SAMPLE SCENARIO – This is NOT one of the scenarios to be answered but is a sample so the user can see the expectations of one response to Task 1.
SCENARIO 1: Mr. Armstrong is a 3rd grade Language Arts teacher at Cold Creek Elementary. He shares students with his teaching partner, Mrs. Long, who teaches Math, Science and Social Studies. These two teachers have been
teaching partners for several years and have shared personal information with each other as it pertains to their work and home life. Recently, Mrs. Long confided in Mr. Armstrong about difficulties she is having with medication she takes for anxiety, and she let him know that she would be missing school to go to a doctor’s appointment for help with the issue.
While Mrs. Long was out for her appointment, Mr. Armstrong told the substitute, who is also a parent of a student who attends Cold Creek Elementary, that Mrs. Long would probably be needing her several more times in the
upcoming weeks, saying specifically that she would be visiting the doctor until she gets her anxiety controlled by her
medications. Mr. Armstrong’s purpose in speaking to the substitute was only to secure her for upcoming days because he prefers to have consistency for the students.
Questions:
1. Identify the behaviors that you believe violate standards in the Educator Code of Ethics.
2. Which standards do you think were violated? Explain your reasoning.
3. What different choices or actions could Mr. Armstrong have made to act in accordance with the code of
ethics?
Scenario 1 Sample Response:
Mr. Armstrong violated the Texas Educator Code of Ethics Standard 2.1 when he shared confidential health information about his colleague, Mrs. Long. Standard 2.1 states “The educator shall not reveal confidential health or personnel
information concerning colleagues unless disclosure serves lawful professional purposes or is required by law.” While Mr. Armstrong’s motives might be good, to secure the substitute so his students have consistency, he should not have
disclosed the health information his teaching partner shared in confidence. He could have alerted the substitute that her services might be needed more in the upcoming days and not shared anything else. By revealing the health information,
Mr. Armstrong violated the code of ethics. If the services of the substitute were going to be needed, Mr. Armstrong could just tell the substitute that they
appreciate how well she works with the kids and hope as opportunities arise, that she can be available. This is the type of response required in both scenarios for Task 1. You must respond to each scenario.
TASK 2 – Effective Communication with Parents: Read the scenario in part 2 regarding the parent communication.
Respond to the parent in a paragraph or two. Your response should reflect effective communication skills such as setting
aside judgement and remaining calm. Address the parent’s concerns and assert yourself through your values. Use
professional language, spelling and grammar.
Task 2 Sample Scenario
As a sixth-grade social studies teacher, Mr. Everson knows that students working on group projects is an enjoyable, meaningful way for students to learn content and also learn how to work together on a team. Once a six weeks, students are assigned a group and must complete a group presentation on the content learned that six weeks. He allows students time in class to work on the presentation. The group is graded on the presentation, and also on the individual work done by each team member.
TNT 700.1PBP SAMPLE RESPONSE TASK 1
TNT 700.1PBP SAMPLE RESPONSE TASK 2
Recently, he noticed that one group had two members, Jesse and Liz, who were talking and laughing and playing games
during group time. The other students in the group, Alana and Sam were getting visibly frustrated at having to do all the
work and kept complaining that everyone was not doing their fair share.
After reprimanding Jesse and Liz multiple times, Mr. Everson decided to call both sets of parents to let them know that
the students were behaving inappropriately and not working. Both parents agreed to talk with their children and
expected them to be better. Mr. Everson felt that the issue had been resolved.
The next day, Mr. Everson received the following email from Mrs. Davis, Alana’s parent.
Mr. Everson, I received a phone call from Liz’s mom last night. She told me that you had punished Liz because
Alana complained that Liz wasn’t working. She said you blamed Liz’s poor behavior on Alana and that if Alana hadn’t complained, you probably wouldn’t have even noticed it. I am furious that you would use my child as a
scapegoat for another child’s misbehavior. Alana works very hard to keep good grades, and previously enjoyed your class. I don’t know why you thought you could bring my child into your poor classroom management issues,
but if you were having issues with Liz, I don’t know why you blamed Alana. Was this your way of staying on Liz’s mom’s good side? Everyone knows she is a gossip, and that Liz is always in trouble. Why would you believe her
child, instead of Alana, who never gets in trouble?
I do not want Alana working in a group anymore and do not want her anywhere near Liz or Jesse. From now on, do not assign my child group projects.
How should Mr. Everson respond to Mrs. Davis’ email?
