Ethical Dilemma: Can I Keep This Child

Amanda has been caring for four-year-old Jamie for the past six months.
While Jamie is a great kid, when things dont go his way he gets really
angry. He throws things and can be destructie. !ts getting to the point that
Amanda feels she is ignoring the other children while trying to handle
Jamie. Amanda has been trying to be consistent in her discipline of Jamie,
but shes starting to wonder if she should ask his parents to find another
place for him. What should Amanda do"
1. In your own words, identify what you think is the main concern, issue, or problem in this
situation.
The main concern or problem that Amanda faces in this situation is that she feels she is
devoting all her time to Jamie and handling his anger outburst when things do not go his
way. Amanda feels that she is ignoring the other childrens needs and is not giving them
enough of her time and attention. Amanda is torn between trying to be consist with how
she disciplines Jamie but she feels like she is spending to much of her time focusing on
Jamie and not the other children. Also there is the concern that other children may get
hurt when Jamie decides to throw things and be destructive. Another concern may also
be that with Jamies behavior getting out of hand, he may decide to physically hurt
another child, and the other children may also start acting out some to get Amandas
attention and time.
. To whom do you have responsibilities! "hom and what do you have to consider in
making a decision!
In this situation I would have responsibilities to all the children in the classroom
including Jamie, Jamies parents, the other childrens parents if another child has been
hurt by Jamie and his behavior. I have a responsibility to any other staff that is in the
room or directly affected by Jamies behavior and I would also have the responsibility to
the director or supervisor. "hen making a decision about what to do about Jamie and his
behavior, I have to consider several things. #ne thing would be to talk to the supervisor
or director if that is the policy. I would never make a decision on my own if I knew that I
had to involve the director or supervisor. In that situation I would be documenting
Jamies behavior and then I would ask the director for a conference. $rom there it may
be decided that it is time to have a parent conference with Jamies parents. Another
consideration would be how has Jamies behavior affected the classroom, are other
children starting to act out to get attention, how much teaching time is being disruptive,
have I tried several different guidance techni%ues with Jamie. I have to consider the other
teachers in the room as well and how they handle Jamies behavior, how disruptive is his
behavior for them. #f course I need to consider the other children in the room and how
my time away from them is affecting them and their behavior as well as their learning. I
would have to consider the other childrens parents if there has been any complaints
about the disruptiveness in the classroom or if Jamie had hurt another child.
&. "hat guidance can you find in this section of the 'ode of (thics! "hat specific items in
the code are helpful in guiding your decision!
The type of guidance that can be found in the 'ode of (thics will help evaluate the
situation according to the guidelines or principals in the 'ode of (thics. It will give
guidance on how as a professional I have ethical responsibilities to Jamie, the children in
the classroom, Jamies parents and the other childrens parents. As well as what would
my responsibilities to the director or anyother staff that may be involved in the situation.
The guidance that can be found as it appears in the 'ode of (thics is)
P-1.4*"e shall involve all those with relevant knowledge +including families and staff,
in decisions concerning a child, as appropriate, ensuring confidentiality of sensitive
information.
P-1.7*"e shall strive to build individual relationships with each child- make
individuali.ed adaptations in teaching strategies, learning environments, and
curricula- and consult with the family so that each child benefits from the program. If
after such efforts have been e/hausted, the current placement does not
meet a childs needs, or the child is seriously 0eopardi.ing the ability of other children to
benefit from the program, we shall collaborate with the childs family
and appropriate specialists to determine the additional services needed and1or the
placement option+s, most likely to ensure the childs success. +Aspects of
this principle may not apply in programs that have a lawful mandate to provide services
to a particular population of children.,
P-2.4*"e shall involve the family in significant decisions affecting their child.
P-2.15*"e shall be familiar with and appropriately refer families to community
resources and professional support services. After a referral has been made, we shall
follow up to ensure that services have been appropriately provided.
The 'ode of (thics has sections for guidance when it comes to the ethical responsibilities
to children, families, co2workers and community and society. In this particular dilemma,
the guidance comes from the sections regarding children and families.
3. "hat do you think an early childhood educator should do to best resolve this situation!
"hat action+s, should you take in resolving this situation!
In this situation the teacher would need to be documenting the behavior and then if
needed first bring the behavior to the attention of the director or supervisor. Then as an
early childhood educator, I would hold a parent conference with Jamies parents. #ne of
the %uestions that I would have for them would be is anything going on in the home that
may be stressful such as a parent losing their 0ob, death in the family, new sibling on the
way or anything that may be causing Jamie to causes him to get angry when things do not
go his way. At the parent meeting we could discuss ways that the classroom environment
could be adapted as well as any curriculum adaptations that may need to be changed to
help meet the needs of Jamie while also maintaining the safety of the other children. At
the parent meeting a plan of action would be made and a time frame set up for a follow
up meeting to see how Jamie is progressing. If Jamie is still acting out when things do
not go his way at the second parent meeting, I would as a ne/t step discuss what
resources may be available for the parents.
