MYLS Professional Ethics in Education 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A student with an IEP (Individualized Education Program) asks a teacher not to share the IEP details with the new substitute. The teacher should:
- Honor the student's request and withhold all IEP information
- Share only the accommodations the substitute needs to support the student appropriately (Correct answer)
- Share the full IEP with the substitute to ensure complete transparency
- Ask the student to explain their own needs to the substitute
Correct answer: Share only the accommodations the substitute needs to support the student appropriately
Substitutes need enough information to provide required accommodations, but full IEP details should be shared only on a need-to-know basis.
Question 2: Which of the following is an example of a conflict of interest for a teacher?
- Teaching a subject the teacher also tutors privately outside of school (Correct answer)
- Recommending a textbook the teacher personally finds engaging
- Attending a professional development seminar funded by a publisher
- Grading papers from students the teacher knows well
Correct answer: Teaching a subject the teacher also tutors privately outside of school
Tutoring privately the same students you teach creates a financial incentive that could influence classroom behavior, constituting a conflict of interest.
Question 3: A teacher overhears two colleagues gossiping about a student's family situation in the staff lounge. The teacher should:
- Join the conversation to provide additional context
- Report both colleagues to the principal immediately
- Remind colleagues that discussing student personal information inappropriately is unprofessional (Correct answer)
- Ignore the conversation as it does not directly involve the teacher
Correct answer: Remind colleagues that discussing student personal information inappropriately is unprofessional
Educators have an ethical obligation to uphold professional standards, including gently correcting colleagues who violate student privacy.
Question 4: A student from a different cultural background performs a customary greeting that other students find unusual. The teacher's ethical responsibility is to:
- Ask the student to adopt American customs while at school
- Use the moment as an opportunity to promote cultural understanding (Correct answer)
- Ignore the situation to avoid drawing attention to the student
- Allow other students to ask questions freely without guidance
Correct answer: Use the moment as an opportunity to promote cultural understanding
Educators have an ethical duty to foster inclusive, culturally responsive classrooms that respect student identities.
Question 5: The concept of 'in loco parentis' means that teachers:
- Must contact parents before making any decision about a student
- Act in place of parents and exercise reasonable care for students' well-being during school hours (Correct answer)
- Have the same legal authority as parents at all times
- Are responsible for students even outside of school property
Correct answer: Act in place of parents and exercise reasonable care for students' well-being during school hours
In loco parentis means teachers act with parental-like authority and responsibility for student welfare during school hours and activities.
Question 6: A teacher finds a student's personal diary left in the classroom and reads it to check for signs of distress. This action is:
- Acceptable because student welfare is the top priority
- Unethical because it violates the student's right to privacy (Correct answer)
- Required by mandated reporter obligations
- Appropriate if the teacher only reads the first page
Correct answer: Unethical because it violates the student's right to privacy
Reading a student's private journal without consent violates privacy rights, even with good intentions; the teacher should return it and check on the student directly.
Question 7: Which of the following actions demonstrates professional integrity in assessment?
- Allowing students who complained about grades to retest only
- Curving grades for a class after a test proves too difficult for all students (Correct answer)
- Giving extra credit only to students who need it to pass
- Changing a student's grade when pressured by an upset parent
Correct answer: Curving grades for a class after a test proves too difficult for all students
Curving grades when a test was too difficult for the whole class applies a consistent standard fairly to all students.
MYLS Professional Ethics in Education 3
A student with an IEP (Individualized Education Program) asks a teacher not to share the IEP details with the new substitute.
The teacher should: