Ethical Dilemma: Can I Keep This Child



|Ethical Dilemma: Can I Keep This Child |

|Amanda has been caring for four-year-old Jamie for the past six months. While Jamie is a great kid, when things don’t go his way he gets really angry. He |

|throws things and can be destructive. It’s getting to the point that Amanda feels she is ignoring the other children while trying to handle Jamie. Amanda |

|has been trying to be consistent in her discipline of Jamie, but she’s starting to wonder if she should ask his parents to find another place for him. |

|What should Amanda do? |

1. In your own words, identify what you think is the main concern, issue, or problem in this situation.

The main concern or problem that Amanda faces in this situation is that she feels she is devoting all her time to Jamie and handling his anger outburst when things do not go his way. Amanda feels that she is ignoring the other children’s needs and is not giving them enough of her time and attention. Amanda is torn between trying to be consist with how she disciplines Jamie but she feels like she is spending to much of her time focusing on Jamie and not the other children. Also there is the concern that other children may get hurt when Jamie decides to throw things and be destructive. Another concern may also be that with Jamie’s behavior getting out of hand, he may decide to physically hurt another child, and the other children may also start acting out some to get Amanda’s attention and time.

2. To whom do you have responsibilities? Whom and what do you have to consider in making a decision?

In this situation I would have responsibilities to all the children in the classroom including Jamie, Jamie’s parents, the other children’s parent’s if another child has been hurt by Jamie and his behavior. I have a responsibility to any other staff that is in the room or directly affected by Jamie’s behavior and I would also have the responsibility to the director or supervisor. When making a decision about what to do about Jamie and his behavior, I have to consider several things. One thing would be to talk to the supervisor or director if that is the policy. I would never make a decision on my own if I knew that I had to involve the director or supervisor. In that situation I would be documenting Jamie’s behavior and then I would ask the director for a conference. From there it may be decided that it is time to have a parent conference with Jamie’s parents. Another consideration would be how has Jamie’s behavior affected the classroom, are other children starting to act out to get attention, how much teaching time is being disruptive, have I tried several different guidance techniques with Jamie. I have to consider the other teachers in the room as well and how they handle Jamie’s behavior, how disruptive is his behavior for them. Of course I need to consider the other children in the room and how my time away from them is affecting them and their behavior as well as their learning. I would have to consider the other children’s parents if there has been any complaints about the disruptiveness in the classroom or if Jamie had hurt another child.

3. What guidance can you find in this section of the Code of Ethics? What specific items in the code are helpful in guiding your decision?

The type of guidance that can be found in the Code of Ethics will help evaluate the situation according to the guidelines or principals in the Code of Ethics. It will give guidance on how as a professional I have ethical responsibilities to Jamie, the children in the classroom, Jamie’s parents and the other children’s parents. As well as what would my responsibilities to the director or anyother staff that may be involved in the situation.

The guidance that can be found as it appears in the Code of Ethics is:

P-1.4—We shall involve all those with relevant knowledge (including families and staff) in decisions concerning a child, as appropriate, ensuring confidentiality of sensitive information.

P-1.7—We shall strive to build individual relationships with each child; make individualized adaptations in teaching strategies, learning environments, and

curricula; and consult with the family so that each child benefits from the program. If after such efforts have been exhausted, the current placement does not

meet a child’s needs, or the child is seriously jeopardizing the ability of other children to benefit from the program, we shall collaborate with the child’s family

and appropriate specialists to determine the additional services needed and/or the placement option(s) most likely to ensure the child’s success. (Aspects of

this principle may not apply in programs that have a lawful mandate to provide services to a particular population of children.)

P-2.4—We shall involve the family in significant decisions affecting their child.

P-2.15—We shall be familiar with and appropriately refer families to community resources and professional support services. After a referral has been made, we shall follow up to ensure that services have been appropriately provided.

The Code of Ethics has sections for guidance when it comes to the ethical responsibilities to children, families, co-workers and community and society. In this particular dilemma, the guidance comes from the sections regarding children and families.

4. What do you think an early childhood educator should do to best resolve this situation? What action(s) should you take in resolving this situation?

