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What does it mean for leadership to be ethical? Lauren Zirkle ECI 301

As teachers, we are leaders of future leaders and so it is imperative we teach students the skills to attain ethical leadership. The turn of phrase, “ethical leadership,” can be an ambiguous expression because everyone has their own opinion of what it means to be ethical. However, it is fairly obvious what is classified as “ethical” in the classroom. Part of being an ethical leader to your students means accepting ones mistakes, being humble, maintaining a close relationship with the students and instilling the importance of integrity and honesty into your students.

Ethical leadership is built on the principle of promoting the best interest of the followers(Franzwa). Students are always the primary concern in the classroom; that is what teachers need to have as a constant reminder. There is no room for self-centered people in the classroom. Everything that occurs in the classroom must be beneficial to the students. It is the role of the instructor to outline the best way for the children to be taught (Benninga). A teacher's first moral obligation is to provide excellent instruction. Since every child learns differently, teachers need to be cognizant of that at all time. Some children are artistic; others are gifted in math, others in language. So what teachers can do is, relate the subject material to all different types of learning styles. For example, teachers can give students the opportunity to decide what kind of project they want to do. That way the students are learning and having fun at the same time. Being empathetic to the students’ learning style is imperative to being a successful teacher.

Children need to learn not only the necessary curricula, but also exactly what ethical behavior entails. We show leadership not just through our words, but also through our actions. All eyes are always on you when you are standing in front of a room full of students. As a new teacher, you will make mistakes. What to remember is that it can turn into a “teaching moment.”  It is an excellent opportunity to teach the students that all people make mistakes. An ethical leader is someone who is aware of his or her errors and who can admit mistakes (Franzwa). A lot of teachers just get irritated when a student brings the fault to his or her attention, but what teachers should do is teach the children that making mistakes is a part of life. Everyone does it and it actually is more beneficial because you already learned what didn’t work. I think that is very encouraging to hear; something students definitely should heed.

Being an ethical leader means being humble and being willing to improve at all times. Leaders should learn more about themselves if they want to succeed,” said Joseph L. Badaracco Jr., the John Shad Professor of Business Ethics at Harvard Business School (Shaw). Part of the journey of becoming a teacher is analyzing your strengths and weaknesses. I find it very difficult to learn from an arrogant person. That is why I think being humble is one of the most important qualities because children model what they see. Humility is not something you can directly strive for like aiming an arrow at a bull's eye. But, humility is a consequence that is experienced by those who have reached it — or better said those who have discovered it — not experienced as a character trait, but as an insight into the actual (Keers). If one of our goals as educators is to train our children (our students) to be ethical beings, then humbleness should be one of the criteria. A teacher has to be someone the students admire, trust, and look up to. This is so important because as a teacher, you need to form a relationship with your students.

I think the type of relationship a teacher has with his or her students should be very special. Leadership ultimately is an interaction or relationship between the leader and the led(Wikipedia). I know a lot of teachers think their sole job is to teach the material, asses the children and make sure they do not disrupt the class. The teacher-student relationship has to have depth in order to reach each student. I think school needs to be a place where students look forward to coming. So teachers need to treat the students with respect, but yet still have the control; be friendly with the students, but still be an authoritative figure. This is the hard part; drawing the line between teacher and friend. You can be “friendly,” but not “friends” because the definition of a friend is not synonymous to the definition of a teacher. Something all teachers need to be is accessible to the students. The students should feel like they can come to you if they have anything they want to talk about. So many children today come from broken homes and school may be their only escape. Students should feel safe when they are in your classroom. As new teachers, you need to take the stand and let the students know you are there if they need to talk. It is more meaningful if a teacher goes up to a student one on one and lets he or she know they can talk to you. If a teacher takes a real interest in a student who appears distraught, then that could truly make a difference in that child’s life.

I want school to be enjoyable for the students. I think it is the teacher’s responsibility to figure out what needs to be done in order for that to be accomplished. It may mean giving the students time to work in groups occasionally to give them freedom, giving them rewards for jobs well done, or doing more entertaining activities to keep them engaged. Whatever gets the children interested in school is the key to their future accomplishments. If a student enjoys coming to school, he or she will try harder and be more willing to go the extra mile to learn the material. I think once a teacher finds what grabs the students’ attention and keeps them active and interested, then half the job is already accomplished.