Sample Response:
Mrs. Davis,
Thank you for your email in which you expressed concern regarding a classroom incident between Alana and
another student. I understand you are frustrated, so I hope my email will ease your concerns. While I cannot comment on the specific situation that involves a student other than your own, please know that I
enjoy having Alana in my class. She is bright, a hard worker, and always helpful to both me and other students. Typically, we do not have misbehaviors during group work, as students genuinely enjoy working with their peers
and, I believe, teaches students to learn to work with others. Unfortunately, we did have an incident in which some group members were not working diligently, and that incident was addressed with the students involved. The ability to work in a group on a project is a life skill that students need to learn and practice. It is for this reason that I have students work in groups six times a year on presentations. Alana always works hard to do her best, and that hard work does not go unnoticed. Students are graded on both the presentation of the group, and also on their own individual work. We will continue this practice. I hope you will reconsider your objection to
group work for Alana. Group members are always rotated, and I have seen Alana thrive in group work prior to this. I hope you will discuss this with Alana, and perhaps between the three of us, we can come to a resolution that will allow her to continue with the group presentations.
TASK 3 – Effective Relations with Colleagues: Read the scenario provided and, in a paragraph, or two, describe how the new teacher should handle the situation. Read the questions following the scenario and incorporate your responses to the questions in the paragraph. Your response must be in the form of a professionally written paragraph.
SAMPLE TASK 3:
Ms. Ellison is a new teacher this year in Algebra I. All the teachers on the Algebra I team plan their lessons together and take turns preparing materials and creating questions for the quiz and test for the unit. Ms. Ellison always has her materials ready and waiting for the upcoming week, so she can stay on top of learning to teach. However, the team leader, Ms. Kahari generally waits until Monday morning to pass out the lesson plans and the accompanying worksheets and quiz questions. This has happened every month of the school year when it is Ms. Kahari’s turn, and Ms. Ellison continues to be more and more frustrated. On the first week back in January, Ms. Kahari came by Ms. Ellison’s room at 8:20 am, just as the tardy bell was ringing, to drop off that week’s plans and worksheets. Ms. Ellison met her at the door and said “It’s about time. I never have time to prepare properly when you are in charge of getting the materials to us. This is the fifth time this has happened. I am NEVER late with my materials for you. How do you expect me to be prepared for my classes if you can’t bother to get me the plans and materials the week before? You are the TEAM LEADER!!” Ms. Kahari turned, got in Ms. Ellison’s face, and said, “As a new teacher, you should be glad I’m doing this for you. No one ever did this for me when I was new. So, deal with it!” And with that, she walked out. The students were shocked, as Ms. Ellison never got flustered and upset, and yet Ms. Kahari was screaming, and Ms. Ellison was crying. Ms. Ellison quickly left the classroom to go find an administrator.
1. Did Ms. Ellison do anything inappropriate? If so, what should she have done instead?
2. Did Ms. Kahari do anything inappropriate? If so, what should she have done instead?
3. According to guidelines of effective communication, what should Ms. Ellison do next? Be specific in how she should approach the situation and Ms. Kahari.
Sample Response:
Ms. Ellison was inappropriate in a few ways. First, Ms. Ellison is in the team planning meetings, and she should always have her own copy of the plans so she can prepare ahead of time for the week’s lessons. Second, she should not have
allowed her frustrations with Ms. Kahari to fester, so much that they spilled over in front of her students. She should have found a time during a planning session where she could request that the weekly materials be made available
several days in advance so she can prepare properly. She also should not have confronted Ms. Kahari in front of her students. Had she spoken up during a planning session, the incident might not have occurred. Ms. Ellison should always
make sure that she has materials for her students just in case Ms. Kahari doesn’t get the materials to her on time, even if she has to prepare them herself. Ms. Ellison also should never leave her students unattended. If she is unable to remain
composed, she should have asked another teacher to monitor her classroom for a few minutes while she composed herself.
Ms. Kahari, as the team leader, should be a better example for her team and always get the plans and learning materials out to the teachers at least a week in advance. That way, if she is ever out, everyone will still have their materials. Also,
Ms. Kahari should not have responded to Ms. Ellison in the way she did. As a seasoned professional, she should have apologized and asked Ms. Ellison if they could discuss this in the next planning session. Both Ms. Ellison and Ms. Kahari need to meet privately and apologize to one another. They may need to ask a counselor or administrator to meet together with them to make sure the situation does not devolve again. They should discuss the situation calmly and agree to move forward in a manner that meets both their needs.
