MacKenzie Hooker
EDU 201
Dr. Haberlin
Personal/Professional Code of Conduct
Create your own ‘Personal Code of Conduct’ specific to your social, personal, and
professional choices and beliefs as a future educator. These choices should be based on
your personal choices/beliefs and grounded in the ethical standards and sexual awareness
expectations discussed.
You should cite specific standards and protocols as you utilize them in each section APA
style.
Your Personal Code of Conduct should possess the following elements:
Part 1: A well drafted and thought out personal statement of your acceptance of ‘In
loco parentis’ and how seriously you take your role as a professional educator and
the safety of the children under your supervision.
(Approximately 1-2 paragraphs in length)
A student is an educator’s responsibility at all times that the individual is present on
school property. The educator is responsible for the safety and care of his/her student’s.
When a student is in custody of a school system, the student loses the protection of their
parents and the protection is then handed over to the staff of the school. While under the
watch of an educator, the educator is under the doctrine of “in loco parentis”, meaning in
place of the parent, towards his/her select number of students. This doctrine allows
educators the right to discipline students to the same degree that a parent may legally do
so. However, I do not believe that such punishment should be practiced by an educator
upon a student and in the school systems, the Constitution rights of students must be
protected. Instead, an educator in this position should treat the student in a respectful
manner and allow the guardians of the student to decide a punishment for the individual.
The doctrine also states that educators owe students a duty to anticipate foreseeable
dangers and the take responsible steps to protect those students from danger (US EDU
LAW, 2015-2019). I do believe that it is the responsibility of an educator to protect
his/her own students in the event of danger. While under an educators watch, the students
should be protected first and the educator becomes a line of defense for his/her own
students. The same circumstances that a parent would take to protect their child should be
taken by the educator. The safety of the students is the primary responsibility of an
educator.
Part 2:
Complete the following chart
Appropriate and Potentially Harmful and Inappropriate and prohibited
Encouraged Questionable Interactions Interactions with my
Interactions with my with my Students Include: Students Include:
Students Include:
Praise the students Using profanity within the Using any type of corporal
accomplishments by classroom. I believe that the punishment against a student.
writing encouraging use of profanity shows the There are only a select few
notes on completed students that there is little to school districts that allow
work such as “Great no respect present in the corporal punishment to be
Job” or “Good Work”. classroom. Students should used in classrooms within 18
be respected and appropriate states. However, I do not
Encourage the students language should be used believe that a child should
who may be struggling while in an educational ever be harmed by their
by writing notes on atmosphere. educator. Students should be
completed work such punished in other ways that
as “You’ve Got This” Showing signs of favoritism do not involve violence or
or “Keep Working to certain students and not physical harm to the student.
Hard”. others. Showing favoritism
can harm other relationships Helping a student on any
Give rewards to with students that a teacher standardized test. According
students who achieve may have previously made. If to standard eleven of the
in the classroom in the one student is being treated Georgia Code of Ethics, an
forms of candy, toys, differently than another educator shall administer
pencils, etc. student, the students will start state and mandated tests
to think of ways in which the fairly and ethically. Study
Use constructive and teacher may not like them as guides, the changing of
positive language when much as others, creating answers, reading passages to
speaking to a student in possible signs of depression a student, etc. are all
a way that will and/or declining acceptance examples of how an educator
encourage the student. within a group. can be suspended of their
teaching certificate. The
If physical contact with Photographing children students could also be
a student is necessary, without permission. Taking punished and their test could
the student will need to pictures of students without be ruled invalided, possibly
give their permission their permission can damage preventing them from
before they are the trust between yourself moving to the next grade.
physically touched. and that individual. If a
student came across a picture Participating in sexual,
Handshakes and/or of them and was not aware intimate, or romantic
high fives may be used that the picture was taken, relationship with a student.
as a strategy to create a the student could feel hurt An educator should never
professional and betrayed for the action have a relationship with a
relationship with the made. student that is not a
students. professional relationship. A
Contact with students during students is anyone enrolled
Technology alerts, extracurricular activities in a school, private or public,
such as social media, outside of the school. under the age of eighteen,
will be publicly posted Supporting students during and individuals are still
to both the students extracurricular activities that considered a student until
and their support the school can help August 31st of their
parents/guardians. to build a bond between an graduating year (GADOE,
educator and their students. n.d.). Standard two of the
Students will be However, if an educator is Georgia Code of Ethics
respected in the going out of their way to states that if there is sexual
classroom by being attend event that one of their abuse towards a student, an
spoken to in a students is participating in educators license will be
respectful and and the event is not a school revoked.
