Ethical
Guidelines
A
STUDY OF RELATIONSHIPS
Education
is comprised of many relationships: a relationship to ourselves, a relationship
to our students and fellow learners, a relationship to our staff, a
relationship to our profession and a relationship to the natural
environment. It is within these
relationships that we find opportunity and growth. These relationships have been instrumental in
creating our field and will continue to shape, develop, and influence our field
in the future. We feel that relationships are the central and guiding
ascendancy in the development of an ethical code. Therefore, our code of ethics
is defined through our relationships to ourselves, our students, our staff, our
profession, and the natural environment.
Code of Ethics:
Knowledge:
The state or fact of knowing; Familiarity, awareness, or understanding gained through experience or study; The sum or range of what has been perceived, discovered, or learned.
Self
- I will
continue to pursue knowledge and competency in all areas of our profession.
- I will
continually seek to learn from experiences.
Students
- I will
continue to provide opportunities for participants to expand their knowledge
and experiences.
Staff
- I will
provide opportunities for staff to expand their knowledge and competencies in this
field.
Profession
- I will
continue to develop and contribute to the base of knowledge for this field.
- I will stay
abreast of current developments in this field.
Natural
Environment
- I will
strive to become more familiar with the natural environment.
The condition of being safe; freedom from danger, risk, or injury.
Self
- I will
insure responsibility for my own safety for the students and the program as a
whole.
- I will
remain knowledgeable of current risk management practices.
Students
- I will
allow students to determine their level of involvement.
- I will
foster the highest level of physical, emotional, spiritual and social safety
for students.
Staff
- I will
provide resources to increase staff’s awareness of current risk management
issues.
- I will encourage staff to practice relevant safety procedures.
Profession
- I will
adhere to accepted professional safety standards.
Natural
Environment
- I will be
aware of environmental safety hazards.
Respect:
A feeling of deferential regard for; esteem; The state of being regarded with honor or esteem; Willingness to show consideration or appreciation.
Self
- I will
value myself as an effective teacher and learner.
Students
- I will
treat all students with the utmost respect.
Staff
- I will
respect fellow staff members’ values, ideas and experiences.
Profession
- I will
trust and respect the process.
- I will respect other practitioners and their practices.
Natural
Environment
- I will live
as lightly on the earth as possible.
Communication:
The act of communicating; transmission; The exchange of thoughts, messages, or
information, as by speech, signals, or writing.
Self
- I will
continually strive to remain self-aware.
Students
- I will maintain
open, honest communication with students.
Staff
- I will
encourage both positive and constructive feedback between staff at all levels.
Profession
- I will
maintain open lines of communication with other practitioners.
Natural
Environment
- I will
compliment all beetles on their stunning beauty.
- I will
encourage ongoing communication with, for and about the natural environment.
Rigid adherence to a code or standard of values; probity; The state of being unimpaired; soundness; The quality or condition of being whole or undivided; completeness.
Self
- I will be
true to myself so that I may be true to others.
Students
- I will
endeavor to promote student’s moral development.
Staff
- I will
attempt to select staff who are integrous.
Profession
- I will
attempt to positively promote the integrity of all education through my
actions.
Natural
Environment
- I will be
environmentally active.
Challenge:
The quality of requiring full use of one’s abilities, energy, or resources.
Self
- I will regularly engage in activities that stretch my personal boundaries.
- I will have fun
Students
- I will
challenge participants to embrace new experiences and the lessons inherent
within those
opportunities.
Staff
- I will encourage staff to seek challenges in both their personal and professional lives.
Profession
- I will challenge this field to continually reexamine and re-create itself.
Natural Environment
- I will be receptive to the wonders of nature.
Accountability:
Answerable.
Self
- I will hold myself responsible for my actions and the consequences of those actions.
Students
- I will model appropriate behaviors
- I will
strive to provide experiences that will result in natural consequences stemming
from student’s
choices.
Staff
- I will hold staff accountable to all aforementioned policies.
Profession
- I will hold this field accountable for the goals and benefits that it posits.
Natural Environment
- I will hold myself and other’s accountable for actions that impact the environment.
Diversity:
The fact or quality of being diverse; difference; A point or respect in which things differ; Variety or multiformity.
Self
- I will
honor and respect my differences with others.
Students
- I will
attempt to create open and diverse communities of students.
Staff
- I will
encourage staff to celebrate diversity.
Profession
- I will
celebrate diversity within this field.
- I will
challenge the biases and prejudices of this field.
- I will strive to continually improve access for all peoples to this field.
Natural
Environment
- I will
celebrate the diverse wonders of nature.
***Within our field, there will always be a need for good judgment and there*** should always be room to apply this good judgment