McElroy 9
Ethical Leadership- The principal acts with integrity, fairness, and honesty in an ethical manner.
· Manifests a professional code of ethics and values
· Makes decisions based on the legal, moral and ethical implications of policy options and political strategies
· Creates, models and implements a set of values for the school
· Develops well-reasoned educational beliefs based upon an understanding of teaching and learning
· Understands ethical and legal concerns educators face when using technology throughout the teaching and learning environment
· Develops a personal code of ethics embracing diversity, integrity, and the dignity of all people
· Acts in accordance with federal and state constitutional provisions, statutory standards, and regulatory applications
· Demonstrates ability to make decisions within an ethical context
Ethical leadership encompasses the rules of conduct surrounding school leaders. Integrity, fairness, and honesty are core values in ethical educational leadership as stated in the Florida Principal Leadership Standards. The Code of Ethics of the Education Profession in Florida emphasizes these same values. As an administrator in Florida, one must stand by this code in their personal life as well as their professional life in order to be an ethical leader in the field of education. Obviously, one cannot address ethical leadership without addressing the Code of Ethics. As I see it, the application of the Code of Ethics to leaders is congruent for the application to teachers. When I speak of educators, I am referring to administrators and teachers alike, including myself in both of those roles.
The first section of the Code of Ethics delineates the core values of educators including respect, honesty, perseverance, dedication, and democracy. Principals must value the worth and dignity of every person, students to custodians, within the organization. Through my experiences at two different schools, I have seen that building these relationships is critical to the climate of the school. For example, the custodians are a vital asset to the school. My home school treats custodians equally as part of our staff. They are invited to all breakfasts and were included equally in the sharing of "A" school money from the State of Florida. The second part of my practicum was at a neighboring elementary school where this relationship between teaching staff and custodial staff is not embraced. Custodians are bitter and do not take pride in their work. Quickly it became apparent that the custodians do not feel valued as part of that school. On one of the first student days of summer school, I wrote a quick note to the head custodian with a pack of lifesavers and thanked him for everything he had done to help with the successful start up of summer school. He was quite shocked and continued to be an asset throughout summer school. If a person is valued, in return they will value the school as an organization and help it be successful. Through these relationships truth has to be a major component. Educators must be on a continuous quest for truth. This truth can be within themselves or others. Jim Collins, author of Good to Great, advises leaders to “confront the brutal facts” during their mission (2001). After reviewing this book (artifact #1), I employed his advice. As program planner for third grade we met as a team to analyze the past year’s FCAT scores. I prefaced the meeting with, “let’s face the brutal facts regarding scores and discuss openly what we are each doing in our classroom that is positive or negative as reflected in scores.” This method proved successful. We left the meeting with new ideas to employ the next year to help increase our student scores on the FCAT. Our team is aware of the perseverance that is required of educators. Ethical educators devote their career to excellence, never settling for minimum effort in themselves or others. One of the most defining quotes for me as a leader is by Darwin Smith, “I never stopped trying to be qualified for the job” (Collins, 2001, p. 27). I crave to learn more and become a better teacher. In becoming a better teacher, I feel I will become a better leader. This quest for knowledge has brought me to where I am today in my career. Dedication to education of our youth propels educators and leaders such as myself to have an unquenchable thirst for learning and knowledge. Democracy nurtures the quest for knowledge. As a democratic society, we must breed democratic citizens; therefore the educators’ role in nurturing democratic citizens is vital.
Most school vision statements and/or mission statements put student learning first. It was somewhat surprising to me that our Code of Ethics put it second; however during my practicum it became apparent that you cannot accomplish a goal of putting students first unless you are an ethical leader as outlined in the first statement of the Code of Ethics. Educators typically put what is best for students on the forefront of their agenda. Being an ethical leader means putting student interests above everything else, especially personal gain. Professional growth through staff development and personal studies is essential to achieving what is best for students. During my leisure reading, I read one book of professional content for every fiction novel I read. This is a personal mission I started during my undergraduate work. It satisfies my devotion to excellence, thirst for knowledge, and professional growth all in one commitment. With this commitment, I recognize I am an educator 100% of the time. It is not something I can turn on or off like a light switch.
