Page 19 - Inquiring into the Ethical Dimensions of Professional Practice

Vignette 12: Pretend This Never Happened
As per board and union policy, I handed in a Course Preference Sheet in March to my Principal. On that sheet, I listed my three teaching and assignment preferences in the following order:
1. Co-operative Education 2. English
3. Guidance
After the March submission deadline had passed for teaching assignments, my principal called me into his office and told me that he could not give me Co-op. The principal said that there were many people competing for the Guidance position. However, he told me that if I took the form back, destroyed it and filled in a new form with Guidance as my first choice, he would put me in that department. I was surprised by this request to adjust my form after the identified date for submission of choices had passed. I was also very troubled by the request to have me alter my choice when no other staff member was being offered the same opportunity. I struggled with complying with this request as I believed I would then be complicit in undermining the integrity of the entire process. I wondered if I should pretend this request never happened and do nothing?
Ethical Inquiry Cycle
Ethical Inquiry Dialogic Process
After reading the vignette, educators are invited to engage in critical reflection and dialogue related to the following ethical inquiry process:
1. Experience: Identify the ethical challenge(s), issue(s) or dimensions inherent within this vignette.
2. Reflection: Critically reflect on the underlying values or assumptions that are influencing the professional practices in this vignette.
3. Critical Analysis: Critically analyze this vignette through the ethics of Care, Respect, Trust and Integrity.
4. New Perspectives and Insights: Identify new insights or understandings have been gained from reading this vignette?
Ethical Knowledge and Action
Generate suggestions for enhancing the ethical awareness, sensitivity and ethical efficacy of the educators in this vignette?
Inquiring into the Ethical Dimensions of Professional Practice 17