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Caleb Ricks
ITL 600
National University
THE ETHICAL EDUCATOR !2
Reflecting upon my own educational philosophy has allowed me to delve deeper into my
own biases and goals regarding education. The educator’s role in the classroom is not only
affected by policies and standards, but also by personal beliefs, prejudices, biases, and goals. A
teacher’s opinion regarding a topic can paint a biased picture for his or her students, and for this
reason, understanding one’s personal biases is paramount. For this assignment, I was paired with
my classmate Jason Miranda, and through our discussion, we both became aware of our implicit
and explicit biases that may manifest in the classroom. Like me, Jason values diversity and hopes
to introduce literature in the classroom that explores various identities, cultures, and traditions.
Jason also notes that he is biased against apathetic students but understands that he can overcome
this bias by communicating with the student to understand what is truly hindering this student’s
progress. His bias also extends to apathetic parents who fail to actively participate in their child’s
education. Jason believes it will be difficult for him to communicate honestly and openly with
these types of parents. His goals, like mine, include professional growth that improves one’s
educational philosophy and through discussing my ideas with Jason, I am able to identify
multiple biases that I hope to overcome and multiple professional goals I hope to achieve.
Like any educator, I exhibit both explicit and implicit biases that will affect my teaching
practices in the classroom. These biases will not only affect the ways I teach, but also the ways I
(2016, p. 13), it is imperative that educators “recognize their own values and implicit and explicit
biases, the ways in which these values and implicit and explicit biases may positively and
THE ETHICAL EDUCATOR !3
negatively affect teaching and learning.” The Association of American Educators (2018) also
recognizes the impact of biases in the classroom and states, “The professional educator
endeavors to present facts without distortion, bias, or personal prejudice.” As this is a Teaching
both identify my biases and assess the ways in which these biases will impact my classroom.
One bias I need to be aware of is labeling students who do not participate as apathetic. There is a
plethora of reasons for a lack of student participation, ranging from language barriers to fear of
speaking before one’s peers. Because I am aware that I had this bias against my peers when I
myself was a student, I need to make sure that as an educator I do not act on this bias. For this
reason, I will not call upon students who actively attempt not to be chosen to answer questions in
the classroom. Instead, I will ask for volunteers by having my students raise their hands. It is my
hope that I will understand that student participation can exist in various forms, and it is not fair
to judge a student’s participation by only assessing his or her willingness to read to the class,
publicly answer questions, or complete exercises on the white board. By asking for student
volunteers rather that calling upon students who may not wish to participate before the class, I
hope to overcome this bias and create a safe learning environment in the classroom.
In line with the idea of acknowledging bias so that I may create a safe learning
environment, I am extremely bias against those who exhibit bully-like behavior. Because I have
both witnessed bullying and have been a victim of bullying, I will have a zero-tolerance policy in
my classroom. However, it is important that I do not let my personal judgement against bullying
cloud my assessment of the student practicing this behavior. When a student bullies another
student, it is essential that I align with the code as described by the Association of American
THE ETHICAL EDUCATOR !4
Educators (2018) that illustrates, “The professional educator deals considerately and justly with
each student, and seeks to resolve problems, including discipline, according to law and school
policy.” As an educator, I cannot allow my disciplining of a student for his or her behavior affect
the ways in which I engage with the student or how I grade the student after discipline has been
given. To do so would defy the TPE that states all educators should “exhibit positive dispositions
of caring, support, acceptance, and fairness toward all students” (Commission on Teaching
Credentialing, 2016, p.13). Though I would never explicitly treat a student unfairly, I need to be
aware that I may implicitly be biased against this student. To avoid this, I will ensure to include
rubrics with every assignment so that I may grade as fairly as possible and provide proof for both
myself and the student that I did not grade in line with my bias. Furthermore, I will ensure that I
follow the discipline code as outlined by the school in which I am teaching. This will allow me
to avoid bringing in my own values and personal biases when disciplining a student for bullying
behavior. By adhering to a grading rubric and the school’s penal code, I hope to create a fair and
safe learning environment as outlined by both the Association of American Educators (2018) and
is essential for students to understand backgrounds, cultures, and upbringings different from their
own, and I hope to open students’ eyes to the beauty of diversity. In fact, I greatly agree with the
Code of Ethics for Educators that explains, “The professional educator endeavors to understand
and respect the values and traditions of the diverse cultures represented in the community and in
his or her classroom” (Association of American Educators, 2018). I will hold both myself and
assign writing assignments in my classroom that allow the students to both explore and share
their individual and cultural backgrounds with their peers. I will also use texts that both celebrate
and explore different cultures and traditions so that my classroom does not narrow its cultural
lens. Furthermore, during collaborative work, I plan to assign the groups myself rather than have
the students choose their own groups. As a student, I remember some of my peers not being
chosen due to various reasons, and I will eliminate this experience in my classroom. I will ensure
that all of my students feel welcomed and included in the classroom. Lastly, I want to value my
students’ cultures by honoring and understanding the various reasons why certain students may
miss class. I understand that certain cultures and religions have holidays during the regular
school week, and I will be understanding of this and adjust assignment due dates respectively.
growing individuals.
