Using the example from the Tech director's ethical dilemma, I truly believe that there are things that need to be addressed without fearing the consequences of one's actions. Educational institutions have very clear rules and all the people involved in education ought to know what is right and wrong. Educators are meant to be people that set an example both inside and outside of the classroom. You can't pretend to morally be one person with your students and a different person with your friends. It is surprising to read about a principal that tries to protect other people or that does not support the person who's sole duty (the tech director) is to inform him of the daily occurrences of the school information technology systems. This particular person has his allies in the wrong order.
I think that the technology director has the obligation to report any violation to the rules of the school, whether they are done by students or teachers. However, it is important to follow the correct chain of command to report the incident. It is not uncommon to hear about teachers doing things in class that students are prohibited from doing. Most of the time, it is the students who reports these illicit actions. Teachers might be downloading music or chatting, while other teachers are suffering from bandwidth problems during the school day.
It is necessary to take action and generally, it is a senior administrator or even the head of the institution who will request the teacher to have more consideration for the work that is expected from him or her. Teacher's professional demeanor must be always kept intact. In case, of repeated actions, and the level of severity then the staff could be separated from the institution.
All teachers in a school ought to know that the school systems must be used for educational purposes and not private ones. They have to limit the use of e-mail for professional work and abide to the regulations of their use. The school reserves the right to use information that can constitute evidence for fraudulent actions. It is therefore, a personal choice whether or not to mess around with the system. Once all the rules have been clearly set, there is no reason to accept any complaint. Therefore, the Technology Director may find things that violate the rules, but his duty is to report this to the person that is most likely appointed or responsible to take further actions.
To end, it is really a pity to see how people persist to disobey simple rules that are meant to be enforced as each educator is an important element in a school, whose image as role model is important for the education of the children and youngsters.
1 comment:
As long as the tech director did everything right in pursuing the issues, and followed the rules, reported issues to the correct chains of command, etc., I don't see how he could technically be faulted for anything. It's so disappointing to read about adults acting so immaturely like his coworkers were. It sounded like he really walked into a huge mess. I hope he kept doing the right thing - or found a new job!
Post a Comment