Part three of the Code of Ethics illustrates the importance of maintaining the respect of the community. As a teacher and leader, I am often a role-model to those within our community. Acknowledging I am human, thus I make mistakes, I must show integrity in my beliefs and values through all walks of my life. Hypocrisy would be detrimental to one’s integrity. “Being an ethical educational leader is not only about conformity to a code of ethics; it is much more pervasive and encompasses every aspect of a person’s life.” (Rebore, 2001, p. 62)
During Steven Covey’s 7 Habit week-long training seminar (artifact #2), I was required to reflect within myself. I had to determine my “roots” in the analogy of myself as a tree. What grounds me in the world? Through this self-actualization I developed a mission statement for my purpose in life (artifact #3). My family is such a large chunk of who I am that my mission statement applies to my personal life, my family life, and my professional life. Knowing that my foundation was built in my faith, I dug deeper. In all walks of my life, personal, professional, and spiritual, these are the actions to keep me focused on an ethical path. The sun represents my love of the outdoors. When I am not working, you will find me outside by the pool or in the boat. While teaching, I often take students outside for lessons. As an administrator, I have found it helpful to walk outdoors with students who need counseling regarding discipline issues. I want to live every day to the fullest; therefore I give my very best in everything I do. I strive to listen to those around me including my husband, daughter; students, and colleagues. Through empathic listening, I grow and learn to laugh more. Life is so hectic and taking time to laugh and enjoy those that I love is vital to my existence. Through my Christian faith, I have learned to love everyone for who they are and not judge or try to change them. These actions have helped me to become a stronger, more ethical person.
Throughout my graduate work, I learned a great deal about myself as a person and as a leader. I never really thought of myself as a leader before completing this course work. In many situations, I led without knowing I was leading. It was an unconscious action filled with mistakes. With great determination, I have developed into an ethical school leader. I realize that integrity, fairness, and honesty are essential values that must be adhered to in all walks of life, especially leadership. Upholding the Code of Ethics in my personal life as well as my professional life constitutes acting with integrity. It is expected that I uphold the law and do not lie, cheat, or steal, but as a public official I must adhere to a stricter law. Having character that embraces integrity means implementing honesty and fairness in all my interactions. I must be honest with myself and those around me. I must treat all individuals with respect regardless of personal affiliations. During my practicum experience the equitable treatment of all became apparent. Several of my colleagues were teachers at the Summer Reading Academy where I was interning administrator. I realized that, regardless of my personal affiliation with these teachers, I needed to treat everyone equally and with respect. I found myself facing ethical dilemmas when having conversations outside of school. It was not a difficult task, but it did require a conscious effort to keep administrative conversations confidential.
My reputation throughout the school system is that of a teacher who is an advocate for her students, especially those students with disabilities that are underserved. I picture each student as my own child sitting in front of me. I strive to help them to my fullest potential. In my relationships with adults, I treat others as I would like to be treated. During my practicum experience, I quickly learned it is easier to judge from the outside looking into a situation. Many teachers complain about decisions made by administrators. I must admit I have been one who participated in complaining. When I was part of administration, I realized that decisions are generally made with the best of intentions. Decisions can be good or bad, and I realize decisions are made by people who are not perfect creatures. Admitting when a mistake was made is part of being an ethical leader.
I plan to utilize my acquired knowledge and skills throughout my career as an educational leader. Recognizing that school leaders are not restricted to school administrators, I can see myself as a school leader through my roles as a classroom teacher, program planner, or curriculum specialist, thus impacting the school significantly through my ethical educational leadership (Rebore, 2001, p. 79). Participative leadership is one manner I plan to pursue. Valuing all the members of our school, I plan to promote school-based management. Through this method I believe we can create more synergy throughout our school. Often reaching “synergy” members of the organization must undergo a paradigm shift to completely understand another’s perspective (Covey, 1998). I often remind myself of this technique when faced with conflict resolution. The active involvement of students in participative leadership would be an asset to a school. Most of the times students are not adequately consulted regarding decisions within a school; teachers and parents determine what is best for them. I want to employ the listening part of my mission statement by consulting students more regarding decisions that affect them so deeply.
My beliefs in the development of ethical behavior are grounded deeply in Lawrence Kohlberg’s Philosophy of Moral Development. I agree with Kohlberg’s philosophy, “the development of ethical principles is not related to specific religious beliefs; rather, ethical principles develop through interaction with the environment and with other people that results in the person’s restructuring of his or her experiences to achieve ethical growth” (Rebore, 2001, p. 28). With this perception of ethical growth, I plan to continue to grow ethically as I develop as an educational leader. I will focus on making the right ethical decision not simply doing things correctly. Throughout my career, I will reflect on the outcome and the basis for the decision, ensuring ethical behavior. I realize I am not perfect, thus I will learn from my mistakes. Furthermore, I recognize the experiences I have had during my life and career have made me the person I am today. Upholding the Code of Ethics is essential to my development as an ethical educational leader. The Code of Ethics will be displayed prominently in my actions.
References
The Code of Ethics – Education Profession. Retrieved June 8, 2007 from
oe.org/edstandards/code_of_ethics.asp
Collins, J (2001). Good to great: Why some companies make the leap... and
others don't. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.
Covey, S. (1989). Th e 7 Habits of Highly Successful People. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster.
Rebore, R.W. (2001), The ethics of educational leadership. Upper Saddle River,
New Jersey: Merrill Prentice Hall.