I believe the best ways for me as an educator to exhibit caring, support, acceptance, and/
or fairness toward all students and families, as well as towards my colleagues, will require me to
adhere to the Code of Ethics established by the Association of American Educators (2018). The
Code of Ethics provides clear and concise ways in which an educator can act with fairness,
integrity, and caring. One of the ways in which I will act with professionalism and fairness is by
following the code that states, “The professional educator does not reveal confidential
2018). This, I believe, is one of the most commonly broken rules by educators. My parents,
though excellent educators, are perfect examples of how this code can be defied. Growing up,
THE ETHICAL EDUCATOR !6
my parents would often discuss their students with me, including their students’ backgrounds,
failures in the classroom, and personal lives. At the time, I did not realize how such a discussion
could be unethical, but I now see how damaging this conversation was. In the same way it is
unethical for a therapist to discuss his/her patients with others, an educator should not discuss
his/her students with others. Had the student been part of the conversation between my parents
and me, I know this student would be mortified as my father revealed how this student often fails
quizzes in class, etc. Talk such as this only amounts to gossip, and it reveals personal and
sensitive information about the student that can be disparaging. It is unnecessary for those who
are not part of the classroom to be privy to such information, and because this discussion could
always find its way back to the student in detrimental circumstances, I refuse to partake in such
As an educator, I also plan to both act with fairness towards my colleagues. In the same
way an educator should not discuss students’ confidential information, educators should not
colleagues. This idea aligns with the Code of Ethics which clarifies, “The professional educator
does not reveal confidential information concerning colleagues unless required by law” and “The
professional educator does not willfully make false statements about a colleague” (Association of
American Educators, 2018). I had direct experience with a teacher who disregarded this code and
mocked his colleague before my entire class. During a rant about his fellow teachers, my
“the girl with a thousand husbands.” Half of my class had the same AP Calculus teacher and my
THE ETHICAL EDUCATOR !7
peers laughed at my Economics teacher’s comment, though I did not. I realized how unethical,
unprofessional, and derogatory this teacher’s comments were. For the rest of the semester, my
peers constantly cited my Economics teacher’s remarks, and this painted for them a new picture
of my Calculus teacher. They no longer took her seriously as a professional educator in the
classroom and made comments behind her back. Interestingly enough, my Calculus teacher was
and is a family friend of mine, and she is not a girl (she is in her forties) and she has not had a
thousand husbands (she remarried once). This information aside, it was utterly unprofessional
and unethical to do what my Economics teacher did. To share such disparaging comments about
one’s colleagues is to make illegitimate the work one’s colleagues do in the classroom. As a
future educator, I refuse to make such remarks in front of a captive audience in the form of my
students. If I have such opinions, though I doubt I will, I will keep them to myself. I will act with
empathy, fairness, and professionalism towards my fellow teachers so that I can support them as
professional educators and so that I can support their hard work and dedication in the classroom.
As an educator who will constantly strive to improve my practice, the two professional
goals I set for myself align with the Teaching Performance Expectations set by the Commission
improve student learning (2016, p. 13). To continue my growth and progress as an educator, I
plan to be open to constructive criticism and feedback from my colleagues. I will be attentive
during staff meetings, open to new instruction introduced through Common Core, and able to
adapt my lesson plans every academic year. I will continue to research novel ways to teach
writing and will find new and innovative ways to introduce various texts in the classroom. I will
be open to observation feedback through collaboration with my peers. I also plan to attend
THE ETHICAL EDUCATOR !8
will be open to the data that my students produce through grades, test scores, and oral/written
feedback. I want to have open communication with my students regarding what they do and do
not enjoy, what they believe helps them and what they believe does not. I want to constantly find
ways to implement technology in the classroom as I believe that this is one of the best ways to
further student learning. By striving for these two goals, I hope to continue my growth as an
As an educator, I need to be aware of both my implicit and explicit biases and how they
will affect my instruction in the classroom. The best way for me to overcome these biases is to
follow the guidelines established by the Commission on Teaching Credentialing (2016) and by
the Association of American Educators (2018). Following the guidance of these two
organizations can also allow me to express my values of diversity, safety, acceptance, and
communication in the classroom. Furthermore, following these codes will allow me to act
professionally with both my students and my colleagues in regard to discipline, feedback, and
growth. As both these organizations suggest, I will strive to grow my practice as an instructor
and never stop learning both inside and outside the classroom. With a better understanding of
how I can implement the TPEs (Commission on Teaching Credentialing, 2016) and the Code of
References
Association of American Educators. (2018). Code of ethics for educators. Retrieved from https://
www.aaeteachers.org/index.php/about-us/aae-code-of-ethics.
adopted-tpes-2016.pdf?sfvrsn=8cb2c410_0.
THE ETHICAL EDUCATOR !10