Saturday, February 18, 2012

Examining Codes of Ethics


I spent time looking at NAEYC’s Code of Ethical Conduct and Statement of Commitment. While doing so I felt like I was being validated in my actions and inspired as well. The first ideal that struck me was I-1.1 – “to be familiar with the knowledge base of early childhood care and education and to stay informed through continuing education and training.” This one ideal is what has driven me to continue my education and what makes me look to the future and consider getting my PhD.
I-1.2 reads, “to base program practices upon current knowledge and research in the field of early childhood education, child development, and related disciplines, as well as on particular knowledge of each child”. This I feel is my main goal daily. Every lesson plan, every situation, every child is taken into consideration. My struggle when is comes to this ideal is making sure my staff are also on the same page as I am, and that the children we serve are getting the best we can offer.
The one ideal I feel that my program hits out of the park is I-1.10 “to ensure that each child’s culture, language, ethnicity, and family structure are recognized and valued in the program.” I know what it can be like to feel like you are not valued in your class or your culture is less. We ensure that this particular ideal is achieved and with the help of parents we are very successful with our outcome.
The last ideal I would like to address is one I feel I need to work more on. I-1.6 – “to use assessment instruments and strategies that are appropriate for the children to be assessed, that are used only for the purposes for which they were designed, and that have the potential to benefit children.” My biggest professional struggle at this time is finding an assessment tool that works for the children, our program and myself. There just does not seem to be an assessment tool that provides me the feedback I am looking for. As of now I am still searching.  

NAEYC. (2005, April). Code of ethical conduct and statement of commitment. Retrieved February 17,   
     2012, from

2 comments:

Rene Moss said...

I chose a similar ideal as your about ensuring that each child’s culture, language, ethnicity, and family structure are recognized and valued in the program. If we don't recognize the individuality of people's cultures, you cannot fully connect with people, especially children. Diversity is one of the greatest tools we have as teachers!

totteacherSC said...

Sharene, It has been rewarding for me to read your thoughts about your work in early childhood. It was nice to come across someone who I could identify with, especially not having been a student for so long. Thanks for the inspiration, and keep up the godd work.