Every institutions requires its employees to behave in a certain manner. It is for this reason that a code of ethics is put into place. The code of ethics gives a guideline on how the employees should behave. If the employees violate these guidelines, then they face disciplinary consequences. However, the code of ethics are limited to when the employee is within the company premises or during working hours. Some institutions require employees to behave ethically even after working hours to ensure the good name is upheld. In a school setting, for example, teachers are supposed to be the role models of the kids they teach. They should, therefore, behave the part, whether in or out of school ( Barrett, Casey, Visser, & Headley, 2012). Other actions that go beyond the code of ethics may be performed in utter discretion. The below essay will focus on the case of Mrs. Pettit and whether her actions and the Education Board actions were justified.
Mrs. Pettit has been an exceptional elementary school teacher for 13 years. However, during her private hours, she and her husband engage in actions that the larger community consider as immoral. Mrs. Pettit and her husband belong to a group of people known as Swingers. They have been interviewed on 2 local television networks in regards to their sexual lifestyle. These interviews make the other teachers gossip about her. On another occasion, an undercover police officer arrests Mrs. Pettit and she pleads guilty. She is released after paying a fine. She continues teaching but is later fired and her license revoked. During this period of the 1960s, the actions that Mrs. Pettit indulges in are considered as against the law.
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The decision made by the Education Board of firing Mrs. Pettit has two opinions to it. In as much as Mrs. Pettit has been an exemplary teacher for 13 years, her actions at this particular time work against the ethics of the school. Three school administrators testify against her claiming that she is likely to rub off her behavior to the children she teaches. On one hand, this may be true. As mentioned earlier, teachers are supposed to the role models of the children they teach. In this case, children are more likely to emulate the behavior of the teachers ( Kiggundu, & Nayimuli, 2009). On the other hand, Mrs. Pettit has been a good teacher for thirteen years. Since no other accusations have cropped up in regards to the behavior of her pupils, it can be assumed that she only shows them her professional side, thus keeping her private life private, as should be. All in all, the decision of firing her was a violation of her private life as these were deed performed in private and away from the school premises.
From Mrs. Pettit’s point of view, it can be deduced that she did not behave unprofessionally. She kept her private life to herself. To begin with, she disguised her identity while doing the interviews with the local television networks, though in vain. Secondly, the undercover police officer caught her in a private party, meaning that it was not a public affair. Her only crime was that her lifestyle was against the law. However, this was not enough reason to revoke her teaching license on basis that she would influence the children negatively, given that she has been in the profession for a long time.
References
Barrett, D. E., Casey, J. E., Visser, R. D., & Headley, K. N. (2012). How do teachers make judgments about ethical and unethical behaviors? Toward the development of a code of conduct for teachers. Teaching and Teacher Education , 28 (6), 890-898.
Kiggundu, E., & Nayimuli, S. (2009). Teaching practice: a make or break phase for student teachers. South African journal of education , 29 (3), 345-358.
