Robert Harrell writes below on the topic of professional obligation. I like reading this passage when I have a chance during my current three days of parent conferences. The parents of my students are wealthy and in the British/Indian mode of push harder and learn more grammar, and it is hard to keep my shoulders from tightening up listening to (a very few of) them tell me what is best for their child in my classroom. Fortunately, most of the kids are so happy about the class that their parents can’t say anything, but even so there are those who just will never appreciate the elegance and the power of stories. Bless their hearts!
Robert shares:
I have an obligation to do what my employer asks me to do unless that is illegal, immoral or unethical. I consider it unethical to give my students an instructional experience that is less than the best that I am capable of providing. So, to knowingly teach in ways that do not align with the research would be unethical for me. I also believe that I have a professional obligation to keep growing in both content competence and methodological competence. Not everyone will be in a situation where they can spend as much time, effort, energy, and money doing this as I can; however, teachers who do nothing to improve in these areas but rely on the textbook or plans and materials from previous years with no change are failing to fulfill their professional and ethical obligation to their students.