 17, 2011, fromhttp://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PSETH05.pdf
**I think so many things are worth remembering from this class...good thing I printed out all the resources we had to read, so I can always refer back to them in the future....:)**
Amy,
ReplyDeleteI agree that we need to close the gap between home and school. It is so important for parents and teachers to work as a cohesive unit to help make the student successful. I see such a difference in my families who are actively engaged in their child's learning and those who aren't. Thanks for making that point.
Amy,
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you in regards to welcoming and encouraging the parents and the families to participate in the program. I know that has been one aspect of becoming a supervisor that at times has been very frustrating for myself. We have monthly parent meetings and parent councils the parents can participate in, But yet there are still those parents that just refuse to get involved. And for me personally it is those same parents that refuse to get involve that are the same ones who constantly come to me with various questions, concerns and even complaints. The kind of questions or concerns that we continuously bring up and discuss in our monthly meetings, as well as in the parent council discussions. So I do agree it is extremely important as well as essential for the success of the child or children if the parents and family member make the effort to participate and simply just be involved in their children's school life, so they can be successful. Great job!!
Sylvia
Dear Amy,
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to personally thank you for all you have given to this course. I have been touched by your postings and have learned from your experiences and resources. It has been nice getting to know you through your postings and comments and I wish nothing but the best for you in your future classes(you never know, we may meet again!). Take care and have a very blessed Christmas and New Year!