NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct

Phase 1:

The NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct is a set of clear-cut guidelines that identify the issues we should care about as educators and people in the profession of education. It is designed to help protect the children, families of the children, and the professionals that work with the children. The code is also a way of communicating what to expect of people in this profession. The guidelines in the code help professionals to resolve moral dilemmas they encounter at work. Educators and other people in the profession of education can refer to the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct in order to negotiate professional problems; to decipher the difference between right and wrong while upholding professional responsibilities and duties. The NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct is not only a set of guidelines for professionals to follow but also a reflection of morals and values that we as professionals should believe in.

Phase 2:

As a teacher I have witnessed certain incidents that have taken place between other coworkers and the families or the students that they work with. Sometimes these situations have put me in awkward positions. In hindsight, I can now see how some things can be defined as a responsibility on my part or a dilemma in which I was placed and did not know how to react.

One incident in particular that was the most recent involved my classroom assistant. I work with students that have severe and profound disabilities – most of which have special toileting needs and require that they wear diapers throughout the school day. I ask that my students’ diapers are changed three times per school day. The toileting schedule happens at the same time each day and is also posted on the daily classroom schedule for me and my assistant to see. Sometimes I help with the toileting routine, but most time I am occupied with a lesson or activity with the students that are waiting for their turn in the bathroom. Several times I noticed that some of the students’ diapers were not changed after they had just come out from the changing room with my assistant. When I questioned my assistant she insisted that she just changed their diapers. Finally I checked the diapers in front of her after she just claimed she changed them. The diapers were very obviously soiled and had been soiled for long periods of time during the school day. I had to talk to her about the importance of changing the students’ diapers and reminded her that NOT changing their diapers was a form of neglect on her part. I posted more toileting schedules, gave her a copy, and posted one near the changing area as well. However, my assistant continued to take the students to the changing room and lie about changing their diapers. She would go as far as unstraping the diapers to make it sound like she was changing it while I was in the background, but would continue to neglect changing the students. At this point I brought it to my principal’s attention and it became an administrative decision to talk to my assistant and remind her of her duties as a special education classroom assistant.

Another incident I encountered involved my cooperating teacher and a comment I overheard her make to a young child. I overheard the teacher tell a child to “get away from her” and call her a “spoiled little brat that thinks she can always get her way because Mommy and Daddy will do whatever she tells them to do.” The little girl had been trying to get the teacher’s attention while the teacher was looking for art supplies in a cabinet in the classroom. The little girl walked away with tears in her eyes after the teacher spoke to her this way. I felt really badly for the child and wanted to intervene, but as a guest in the classroom I refrained from saying anything.

The first situation was definitely a moral responsibility on my part to make sure my students were receiving proper care. It’s really unfortunate that an adult I was supposed to be trusting was not only lying on the job and neglecting to fulfill her duties as a paraprofessional, but she was also neglecting the needs of very vulnerable children. This was in violation of Section I, P-1.1 (Above all, we shall not harm children. We shall not participate in practices that are emotionally damaging, physically harmful, disrespectful, degrading, dangerous, exploitative, or intimidating to children), and Section III, I-3C.2 (to create and maintain a climate of trust and candor that will enable staff to speak and act in the best interests of children, families, and the field of early childhood care and education). By not changing the children’s diapers my assistant was harming the children and by lying to me she was creating a sense of mistrust in the workplace.

The second situation I discussed placed me in a dilemma. I felt that the teacher was speaking in such a way that was disrespectful to the child, degraded the child, and was emotionally harmful to the child. This was also in violation of Section I, P-1.1 of the Code. Even though I knew better, being a guest in the teacher’s classroom created a dilemma for me because I didn’t feel it was my place to say anything.

Phase 3:

The NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct will be very helpful to me as an early childhood practitioner. It will provide guidance when it comes to passing professional judgements and making decisions. The Code will continue to act as a set of beliefs to teach by and a reminder of the importance of respecting children, their families, and the families’ communities in which they live. The Code will also come in handy when it comes to dealing with coworkers and any dilemmas I may experience with them. As an early childhood practitioner, the Code sets a tone of common ground of responsibilities and morals to uphold in the classroom and all education settings.