MAKING ETHICAL DECISIONS - Mrs. Clyne-Davis' Cool Class



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Whether or not we realize it at the time, all our words, actions and attitudes reflect choices. A foundation to good decision making is acceptance of two core principles:

• We all have the power to decide what we do and what we say.

• We are morally responsible for the consequences of our choices.

Recognizing Important Decisions

To help identify important decisions, ask yourself these four questions:

1. Could you or someone else suffer physical harm?

2. Could you or someone else suffer serious emotional pain?

3. Could the decision hurt your reputation, undermine your credibility or damage important relationships?

4. Could the decision impede the achievement of any important goal?

Good Decisions Are Both Ethical and Effective

Ethical Decisions: A decision is ethical when it is consistent with the six pillars of character. Ethical decisions generate and sustain trust, demonstrate respect, responsibility, fairness and caring and are consistent with good citizenship. If we lie to get something we want and get it, the decision might well be called effective. But it is also unethical.

Effective Decisions: A decision is effective if it accomplishes something we want to happen, if it advances our purposes. A simple test is: are you satisfied with the results? A choice that produces unintended and undesirable results is ineffective.

Discernment and Discipline

There are two critical aspects to ethically sound decisions: knowing what to do and doing it.

Discernment: The first requirement of good decisions is discernment. It requires knowledge and judgment.

Discipline: Good decisions also require discipline, the strength of character to do what should be done even when it is costly or uncomfortable. It is not enough that we know the difference between what is right or wrong. We must follow the right course or action. This often takes will power or moral courage; the willingness to do the right thing even when it is inconvenient, scary, difficult or costly.

Stakeholders

Stakeholders: Each person affected by a decision has a stake in the decision and a moral claim on the decision maker. Good decisions take into account the possible consequences of words and actions on all those potentially affected by a decision (“stakeholders.”) Being thoughtful or considerate about the way our choices affect others is part of the stakeholder concept. Another is to be systematic in thinking about whom a decision could affect. The stakeholder concept reinforces our obligation to make all reasonable efforts to foresee possible consequences and take reasonable steps to avoid unjustified harm to others.

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RESPONSE TO LITERATURE

DUE MONDAY, FEBRUARY 9

Please respond to an independent chapter, “just right” book you are reading:

You will right a thoughtful, insightful and in-depth response to literature using all of the information above. Please make sure you include all of the following:

• Address the moral dilemma facing the main character. Make sure you provide evidence from the text.

• Tell whether the decision the main character makes is both ethical & effective. Explain why or why not. Make sure you address the pillars of character () involved. Tell how each one applies or is violated.

• Describe the stakeholders involved. Tell how each one is impacted or could be impacted by the decision.

• Tell whether or not the main character was able to discern and use good judgment. Explain.

• Tell whether or not the main character had the discipline to do “the right thing.”

• Describe the main idea-theme of the story. Be sure to explain how the moral dilemma fits into the theme or main idea.

• YOU DECIDE HOW LONG THE RESPONSE SHOULD BE. JUST KEEP IN MIND YOU MUST EXPLORE ALL OF THESE ISSUES IN A REFLECTIVE, INTERESTING AND INSIGHTFUL WAY.

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| |4 |3 |2 |1 |

|CONTENT |I carefully reflected on |I mostly carefully |I did not carefully |My response to literature|

| |each required section. My|reflected on each |reflect on each required |does not show deep |

| |response is complete and |required section. Most of|section. Some of my work |thinking and lacks any |

| |insightful. I did not |my response is complete |requires more evidence |insight. I did not |

| |answer in “Q & A” format.|and insightful. I did not|and deeper thinking. I |provide sufficient |

| |I made sure I provided |answer in “Q & A” format.|may have answered in |evidence. I may have |

| |sufficient evidence for |I mostly provided |“Q&A” format. I may not |answered in “Q&A” format.|

| |each section. Book’s |sufficient evidence for |have dealt with the |I did not deal with |

| |themes are explored |each section. Book’s |book’s themes and may or |important themes and did |

| |in-depth and carefully |themes are at least |may not have applied it |not apply to the “moral |

| |applied to the “moral |discussed and may or may |to the “moral dilemma.” |dilemma.” |

| |dilemma.” |not be applied to the | | |

| | |“moral dilemma.” | | |

|EDITING |There are no spelling or |There may be one or two |There are several |My work is illegible |

| |grammatical errors (or |major or minor |spelling or grammatical |since it has so many |

| |one or two minor ones). I|grammatical errors. I may|errors. I did not use |spelling and grammatical |

| |remembered to use |or not have forgotten to |paragraphs. I may have |errors. My response is |

| |paragraphs. I wrote in |use paragraphs. I |written in incomplete |chock full of incomplete |

| |complete sentences. |mostly wrote in complete |sentences. |sentences. |

| | |sentences. | | |

|PRESENTATION |I made a cover. I typed |I may or may not have |I did not make a cover. |No cover. Illegible. |

| |my project. It is easy to|made a cover. I typed my |My project could be a lot|Handwritten in ink or |

| |read! |project or wrote legibly |neater. |pencil. |

| | |in ink. | | |

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