Brittany Canfield

Code of Ethics Evaluation - Portfolio Entry

For this assignment, I chose to look at the Code of Ethics for Catholic Educators. This

code is meant for teachers who are employed with Catholic schools. There is a major difference

between a code of ethics for Catholic school teachers and public school teachers. That difference

is a section consisting of maintaining Catholic morals, holding Christian values, and participating

in church/parish activities. Also in this section is a statement about “peacemaking… [by]... using

Christian problem solving techniques” (Code of Ethics for Catholic Educators). Being a Catholic

school educator, these things seemed to come naturally, even for those who are not Catholic.

The Code of Ethics for Catholic Educators, was created from the National Catholic

Educational Association, or NCEA. The purpose of this organization is to assist Catholic school

teachers and administration in their teaching and faith formation. Catholic school can be different

than public school in their teachings and content covered. The National Catholic Educational

Association is meant to help teachers with the content they are supposed to cover by providing

curriculum ideas, teaching resources, and professional development opportunities. Many aspects

of the National Catholic Educational Association mission is reflected in their code of ethics. An

example of this their section about a teacher’s commitment to the ministry of teaching. The

purpose of an educator in Catholic schools is to provide an avenue for students to dig deeper into

themselves. Teachers do this by demonstrating the importance of respect, responsibility,

diligence, and integrity. Another example is in the section on the teacher’s commitment to the

community. A vital part of being a teacher is showing students the meaning of community not

only in the area they live, but, also their school and even more important, their church. Students
and teachers are their own community where every person has some sort of duty. It is very

important for students to understand what it means to be part of a community.

There are many aspects to like about this particular code of ethics. One of the parts of this

code that I like is the incorporation of tradition and values. It is very important for teachers and

students to practice their belief by participating in traditions and showing their personal values.

This makes school a very diverse place due to the differences in the upbringing of each student.

In the school I teach at, there are even differences among siblings. I also like that this code

emphasizes the act of living out Christian values. The reason I like this is because it is broad and

includes all Christians, not just Catholics. It was surprising to be employed by a Catholic school

where about half of the student body and teachers do not classify themselves as Catholic. We

may be a Catholic school, but it is important to show acceptance of differences such as faith.

There are many statements in this code of ethics that use the word “Christian” instead of singling

out Catholics. There are fewer aspects that I dislike. I wish it were longer and included more on

the teacher’s commitment to their students. Teachers owe it to students to be the best person they

can be and I think that could be better explained. The Code of Ethics for Catholic Educators

encompasses all of the required aspects of being a Catholic school teacher.

There are many situations a teacher faces on a daily basis. One of the issues I am faced

with on an almost daily basis is dress code. Students do not feel that they should have a dress

code and often “test” the teachers and administration by wearing clothing that is on the line of

inappropriate. The issue we see most is the length of skirts in girls. Oftentimes, girls will get

uncomfortable if we bring up their skirt length or tell them that their outfit is less than modest.

The question I ask myself is, can teachers tell girls that their skirts are too short? I searched the

code of ethics for an answer to my question. As teachers it is our duty to help students “live out
their Christian values.” One of the Catholic virtues is modesty meaning students would need to

wear clothes that do not show too much skin. On the other hand, the code also states that

educators need to make the “well-being of students the foundation of all decisions and actions.”

If a student will get embarrassed about their outfit, should a teacher say something? I believe that

this is all in how the code is read. To me, embarrassment would hurt the well-being of that

student especially if their parents cannot afford to buy them new clothes. While I did not get a

concrete answer to my question, I did get an insight of different paths that could be taken.

In conclusion, the Code of Ethics for Catholic Educators is a well written document that

could help teachers in many aspects of their jobs. A lot of ethical issues that may be experienced

by a teacher are covered in this code, while others are not. The ethical issue I chose to evaluate

was not specifically covered in the code. Instead, both sides of the issue were covered. A lot of

the code depends on how it is interpreted. I may read it differently than a colleague does. This is

why the code could be longer and more specific. I could see this code of ethics being a good

reference tool when faced with ethical decisions at school.