appropriate manner. event, judgements and
assumptions may be made Touching the personal areas
about why you may be of any student such as the
attending that certain event. mouth or genital areas. This
is also a violation of standard
Giving out personal phone two of the Georgia Code of
numbers and/or email Ethics. Not only could a
addresses. This action may license be at stake of
not be a violation of the code revocation, touching a
of ethics, however it is not student in this way could
professional. Standard two of create a negative relationship
the Georgia Code of Ethics between the student and
states that all relationships educator. No student should
should remain professional ever be inappropriately
(GADOE, n.d.). Each parent touched.
should be given the school
phone number with the The use of pornography
connection to their students within the classroom. No use
teacher and not given the of pornography should be
teachers personal contact used in the form of pictures,
information. Emails should slideshows, videos, etc. This
also be sent in a professional subject should only be
way through the school’s presented in classrooms that
email address specific to that have permission to such
teacher. This also keeps a images such as a health
professional track of any classroom in a higher
communication between a educational system. The use
parent and teacher. of such images could result
in a suspension or revoked
One-on-one interactions with license.
students when no one else is
present. This action may Threatening a student in any
single out an individual way. This action could also
student from the rest of the be a form of sexual abuse. If
class, damaging trust a student is threatened by
between the two. If a student their educator, that student is
needs to be addressed away not going to have any respect
from other classmates, the nor trust towards that
student can be pulled aside in individual. Each student will
the classroom and be spoken be treated with respect and
with. This protects the dignity.
educator and the student.
Interacting privately with a
Private contact with parents student via social media sites
involving their student using or messaging systems.
technology such as social Standard two of the Georgia
media and text messaging. Code of Ethics also states the
This is not a professional expectations of an educator
action and all communication involving social networking.
between students and an The standard states that
educator should remain educators should decline all
professional according to social networking friend
standard two of the Georgia request that are student
Code of Ethics (GADOE, initiated (GADOE, n.d.). The
n.d.). Private contact could standard also states that for
also show signs of the safety of a teaching
favoritism, tutoring, etc. certificate and license, an
educator should “be friendly,
Giving a gift to an individual not a friend” (GADOE, n.d).
student and not the rest of the
class unless it is an earned The use of degrading or
reward for an achievement. If frightening language towards
a gift is given in a classroom a student. Each individual in
to a student, there should be a the classroom, including the
gift for each individual. educator, should treat others
Occasions such as birthdays with the same respect as they
should not be singled out and would want to receive from
each student should be another person. Such
recognized on their special language as stated above
day. On national holidays if could damage relationships
gifts are given, there should between the classroom as a
be enough gifts for each of whole.
the students to receive one. If
not all students receive the
gift, favoritism is present.
Part 3: Your plan as to how this personal code of conduct will be presented to your
future classes and/or potential employers. In other words…how will you get this
message across to those who matter?
The message of personal code of conduct and the responsibility of an educator under the
doctrine of “in loco parentis”, should be available to any individual that may be affected
by the statements made. The interactions presented in the chart above should be clear to
all guardians and students to ensure that the students are being treated equally and
respectfully while under my watch as an educator. The personal statement of my
responsibilities of my students should be provided to and discussed with every guardian
of every student. It is my responsibility as an educator to ensure that their children will be
safe and accounted for while under my watch. It is also my responsibility to discuss how
I choose to interact with my students in a professional way. The chart above should be
included in a welcoming package so that the students and guardians understand my ways
of earning trust and creating relationships with my students. Each student should know
that I can be trusted in order to create a positive relationship and each guardian should
trust that I am treating their child in a professional way.
References
In Loco Parentis. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://usedulaw.com/345-in-loco-parentis.html
The Code of Ethics for Georgia Educators. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://www.gadoe.org/Curriculum-Instruction-and-
Assessment/CTAE/Documents/GAPSC-Session-Code-of-Ethics.pdf
*personal note---as you complete more EDU courses you may want to add to this
document making it a work in progress as you grow and develop your ideas and
philosophy. Consider this a starting point of a very powerful future document that will
allow you to provide comfort and build trust with families you’ll have in your future
classrooms.
