The primary duty of an expert pedagogue is to create and nurture the learning environment to shape the future of the students and push their boundaries to make them realize their abilities. Teachers ensure unhindered education to every student freeing the classroom from any sort of interruptions. Thus, they are responsible for demonstrating and maintaining the highest ethical standards in the workplace. Apart from the family, they are the individuals who are imperative in inculcating basic values within the students. Hence, they need to abide by the values to help students to imbibe them. The actions of an educator, be it a lecturer or a teacher or a coach affects their pupils, thus they need to act according to the ethical guidelines to promote the awareness. In this article, we will throw some light on the basic values and the ethical guidelines that are necessary for an educator to follow in the workplace.
Values Fundamental to this Profession
Valuing humans and their rights:every individual is entitled to certain basic rights and the responsibility of a lecturer is to value them. Every student, be it a child or a college goer or a research scholar requires basic care, safety, and freedom. These rights should be duly recognized and abide by while imparting knowledge to the student.
Equal treatment to all with due respect: Respect should be given to each student with any discrimination. Any forms of biased opinions, use of indoctrinating methods, rude behavior and comments might hamper the peace of the learning environment posing a threat to the reputation of the mentor.
Promoting professional sincerity: Ethical awareness along with high dexterity is imperative in maintaining the sanctity of the profession. Be it a primary teacher or the job of a University lecturer, this professional integrity will help you to achieve success while winning the confidence of the society that you use your discretionary powers ethically and in the right manner.
Maintaining confidentiality: The profession of a lecturer, teacher or an educator includes managing huge student databases that include their score sheets and other private data. Adhering to the privacy is crucial for the role of a teacher. Information, be it personal or related to their education should be strictly confidential. This ensures the honesty of an individual in this profession.
The Ethical Guidelines
An educator needs to follow different ethical principles which are segregated depending on the workplace, the students, and the parents.
Here we are bifurcating into two majorly to show their ethical responsibilities:
With Students and Parents
Facilitating high-quality knowledge and channelizing it through the bond of a reliable relationship is what these professionals should strive for. Commitment to education and loyalty towards the growth of the students should be well depicted in their way of working. To inject the seeds of knowledge fruitfully the educators must:
1. Create a fun and conducive environment where students can acquire the knowledge stress-free.
2. Evolve with time and update with the current mode of teaching, lecturing, and the curriculum.
3. Care and motivate the students to work for a brighter future.
4. Aware of one’s own power and make full utilization of it in times of crisis situation
5. Evaluate work and learning of the students in fairgrounds.
6. Meet and respect the parents while discussing any issues regarding the students.
7. Protect the students against abuse, violence and encroachments.
8. Flexible enough to take feedback and criticisms from the students and teacher.
9. Make the students comfortable in the pedagogical institution.
Workplace Ethical Responsibilities
In the professional spheres as well, they have certain ethics to follow and practice to preserve the dignity of the workplace. It also contributes to the overall learning environment of the institution. Hence the following ethical guidelines exclusive for the workplace:
1. Build strong interpersonal relationships with other employees in the workplace promoting ethical awareness
2. Involve in activities that will nurture the knowledge and help in adding to the skills of the professional.
3. Interaction with the neighboring institutes and organizing events to build a relationship with them.
4. Respecting and listening to all the opinions.
5. Aligning the work culture to the vision and mission of the organization.
6. Maintaining the professional code of conduct and openness
7. Accepting the boundaries of one’s own discipline and respecting other subject matter experts.
8. Assisting the colleagues during the time of crisis.
9. Bring to the forefront the unacceptable practices happening in the workplace.
Therefore, the job of a lecturer demands ethical consciousness along with a clear knowledge of the discipline to help in the all-round development of the students.