Daniel Swanson

Professor Suk
Education Field Experience Educ 230-01
Fall 2014
Rationale Statement 2
Statement of Standard 11: Ethical Practice. The teachers acts in accordance with legal and
ethical responsibilities and uses integrity and fairness to promote the success of all students.
Name of Artifact: Field Experience
Date of Artifact: Fall 2014
Course: Education Field Experience EDUC 230-01
Rationale Statement: In any field, Ethics is a very big deal. All laws must be followed and
everyone has responsibilities to make sure a job is done well, and in an ethical fashion. This is all
especially true with education. As a teacher, youre not trying to sell a product, or create a new
invention to change the world, youre teaching people to go out and do these things themselves,
and when dealing with such a young population, special care must be taken. Children and teens
are very impressionable and teachers need to be good role models for students to follow. As a
teacher, it is important that you are inspiring these students to do well, succeed, and create, all
while maintaining a professional relationship with them as well.
While observing the classes that I got to sit in with, I took special note of how the teacher
interacts with her students. She took interest in her students not only as just students in her class,
but as people as well. This helped her build a very strong rapport with her students and they
seemed more focused in her class. Despite the comfortable atmosphere in the class, the teacher
maintained a very professional relationship with her students. She constantly reminded me of all
the rules in the school, and in the department. She went into detail about the dress code, due
dates, and lesson plan guidelines. She also went into detail about the Common Core Standards
and how to effectively teach while following the guidelines. When I was given assignments, I

was not at all allowed to see student grades, as it was a FERPA violation. NJPTS Standards and
the Common Core standards are all set to maintain a safe and effective learning environment. It
is important to follow these guidelines, as they are set to ensure success in every student.
A lot of ethics is simply common sense. Dont say anything to offend others, when
demonstrating viewpoints you must be careful not to be biased, and generally show good sense
in judgment. While all of this may be true, there are a lot of other aspects to look at as well.
While teaching, a teacher must maintain the confidentiality of every student and not violate
FERPA in any way. Reflection is key as well, and a teacher must identify their biases. When a
teacher sees their bias, it is their responsibility to learn more about whatever it is their biased
about to help build strong bonds with any student and ensure their success. By doing so, they are
setting a good model for their class to follow. Ethics, Laws and regulations are all created with a
purpose. Standards and rules within a state, school, or district all make the classroom a safe place
to learn. In education following rules and regulations are just that much more important, as they
ensure every student has the ability to be successful.

References
Board, New Jersey Professional Teaching Standarts. 2014. "New Jersey Professional Standarts for
Teachers and School Leaders." August: 37-38.