It is our duty as teachers to instill the importance of ethics into our students. Ethics refers to well based standards of right and wrong that prescribe what humans ought to do, usually in terms of rights, obligations, benefits to society, fairness, or specific virtues. (Velasquez) Teaching them right and wrong might be difficult because cheating is something we are bound to encounter. Students need to know that cheating is only hurting themselves. If a student cheats once and is not caught, he or she is bound to repeat the offense. We all know what it is like to be tempted with cheating. Teachers need to empathize with the students and explore why that student found it necessary to cheat. Is it because that student was just lazy? Or maybe he or she was having a rough time at home and didn’t have time to study. Or maybe we as teachers didn’t relate the material well enough for the student to comprehend the material. I think if a teacher catches a students cheating, the most important thing to find out is why. Punishment is definitely essential, but finding the reason behind it is more important. Stressing the importance of integrity and honesty will help the student to develop a strong conscience and hopefully prevent any further honor infractions.

All teachers need to exhibit integrity and strong ethical values at all times. There will be issues that teachers will face and we need to use each issue as an opportunity to teach our students about ethical behavior. We need to have close relationships with our students, accept our mistakes, practice humility and, of course, demonstrate what it means to be ethical leaders to our students. I want to mold my students into intelligent, confident, ethical, future leaders of America. I know as teachers, we are not able to save every single child from following the wrong crowd, but I still would like to strive to do so.

Sidebar:

"The final test of a leader is that he leaves behind him in other men the conviction and will to carry on." — Walter Lippmann, American journalist, author and public philosopher (1889-1974)   http://www.josephsoninstitute.org/quotes/quoteleader.htm

Essay:

Out of the different qualities that make up an ethical leader, which one is most important to you? Why?

Questions:

1. What is a teacher's first moral obligation? A. to make sure the students have fun while in school B. to ensure the student's safety in the classroom C. to provide excellent instruction for the students D. to encourage ethical behavior

2. What principle is ethical leadership based on? A. promoting the best interest of the followers B. making sure you, the teacher are following the rules C. having a god relationship with other teachers D. being friends with your students

3. Why is a meaningful teacher-student relationship so necessary? A. so children have discipline while in school B. so the students feel like they can talk to their teacher about anything and even want to learn more C. so the students can feel like their teacher is their friend D. to help the students make their own decisions

4. What should you do if you catch a student cheating? A. fail them on the spot and call the student's parents B. talk to the student alone and find out the cause for cheating C. give the student another chance because everyone deserves a second chance D. pretend like you did not see it to give the student the opportunity to confess

5. Why is it important for children to enjoy school? A. so parents do not  get upset with you as the teacher B. so the students feel like they can be themselves C. so the atmoshphere can be more laid back for the teacher D. so the students feel comfortable and are more apt to want to learn

Answers: 1. C 2. A 3. B 4. B 5. D

Sources:

Benninga, Jacques S.( 2003) ERIC Clearinghouse on Teaching and Teacher Education Moral and Ethical Issues in Teacher Education. Retrieved September 13 2006 from http://www.ericdigests.org/2004-4/moral.htm

Franzwa, Gregg. (2006) What makes an ethical leader? TCU Magazone.Retreived September 2006, from http://www.magazine.tcu.edu/articles/2006-02-FE2.asp?issueid=200602 v     Keers, Wolter.(2002) The Art of Being Humble. Retreived September 12, 2006 from actualhttp://www.ods.nl/am1gos/am1gos4/index.html?wk_nederig_us.html~mainFrame.

Learning Theories/Knowledge Management: Leadership REtreived September 12, 2006 from http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Learning_Theories/Knowledge_Management:_Leadership

Manuel Velasquez, Claire Andre, Thomas Shanks, S.J., and Michael J. Meyer (1987) Issues in Ethics IIE V1 N1  Retrieved September 12 2006 from http://www.scu.edu/ethics/practicing/decision/whatisethics.html

Shaw, Michelle E. (2006, May 7)Business school teach leadership through fiction. Virginian Pilot. Retrieved September 13, 2006, from http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=104068&ran=214613