Thinking it Through: Problem Solving for People who work with Young Children Focus on Children 2015 Kaye Marshall Jamie Desmul Emily Dreste

WELCOME!  Who we are  Why we’re here  Who are you? “Young children need teachers who are not machines... They need people with searching hearts and seeking minds, who are always trying better to understand themselves, their job, their young charges, and the world around them.” James L. Hymes, Jr. 1983

NAEYC Code of Ethics  History  Core values, Ideals, Principles  4 areas of professional relationships  Children  Families  Colleagues/Supervisors  Community/Society

Values – Problem Solvers  Personal attributes  “Who you are” – temperament, life experiences, personality  Values  Desirable, worthwhile qualities – truth, justice, respect  Morality  View of what is good, right, proper  Ethics  The study of right/wrong, duty/obligation; “the science of moral duty”

Values – Personal/Professional  Personal values are the foundation for professional values  Priorities and goals reflect your values and need to be complemented with professional values/standards  Professional values and ethics – actions that are right and wrong in the workplace  What you ought to do and not do – a public matter  Consider other professions: medical, legal, political

Responsibility or Dilemma?  Responsibilities  Required and spelled out in the Code: harm, confidentiality, discrimination, laws/regulations  Not always easy or popular, “must-dos”  Dilemmas  Situations with more than one possible, justifiable solution: two “rights”  Requires a choice, and may involve conflict between values – rarely quick or simple to solve

Responsibility  You teach in a school that has a population from a culture in which physical punishment is common. One morning you observe a boy from this cultural group strike another child. A new aide who shares this culture grabs him and twists his ear. The child was momentarily stunned but soon seemed fine and was calm for the rest of the day. Apart from some redness, there were no other effects. When you speak with the aide, she tells you that children in her community are used to this kind of discipline. She says, "it calmed him down, didn't it?"

Dilemma  You are a teacher in a preschool. A mother often tells you how proud she is of her daughter, although you have heard her speaking harshly to the child. One day the child comes to school visibly upset and tells you that her mother spanked her in the middle of the night. You ask the mother about it, and she explains that she spanked her child because she wet the bed. When you tell mom that bed-wetting is not an unusual occurrence that usually disappears in time, she tells you that spanking cured her older daughter of bed-wetting.

Using a Framework  Identify the conflicting responsibilities  Brainstorm possible resolutions  Consider ethical finesse  Look for guidance in the Code  Decide on a course of action  Implications for center/home policy?  Opportunity for advocacy?

Your turn!  Time to practice using the framework  Work together in groups to solve a problem/dilemma  We are here to guide and assist you!  Emily – children  Kaye – families  Jamie – directors/administrators

Share back!  What did your group discuss?  Did the discussion change your thinking, affirm your beliefs, or both?  How will you use the Code of Ethics and/or the framework in your work?

Resources  Feeney, Freeman, and Pizzolongo (2012). Ethics and the Early Childhood Educator, 2e. NAEYC: Washington, DC.  Feeney, Freeman, and Moravcik (2000). Teaching the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct: Activity Sourcebook. NAEYC: Washington, DC.  Early Childhood Advocacy Toolkit:  Young Children : Focus on Ethics Column. NAEYC: Washington, DC. Coming in March 2015: Smartphones and Social Media: Ethical Implications for Educators by Stephanie Feeney and Nancy K. Freeman

Evaluation Thank you!