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The Moral Life Of A Teacher

The Moral Life of a Teacher

Considered Response

In the context of professional ethics, morals refer to so much more than lessons learned from fairy tales. Greene provides that a moral refers to a varied selection of values, judgments of right and wrong, good and bad as well as relational judgments concerning peoples' actions (Greene, 1973). Many professionals, including teachers, are often held to a high standard of morality. Morals are measured through many mediums; there are personal values, professional standards, societal norms and legal statutes which are a few examples of foundations that morals are compared against. This response will examine the current legal context associated with teachers in regards to morals and ethics. The basis of this examination has stemmed from various articles addressing contemporary issues of teacher misconduct outside of the classroom, and how that misconduct is subsequently being dealt with at an appellate court level.
There is an evolving judicial construction of teachers' roles in Canadian jurisprudence. Judges continue to examine the social and educational significance of teachers through the varied misconduct cases that they are encountering in their courtrooms. There has been an increase in recent years of litigation surrounding teacher conduct. Cesare and Manley-Casimir outline three main issues that have caused controversy and debate in both judicial and educational environments. The first issue surrounds the definitions of teacher misconduct within provincial statutes. As judges are dealing with situations not outlined or clarified within the statutes, they are led to establish their own definition of the role of a teacher, thus justifying their decisions as to the conduct of teachers. Each province indeed has a professional code of conduct, yet these documents can be interpreted as quite vague and unclear in a legal sense. The second issue arises from temporal and spatial circumstances. When alleged misconduct...