Legal and Ethical Implications in Classroom Management

Today’s classroom is a lot different from what we have seen before. Teachers were in the classroom because they wanted to be and not because they had to in order to make a living. Today’s teacher is frustrated thus classroom management becomes an issue that needs mention under many forms. Behavioral issues ensue and parents lose trust in the educational system. Parents are also at the helm of this problem and our classrooms are faced with ever changing methods of discipline and classroom management. Teachers are given lists of ways to organize their classroom at the beginning and throughout the year.

What are the legal implications as it applies to teachers? What are the ethical implications? What are our students, parents, and teachers rights? It seems that these have been ever changing and in some cases our teachers and parents are often times left confused. The students are then left confused because there is no one that understands what their rights really are. These questions will be answered in this paper as per the articles that I have read relating to these topics. Article 1: Preparing Teachers for Classroom Management: The Teacher Educators Role

The first thing that grabbed me about this article was a quote, “You will not even get to teach your perfectly written lesson plan if you don’t have a classroom management plan in place.” (Clement; 2010) This article details how important it is for student teachers to know and understand how to manage their classroom. As teachers we have a legal and moral obligation to keep our students safe with the ability to learn. She discusses how some states do not have a requirement to take a classroom management class and that many student teachers have no idea how to begin managing their classrooms and when they are faced with their first behavior problems. It also talks of how many books, articles, and videos there are out there for new teachers to consider before and during their first year and throughout their time period in the classroom.

The opening quote was so important to me because it opened up the idea that teachers are the forerunners of the way the classroom should be run. Imagine a school where all the teachers have impeccable classroom management skills. You could walk down the hallway and never hear a sound. This is a dream of mine to be a part of an entire school where the teachers are properly trained in managing a classroom. They understand that though discipline can still become an issue but with a properly managed classroom it is that much easier to deal with. As teachers we have a legal and moral obligation to keep our students safe. As teachers that is our right. This article has shown me that not only am there a multitude of media available to teachers but it gives us something to take in our classroom and use. I will use the information in this article to seek out some of the classroom management theorists mentioned and study them in order to help me with my first elementary classroom experience. Article II: Special Education Leadership: Integrating Professional and Personal Codes of Ethics to Serve the Best Interests of the Child

This article discusses ethics and decision making as it applies to the special education classroom. It talks about the fact that teachers double as the students’ case manager in this type of classroom. Due to this there are many hard decisions to make. The article also stresses how the teacher has to work for the best interest of the child. I chose this article because it also implies the role and responsibilities for the teachers, students, and the parents. Classroom management plays an intricate part in the special education classroom. Parents are needed more in this type of classroom than any other. Without their cooperation it would be almost impossible to give the students what they need. Special education students have the right to an excellent education. They also have the right to have someone advocate for them if they cannot do this for themselves. Legally a special needs student is limited in the decisions that they are able to make. That is why teachers must be sure to step up and make sure that the classroom is a happy and safe environment where the parents and teachers can work together.

In my special education classroom I would use an article to remind me that along with the parents I am the voice of my students and when they come in to my room there are procedures set in place for a well managed classroom to avoid incidents and for parent understanding. Article III: A Randomized Trial Examining the Effects of Conjoint Behavioral Consultation and the Mediating Role of the Parent-Teacher Relationship This article discusses how parent teacher partnerships make a difference in the classroom environment. Parents of children with problem behaviors are very helpful when they work closely with the teacher. Basically, a parent has not only the right but a moral or ethical obligation to be an intricate part of their child’s learning. Teachers who communicate rules and procedures to the parents should expect for them to go over these at home with their children so that students know and understand that the parent and the teacher will be working together to make sure that there will be a structured environment for all students.

This article entailed how the group used showed that when teachers and parents communicated the student’s success rates were much higher than when they did not communicate at all. This is important to note because there are those parents who do not or are unable to stay on a continual contact basis with the teacher may have a child that has a problem behavior and they are not easy to deal with. Without the advocacy of the parent dealing with a child such as this may become impossible. I would copy this article and post it in my classroom for the parents to read or I may send it home with them to explain how important it would be for me and the parents to communicate. It would show them success rates so that they can better understand what it looks like to be what I want to call a “classroom parent”, this is a parent who e-mails, telephones, or sends a note.

The parent that will do whatever they have to do to stay in contact with the teacher. Article IIII: Improve Relationships to improve student performance This article discusses how students and teachers can improve their relationships thus improving academic ability. It details how teachers have a responsibility to communicate with their students as well as the students needing to communicate with their teachers. This is vital to having success in the classroom. I believed that this article was relevant because it spoke about the moral obligations of teachers to students and how they have a responsibility to their students. I appreciated that because our students should know that we are here for them.

They should also know that they can communicate with us if there are any problems or they just want to say something. We have an obligation to be available when our students need us to be there. Even though there may be times when we cannot be but it is important for our students to see us try and try to be available when we can. I would use this for my students to give them an understanding of how things work in the classroom and why we need to work together. I would send a copy of this article home with the students so that they could share this with their parents and then they could come back and share what or how their parents felt about what they read and how it applies to our classroom. Students need to know that they are important and that their voice means something in the classroom. Their opinion matters and this may even help them communicate a bit more with their parents and get them involved as well.

References

Clement, Mary C.
Preparing Teachers for Classroom Management: The Teacher Educator’s Role (2010). Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin 77, 41-44 Bon, Susan C.; Bigbee, Adam J. (2011). Special Education Leadership: Integrating Professional and Personal Codes of Ethics to Serve the Best Interests of the Child Journal of School Leadership, 21,324-359 Sheridan, Susan M.; Bovaird, James A.; Glover, Todd A.; Garbacz, S. Andrew; Witte, Amanda; Kwon, Kyongboon (2012). A Randomized Trial Examining the Effects of Conjoint Behavioral consultation and the Mediating Role of the Parent-Teacher Relationship School of Psychology, 41, 23-46 Arum, David (2011) Improve Relationships to Improve Student Performance Phi Delta Kappan, 93, 8-13