In this situation the teacher would need to be documenting the behavior and then if needed first bring the behavior to the attention of the director or supervisor. Then as an early childhood educator, I would hold a parent conference with Jamie’s parents. One of the questions that I would have for them would be is anything going on in the home that may be stressful such as a parent losing their job, death in the family, new sibling on the way or anything that may be causing Jamie to causes him to get angry when things do not go his way. At the parent meeting we could discuss ways that the classroom environment could be adapted as well as any curriculum adaptations that may need to be changed to help meet the needs of Jamie while also maintaining the safety of the other children. At the parent meeting a plan of action would be made and a time frame set up for a follow up meeting to see how Jamie is progressing. If Jamie is still acting out when things do not go his way at the second parent meeting, I would as a next step discuss what resources may be available for the parent’s.

|Ethical Dilemma: |

|They Want the Children to Succeed! |

|A parent of a preschooler in your program is concerned that her child will not be ready for kindergarten next year and has talked with other parents who |

|have the same concern. The group of parents has a copy of the kindergarten placement test and would like you to begin preparing the children and deliver |

|the test before the end of the year. They want the children to succeed in school! |

1. In your own words, identify what you think is the main concern, issue, or problem in this situation.

In this situation the issue is one of the parent’s in the preschool program has a concern that her child may not be ready for kindergarten next year and has talked to other parents in the class. She has raised their concern as well and as a group they obtain a copy of the kindergarten placement test and are asking that the teacher or teachers use this to prepare their children for kindergarten. What the parents are asking may be going against the program standards and philosophy of the preschool. There may also be a concern if the teachers in the room collaborate on the curriculum and one teacher wants to give the parents what they want and the other teacher does not.

2. To whom do you have responsibilities? Whom and what do you have to consider in making a decision?

I would have responsibilities to the preschool program philosophy, the director of the preschool, the children in the classroom, the parents, and the other teacher or teachers in the classroom. When making a decision, I need to consider the philosophy and curriculum of the preschool program. I need to consider the children in the classroom and how a change in the way the curriculum was taught would affect them. I also need to consider the families who would not want the curriculum to change, how they would react to the change and how much tension the issue would create between staff, parent’s and the children. In most cases the curriculum and the philosophy of the school are set and parents are informed of the policies regarding the curriculum when they enroll their child into the program. I also need to consider how the children are assessed, and be able to provide the information on a child’s growth and development to parent’s during conferences or other times that are pertinent. Also I need to respect and consider my co-workers in the classroom about what they think about teaching to the kindergarten readiness test.

3. What guidance can you find in this section of the Code of Ethics? What specific items in the code are helpful in guiding your decision?

In the Code of Ethics I can find guidance that will help me make the right ethical decision. I can look in the different sections and remind myself and others the ethical responsibilities that we have to children, families, employers, staff members and even the community. This will help guide the decision that needs to be made.

The guidelines as found in the NAEYC Code of Ethics:

P-1.2—We shall care for and educate children in positive emotional and social environments that are cognitively stimulating and that support each child’s culture, language, ethnicity, and family structure.

P-1.5—We shall use appropriate assessment systems, which include multiple sources of information, to provide information on children’s learning and development.

P-2.2—We shall inform families of program philosophy, policies, curriculum, assessment system, and personnel qualifications, and explain why we teach as we do—which should be in accordance with our ethical responsibilities to children (see Section I).

P-2-7—We shall inform families about the nature and purpose of the program’s child assessments and how data about their child will be used.

I-3A.1—To establish and maintain relationships of respect, trust, confidentiality, collaboration, and cooperation with co-workers.

P-4.5—We shall be knowledgeable about the appropriate use of assessment strategies and instruments and interpret results accurately to families.

4. What do you think an early childhood educator should do to best resolve this situation? What action(s) should you take in resolving this situation?

As an early childhood educator, I would need to inform the other staff members in the classroom as well as the director of the situation. Then we would probably hold a staff meeting to discuss how to best handle the situation. We would evaluate the environment to reassess that we are caring for and educating children inane environment that stimulates their growth and learning, physically, cognitively, socially and emotionally as well as supporting the different cultures, ethnicities, languages, and family structures. We would also discuss how we assess and evaluate the children. The discussion that would probably be made would be to again remind the families of the program curriculum, philosophy, policies, and the assessment system that the center uses. The families would have been informed of these policies when they enrolled their child into the program. I would then probably hold parent conferences for those parents who have concerns about their child’s readiness for kindergarten. We would go over how the assessments are used as well as go over their child’s work samples, portfolio or whatever documentation the center uses. Hopefully through tis the families will gain a better understanding of how the program provides the children with kindergarten readiness skills without a test. Families would be informed that their child’s information is confidential and only people who need to see the assessments such as the teachers, families and anyone who their child may have been referred to for services that may need to see the information such as a speech therapist.

NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct and Statement of Commitment. (2005). National

Association for the Education of Young Children.

NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct and Statement of Commitment. (May, 2005). National Association for the Education of Young Children.

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