Week 28 - Influence of Law and Ethics in Practice

Week 28
Influence of Law & Ethics
in Practice
This weeks post relates to the Influence of Law and Ethics in Practice.  I will be reflecting on an issue I faced with Blurred personal and professional boundaries in electronic communication.  I will discuss the implications of the above using Rolfe’s (2001) reflective model.
What?
The dilemma: Blurred personal and professional boundaries in electronic communication
I teach at a school that my own children attend and had (previously) befriended some of my children’s friends mums through various social networks. This year I have changed levels and I am now teaching some of my daughters friends and they are now contacting me via social communication networks in regards to classroom issues and other school-related issues. I feel that my position as friend and Teacher at the school is becoming blurred and being taken advantage of and that the means of communication they have chosen ie; Facebook, text and Messenger crosses the personal/professional communications boundary.
So what?
This ethical dilemma has several different views and opinions to take into account so I will use  Ehrich’s et al. (2011) ethical decision-making process model to resolve this dilemma. Ehrich et al. (2011) states that with advances in modern technology and with greater access to social media, educators now face and are answerable to new challenges and stakeholders. As the classroom teacher, I take my professional role seriously when making the cross-over with my professional and personal life. Any school-related issues are communicated through the appropriate school medium, and any social communication through the various social mediums. Our school Privacy Guidelines (2018) state that we need to maintain a professional boundary and decide whether it is appropriate to accept a friend request from parents or others involved in the school. With this in mind, I had become social media ‘friends’ with these parents prior to becoming their child’s teacher this year, and any new requests from other parents in my classroom to be friends via social media platforms have been ‘ignored’ or deleted accordingly so as not to blur boundaries any further.
Now what?
The dilemma is; how do I make my role as classroom Teacher and friend clear so that the boundaries of communication and professionalism aren’t crossed? There were several factors and elements to identify in order to move forward and resolve this dilemma. In hindsight, I could have had a conversation at the beginning of the year when I knew I was going to be their child’s teacher about my professional role and boundaries and raised that any communication involving their child should be done through appropriate school contacts and emails. In the future I will refer to and use the  “model of ethical decision-making” Ehrich et al. (2011) to work out any legal and/or ethical dilemmas as it gives clear direction on all aspects that need to be fully considered. I feel I dealt with the issue at the time, in a professional manner, upholding our school Code of Conduct (2016), taking into consideration my professional ethics, organisational culture, public interest, stakeholders and significant others when dealing with this dilemma.
Word count: 580
References
Ehrich, L. C. , Kimber M., Millwater, J. & Cranston, N. (2011). Ethical dilemmas: a model to understand teacher practice, Teachers and Teaching: theory and practice, 17:2, 173-185, DOI: 10.1080/13540602.2011.539794
Sunnyhills School Board of Trustees, (2018). Privacy Guidelines.  School Docs retrieved from http://sunnyhills.schooldocs.co.nz/index.htm?toc.htm?18805.htm


Sunnyhills School Board of Trustees, (2016). Code of Conduct.  Internal School Document.

Comments

  1. Unknown16 June 2018 at 14:48

    Hi Susan

    Great post! Totally relevant and one many teachers find themselves stuck in. Your decision to ignore any new requests is a good one along with your thoughts on how to stay professional when in teacher mode. I too have been in a similar situation having taught at the same school that my own children go to. I found that when I was approached about a school matter during "out of school" time I would politely ask them to make an appointment "in school time" so that we could discuss it professionally. i would often also use the statement that I needed to have my data and evidence available when discussing progress etc. Most understood and soon the message got around to use the proper channels. Now I have the children turning up as tweens and they still talk about what life was like back in year 4 when they had me and how their parents found the line between being a friend and being the teacher tricky - so rest assured it is not just you that finds the situation awkward.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Unknown18 June 2018 at 00:08

      Hi Karen, thanks for your comments. I particularly liked the comment you made that you would need your data and evidence available in order to discuss their progress! I have 'toned down' a couple of friendships due to the blurred professional/personal boundaries, however, it's only for 2 more terms and they did get the message eventually. Now I've just got to watch out for the siblings!

      Delete
  2. Unknown16 June 2018 at 16:31

    I think this is a difficulty being faced by an increasing number of teachers. With the development of social media boundaries are becoming blurred and maintaining correct professional boundaries can be quite problematic at times. I think your 'in hindsight' reflections concerning setting clear boundaries at the start of the year, including your expectations re/communication is sensible.. Hindsight is a wonderful thing!

    ReplyDelete
  3. English Grade 11 Blog - 79057000417 June 2018 at 00:59

    I have really enjoyed reading your blog and I think that so many teachers could relate to this. I can see that this model has been effective for you. Do you think that your school privacy guidelines should be modified and be more specific in this area? I will learn from your dilemma and think twice about accepting any friend requests from parents from school.
    Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Unknown17 June 2018 at 23:42

    Hi Samantha, you have made a valid point. We do need the parents 'on-side' for the relationship to work and I think this needs to be understood by both parties. Perhaps reminding them at the beginning of the year that social media is for 'social' occasions could be a way to avoid the 'awkward' moments. Thanks for your comment.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous3 July 2018 at 15:35

    Totally true. Wasn't an issue till our boy started .Like you I have parents coming tome outside of school hours talking about the school. I have to also remind them that it is a school issue and I am here as a parent/ friend. That line can get very blurry at times.

    ReplyDelete

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