Ethical Dilemma:
They Want the Children to Succeed!
A parent of a preschooler in your program is concerned that her child will
not be ready for kindergarten next year and has talked with other parents
who hae the same concern. #he group of parents has a copy of the
kindergarten placement test and would like you to begin preparing the
children and delier the test before the end of the year. #hey want the
children to succeed in school$
1. In your own words, identify what you think is the main concern, issue, or problem in this
situation.
In this situation the issue is one of the parents in the preschool program has a concern
that her child may not be ready for kindergarten ne/t year and has talked to other parents
in the class. 4he has raised their concern as well and as a group they obtain a copy of the
kindergarten placement test and are asking that the teacher or teachers use this to prepare
their children for kindergarten. "hat the parents are asking may be going against the
program standards and philosophy of the preschool. There may also be a concern if the
teachers in the room collaborate on the curriculum and one teacher wants to give the
parents what they want and the other teacher does not.
. To whom do you have responsibilities! "hom and what do you have to consider in
making a decision!
I would have responsibilities to the preschool program philosophy, the director of the
preschool, the children in the classroom, the parents, and the other teacher or teachers in
the classroom. "hen making a decision, I need to consider the philosophy and
curriculum of the preschool program. I need to consider the children in the classroom
and how a change in the way the curriculum was taught would affect them. I also need to
consider the families who would not want the curriculum to change, how they would
react to the change and how much tension the issue would create between staff, parents
and the children. In most cases the curriculum and the philosophy of the school are set
and parents are informed of the policies regarding the curriculum when they enroll their
child into the program. I also need to consider how the children are assessed, and be able
to provide the information on a childs growth and development to parents during
conferences or other times that are pertinent. Also I need to respect and consider my co2
workers in the classroom about what they think about teaching to the kindergarten
readiness test.
&. "hat guidance can you find in this section of the 'ode of (thics! "hat specific items in
the code are helpful in guiding your decision!
In the 'ode of (thics I can find guidance that will help me make the right ethical decision. I
can look in the different sections and remind myself and others the ethical responsibilities
that we have to children, families, employers, staff members and even the community. This
will help guide the decision that needs to be made.
The guidelines as found in the 5A(6' 'ode of (thics)
P-1.2*"e shall care for and educate children in positive emotional and social environments
that are cognitively stimulating and that support each childs culture, language, ethnicity, and
family structure.
P-1.5*"e shall use appropriate assessment systems, which include multiple sources of
information, to provide information on childrens learning and development.
P-2.2*"e shall inform families of program philosophy, policies, curriculum, assessment
system, and personnel %ualifications, and e/plain why we teach as we do*which should be
in accordance with our ethical responsibilities to children +see 4ection I,.
P-2-7*"e shall inform families about the nature and purpose of the programs child
assessments and how data about their child will be used.
I-3A.1*To establish and maintain relationships of respect, trust, confidentiality,
collaboration, and cooperation with co2workers.
P-4.5*"e shall be knowledgeable about the appropriate use of assessment strategies and
instruments and interpret results accurately to families.
3. "hat do you think an early childhood educator should do to best resolve this situation!
"hat action+s, should you take in resolving this situation!
As an early childhood educator, I would need to inform the other staff members in the
classroom as well as the director of the situation. Then we would probably hold a staff
meeting to discuss how to best handle the situation. "e would evaluate the environment
to reassess that we are caring for and educating children inane environment that
stimulates their growth and learning, physically, cognitively, socially and emotionally as
well as supporting the different cultures, ethnicities, languages, and family structures.
"e would also discuss how we assess and evaluate the children. The discussion that
would probably be made would be to again remind the families of the program
curriculum, philosophy, policies, and the assessment system that the center uses. The
families would have been informed of these policies when they enrolled their child into
the program. I would then probably hold parent conferences for those parents who have
concerns about their childs readiness for kindergarten. "e would go over how the
assessments are used as well as go over their childs work samples, portfolio or whatever
documentation the center uses. 7opefully through tis the families will gain a better
understanding of how the program provides the children with kindergarten readiness
skills without a test. $amilies would be informed that their childs information is
confidential and only people who need to see the assessments such as the teachers,
families and anyone who their child may have been referred to for services that may need
to see the information such as a speech therapist.
5A(6' 'ode of (thical 'onduct and 4tatement of 'ommitment. +889). 5ational
Association for the (ducation of 6oung 'hildren.
5A(6' 'ode of (thical 'onduct and 4tatement of 'ommitment. +:ay, 889,. 5ational
Association for the (ducation of 6oung 'hildren.