Ethical dilemmas facing teachers Essay

Introduction

The role of teachers in the current society is more than imparting knowledge among students. Teachers are involved in developing skills, knowledge, and attitudes among the children. Present day parents are involved in activities that raise income to a level that children are left to spend most of their time with teachers in schools and other learning institutions.

Moral lessons are among non-classroom lessons that pupils learn from the teachers in addition to learning how to behave responsibly and methods of handling situations that are difficult. The role and impact of teachers is immense however, it comes with many challenges.

Analysis of the ethical dilemmas

Teaching is termed as a noble profession because it requires more than professional training. An ethical dilemma presents issues that non-teachers cannot easily categorize as either wrong or immoral.

Moral virtues are the first of the ethical dilemmas faced by teachers. Upholding the moral virtues that are beyond reproach is the best way to behave during circumstances that demand the highest level of integrity when making choices. This leaves behind a figure that is positive and worth emulating. It would be difficult for a teacher to demand honesty from students yet he or she is a liar.

The language commonly used to refer to this situation is that of preaching what you drink. Teachers can rely on such values as transparency, commitment, honesty, and responsibility to help run through the complex ethical dilemmas. These values are essential because the students and teachers would be constantly interacting for almost fifteen years in the life of the student. The challenges would come up very often during this complete learning period.

Teachers have other duties besides acting as role models to the students and the entire community. They are the face of the learning institution. This means that they have to live up to the ethical values that come with their roles in these institutions.

That is walking the talk and a professional code of conduct. The members of the community through the teachers see the image of the learning institutions. Decisions made regarding ethical issues are made on the background of personal morality and should be a reflection of the values held by the institution where the teacher works.

A case in point would be for instance a teacher working in a learning institution that is also an orphanage would behave differently from a teacher in a public school. Children in public schools have their parents or guardians at the end of the earning day to mingle with; however, those in an orphanage do not enjoy parental love. They will definitely behave differently and therefore have to be handled in a different manner.

Teachers are encouraged from all aspects to take a practical approach when executing their duties. The proponents of this system claim that it is authentic and offers a first hand experience to the learners. However, this method comes with many challenges to the educator. The needs in this system include having a strong foundation in the areas that the knowledge and skills are to be imparted.

This puts the teacher in a better position to undertake his duties. Teachers can only teach what they understand. The problem here is that, teachers may not have learned these issues while in training. They may also not realize that other teaching and learning morals with ethical implications are not obviously taught. It can be concluded that the myriad of ethical challenges faced by teachers cannot be compared to those in any other profession.