This artifact was a research paper delving into a topic of choice that is currently impacting or has previously impacted the field of education. Students were expected to choose and research an ethical issue in schools that was either historical or current. Students then wrote a six to nine page paper that described both the pros and cons of the issue, but then made a case supporting their standing on the issue in APA format. The paper was written for Professor Darren Hanna in EDUC-600, Ethical Issues in School and Society in the Spring term of 2017. The InTASC Standards that this artifact aligns with are Standard 5, Application of Content, and Standard 9, Professional Learning and Ethical Practice. Standard 5 fits this artifact well because it addresses how both local and global issues impact our students, and Standard 9 fits the artifact because the professional learning involved helped me to understand not only my personal impact on others, but the impact of government policies like ESA’s as well.

This paper pushed me to work on my research skills, helped me better understand ESA’s and vouchers, and also helped me to become more comfortable with APA paper format. As a former English teacher, I had used MLA format for almost every paper I have written or taught and had very little experience with APA format, so it was extremely helpful for me to practice my APA skills on this paper before jumping into my own action research paper. It has also made me think that we should make sure our college-prep high school students are exposed to both writing MLA and APA formats before they leave us so they can have a little more confidence when asked to write papers in college.

In addition to the APA experience, I also learned a lot about ESA’s and how much of an impact they would have (and already have had) on our current education system. I learned a lot through the research process, and it was very timely considering the threat of vouchers is even more imminent now.

Professional Code of Ethics

Jeannie Krambeer

1. Teach each and every child.

· All students are capable of learning.

· Not all students learn the same way or at the same pace.

· Be flexible, yet hold fast to the goals.

· Make the learning matter.

2. Have high expectations for my students and myself.

· Keep the bar high and help students reach for it.

· Avoid stagnation in my teaching and student learning.

· Hold my students and myself accountable for doing our best.

· Teach students to own up to their mistakes and learn from them.

3. Be professional.

· Be a role model for students to learn from by example.

· Constantly continue my own learning through professional work.

· Work collaboratively and supportively with colleagues.

· Treat others the way I would want my family or myself treated.

· Be a leader with colleagues.

4. Embrace Challenges.

· Make the most out of each situation, no matter how dire it may seem.

· Prioritize the teachable moments.

· The “real world” is not scripted, so in order to be prepared for it, we need to know how to operate off-script.

· Always find the bright side.

This artifact is my personalized professional code of ethics. Students were asked to research several different codes of ethics, and then create our own bulleted or numbered descriptions of each of our basic beliefs as a teacher, in other words, our moral compass for our professional behavior. Then students were asked to share out our codes, giving and receiving feedback from other students in the class. This artifact was created for Professor Darren Hanna in EDUC-600, Ethical Issues in School and Society in the Spring term of 2017. The InTASC Standards that this artifact aligns with are Standard 2, Learning Differences, and Standard 4, Content Knowledge. Standard 2 aligns well with this artifact because it addresses how well the teacher understands individual and diverse students to make sure all are included in our educational environments. This is an important part of my code of ethics. Standard 4 also fits the artifact well because in my code of ethics, it is very important to make sure that I create a learning experience that make content knowledge accessible and meaningful to all of my students.

The biggest impact this code of ethics has had on me has been forcing myself to stop and focus on what exactly I stand for in education. I have been teaching a long time and have definitely formed my beliefs over the years, but it wasn’t until I sat down to write this artifact that I actually analyzed what it is that I value over everything else in my profession. Another positive for this self-reflection is the renewed focus on what matters. Now that I have this code of ethics created, it is easy for me to use it as a reminder to myself often so I keep focus on what is important, no matter how difficult the day was. I even printed out a copy for my office to serve as a constant reminder.

Hopefully, this clarifying of my values as an educator will positively impact my students as well. When I can keep track of the “big picture” goals, I can make sure to focus on what is important with my students and colleagues. I can lead by setting a positive example as well.

Myth #1 Learning Occurs Best within Classrooms and Schools

While I understand the argument that Mr. Uhl is making by debasing school learning, I also feel that he is missing the mark by completely dismissing learning in schools. Although he does make several valid points about experiential learning through life’s opportune moments being some of our best teachers, I also believe that there are many instances where learning does occur best within school walls.

One of the biggest arguments posed against the impact of learning in school was that the author learned more in his life through apprenticeships and mentors in his life outside of school. It is clear that these impactful teacher-like figures were essential in his learning, but I can’t think of a better gathering of mentors, willing to guide knowledge and discovery, than in our schools. The picture painted of his school experience was quite bleak, and I feel sorry if that was truly his experience (or his recollection of his experience). Mine was quite different, however. Many of my teachers in school were responsible for guiding some of my most profound learning. Some were content related and opened up new passions for me or forced me to look at things in a new way, and some of my most essential learnings from school were about learning to persevere, and not to blame others for my choices. Effective schools are about creating learning opportunities for students, not stymying their autonomous choice. For so many of our kids who go home to situations void of positive guidance, providing those opportunities is becoming more and more essential.

Myth #2: Learning Occurs Best through Knowledge Transfer

While I don’t agree with much of what the author says in these excerpts (or maybe it is more his tone that irks me), I do agree with the premise of this argument. The “traditional” form of teaching with the teacher imparting their wisdom to their attentive and adoring students is by far not the most viable means of instruction. That being said, I see that method less and less in classrooms every day. Most teachers I work with know that for students to gain the most from their classes, learning has to be “big picture”. It has to be more than memorization and regurgitation of facts. Instead, it has to be interactive and meaningful, allowing students to reach those higher levels of application and adaptation. When we make the learning connect, and when we make it meaningful to the student, we make it impactful. The author hints at “the official core curriculum” as the problem, but anyone who teaches can tell you that it is not the core that is the issue, but how you teach and assess it that really matters to our students.

Myth #3: Learning Occurs Best When Teachers Use Carrots and Sticks

I agree that learning needs to be motivated by desire, not carrots and sticks. When you can pique that kind of desire to learn in students, magical things happen. The little vignette about a child being motivated to learn to walk because they see adults doing it is quite apt. Many times this strategy of modeling works in education as well. Sometimes showing students how what they are learning applies to them or benefits them is extremely motivating. Unfortunately, it does not always work, though, and as educators, those are our toughest challenges. Unlike Katie and her “reading”, as educators, we cannot always just set the table and be available when questions arise. Sometimes we have students that for one reason or another are struggling with work or avoiding work, and we cannot just sit back and let them work it out at their own pace. If the struggle is not productive, we need to intervene and provide more structured support.

Democracy helps us transcend the fight or flight response by taking the focus off of the instinct to sever the tensions in our lives, but, instead, offers a process to embrace the tension and work with others to achieve the best collective outcome. Instead of the instinctual fight or flight response, the author suggests that democracy can trigger a “tend and befriend” response where the emphasis becomes less about isolation, and more about communication and collective debate toward a greater good. While this concept works with many, there are still people who cannot get past the fight or flight response in this system and end up becoming further ensnared in the tension that they sought to end. This is obviously not a good situation for that individual, but it is also detrimental to the group as a whole, since too many disruptions to the tension in the weave weaken the process systemically.

Myth #4 Objectification

I obviously agree with the author that objectification does not help learning occur best. What I am struggling with is his viewpoint that “Most educators I meet adhere, often unwittingly, to this same limiting philosophy of teaching and learning.” I actually looked up the publishing date (2011) of this book thinking that maybe he was referring to practices 30 years ago, but then I realized that I was in school 30 years ago, and while I did have a few classes where there was some objectification, that was definitely not the norm, even then. Maybe I was just lucky, but I really don’t think that is the case. I believe that this type of “teaching” has become even more of the exception, not the norm in current schools. As teachers, we are all about building relationships and meeting our students where they are at with their learning needs. I know that my district is not alone in making this a priority through PD and just general best practice. Even when looking at test scores, we look beyond just the score and focus on the student as a whole to try to figure out the best way of helping our students succeed. I think Jamie Vollmer’s blueberry story (on YouTube if you haven’t seen it) is an interesting parallel to this section. It also speaks to objectifying students and how it doesn’t work to run schools as businesses.

This artifact is an analysis of four major myths of learning based on a section of Christopher Uhl’s book Teaching as if Life Matters: The Promise of a new Education Culture. Students were asked to read the section with Uhl’s thoughts about four major myths of learning and then they were to respond to each of the myths. Students were also expected to give and receive feedback from other students in the class. This artifact was created for Professor Darren Hanna in EDUC-600, Ethical Issues in School and Society in the Spring term of 2017. The InTASC Standards that this artifact aligns with are Standard 8, Instructional Strategies, and Standard 9, Professional Learning and Ethical Practice. Standard 8 aligns well with this artifact because it focuses on how teachers understand and use strategies to help students learn, build connections and skills, and apply the knowledge in meaningful ways. Standard 9 fits because it asks the teacher to evaluate their own practice and that of others to make sure they are having the impact on students that they should.

Honestly, even though I agreed with some of the myths that were discussed in this section, the tone of the author rankled me. Perhaps that is why this particular assignment stuck with me so well. As you can tell by my responses, the text forced me to think deeply about what the author was saying, and it often evoked a very emotional response from me in my reflection. I was quite irked that the Uhl painted a picture of our entire educational system based on his own experience with education. While there were many valid points that happen in some schools, with some teachers, in some situations, it is irresponsible to paint with such a broad brush when there are some amazing things happening in education because of many teachers who do not fit the mold of his particular educational experience.

Even though I did not like the tone of the writing in this text, I did actually appreciate the discussion it provoked and the way it made me think about my own educational experience, not just as a teacher, but as a student as well. I hope that being able to view things through the eyes of a student will help me to better relate to my students.