Ethics in the Classroom

Ethics are a collection of moral standards and principles that governs a person's life.  Ethics can be based on a faith or religion or it may not be.  There are many people with a code of ethics that do not follow a particular religion.  Some standards seem to be universal.  For example, lying, stealing, and murdering seem to be considered unethical by almost everyone.

I believe it is important to have a strong code of ethics in the classroom.  Obviously, sharing one's religion is often out of the question but a teacher should have good morals for several reasons.  First of all, students should be exposed to ethical role models, especially if there are none at home.  Second, I believe someone who lives by a code is easier to follow and respect than someone without one.  Any teacher will tell you it is important to have the respect of your students.

Being an ethical teacher has its benefits.  As previously mentioned, having ethics often leads to the respect of students and colleagues.  However, there are also some cons to leading an ethical life in the classroom.  For example, the state or district may require a teacher to teach something he or she does not believe in.  This can lead to some incredible controversy.  Should the teacher teach what he or she is asked to or should one stick to the code of ethics?  Difficult questions like this come up often for anyone concerned with ethics.