Ethical dilemma

Ethical dilemma is a situation involving issues of right and wrong, duties, or obligations that have more than one defensible resolution, each of which can be justified in moral terms. It makes us think to choose what is right and wrong.

Early childhood educators are faced with daily ethical dilemmas and moral conundrums that challenge our view of ourselves and the support we offer. The NZTC Code of Ethics is a tool that urges educators to privilege relationships with children, their families and the communities of which they are a part, and articulate these in terms of children’s growth and learning, just as New Zealand Code of Ethics is a tool that guides the educators to find their sense of what they ought to do.

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My 1st reaction

I believe that we should follow the Curriculum. I accept that there is no Maori child in the centre but the children in the centre going to grow up and going for primary and higher studies and the situations in higher schools and colleges never going to be same like our centre. In early age children minds are fresh and accepting the morals and values what we are teaching them.

If we not teaching them according to the curriculum at ECE centre then it going to be hard expecting respect from them for other cultures especially Maori. In respect of making them responsible citizens, I think us not playing our best role by not teaching them Maori at early age.

It’s going to be new and hard for children to accept the bi-cultural curriculum at primary school level. They might not happily accept the Maori language in curriculum plus they might not be respectful toward the Maori culture.

I agree that some parents might not happy with introducing their children with Maori language at centre. But my intentions is to introduce the language now to the children rather then they have to struggle in the future. Ethically I try to convince the teachers and parents to stick to the curriculum, which is more important. We all got to understand that Maori is the Native language of New Zealand and we can’t avoid it.

Teach and model those positive values which are widely accepted in society and encourage learners to apply them and critically appreciate their significance.

http://www.teacherscouncil.govt.nz/required/ethics/coe-poster-english.pdf

Identifying the stakeholders

1. Teachers who want to implement Te Reo: – Teachers are the main stakeholders in this situation. They are in a situation where it’s hard to choose what to do. 1^st they have to think about the curriculum then about the opinions of staff members and the parents of children they teach. It’s more hard when other staff members justifying not to implement Te Reo and tikanga maori.
2. Teachers who justifying don’t need to implement Te Reo: – Teachers who are happy not to implement Te Reo. Even though they are right too in doing so in some stages, when they don’t have maori child in the centre. Teachers attend to the needs of children first and put children ahead of their own needs. They putting children ahead then the government agency.

Parents who are happy with current situation: – Those parents who are happy with not teaching maori to their children. Teachers have to consider their interests too when they don’t want their children to learn Maori.

Gonzalez-Mena (2002) discusses the differences in individualism and collectivism with regard to early childhood education, and the difficulties that can arise when caregivers and family are at different ends of the continuum (Sarah Hartstone, personal communication Saturday, 23 January 2014, 10:35 AM)