Analysis and Critique of Ethical Leadership - Essay Example

? Education: Ethical Leadership Report Education: Ethical Leadership Report of the Incident As an assistant principal of a remote Catholic school, I was asked to attend parent meetings with the principal and different parents to discuss incidents which have occurred between children and a teacher who was on playground duty. In one incident, the teacher thought that children were fighting at the playground when in actuality they were just roughly playing. The teacher sent the children to the principal’s office for appropriate management, reporting that they were fighting at the playground. Without asking the children about the incident, what they were doing and why they were fighting, the principal proceeded to yell at them and then immediately suspended them for three days. The children were later sent home. The parents contacted the school and demanded a meeting with the principal. The parents explained that the children were not fighting and that the teacher Mrs. Fenton did not listen to the children. The principal blamed the teacher for the incident and explained that the teacher was hysterical about the incident and this caused her to suspend the students. The suspension was then cancelled but the children were not allowed to play at the playground for 2 days. The parents also demanded an apology from the teacher, but the teacher was never informed that she was blamed for the incident. As a result, the parents never received their apology. After confronting the principal about her lying to the parents, I reported the incident to the head office and allowed the head office to take appropriate action in response to the principal’s behaviour and lack of leadership skills. I never mentioned the incident to the teacher. Analysis/Critique This incident demonstrates unethical acts performed by the principal, and, to some extent, by the teacher. Primarily, however, the principal violated the ethical requirement which calls for abiding by the values of honesty and integrity (Kocabas & Karakose, 2009). The principal was not honest with the parents and the teacher. He was dishonest with the parents when he told them that the teacher was hysterical about the incident and this prompted him to suspend the students. He was also dishonest with the teacher by not even mentioning that she was being blamed for the incident and that the parents were demanding an apology from her. The principal lacked the integrity required of his position, he was not steadfast in the fulfilment of his duties, and he did not stand by his decision to suspend the students; instead, he blamed the incident on the teacher, who was not given the opportunity to defend herself. He also violated the ethical principles which relate to due process and the protection of civil and human rights of individuals (Kocabas & Karakose, 2009). He did not give the students the opportunity to explain their actions and the events surrounding the incident. He summarily judged them to be at fault, yelled at them, and then suspended them without letting them explain their actions and their participation in the alleged incident. Due process entails giving a person the opportunity to explain his or her actions and to exhaust all the possible remedies to which he or she is entitled under the rules of the institution or the law (Kocabas & Karakose, 2009). The children had the right to explain themselves, what they were actually doing and why they were doing this. If they had been given the opportunity to explain their actions, the teacher and the principal would have known that they were not fighting but were just roughly playing. A commensurate reprimand and reminder for rough playing would have sufficed for the incident; it did not deserve suspension and harsh words from the principal. The incident did not even sufficiently merit a visit to the principal’s office. The incident provides a situation where I was able to apply my personal and ethical judgment in relation to the issue. I was able to first assess the issue and then to evaluate if the individuals involved were morally responsible for their actions and whether they caused harm. I also assessed the possible harm they caused and evaluated if such harm could be justified (Society of Catholic Teachers Australia, n.d). I was also prompted to evaluate if there was any way to resolve the issue without breaking the moral rules. The other possible actions morally encouraged were also assessed for this case. Catholic doctrine declares the importance of following the teachings of Jesus Christ, and his teachings clearly declare that one should do unto others what one wants others to do unto oneself (Mich, 2011). Catholic teachings also emphasize the importance of compassion and kindness (Mich, 2011). The principal did not portray such qualities, and in some ways the teacher also did not portray any kindness and compassion for the children. My actions in this case followed both the rules of the school and the elements of leadership in Catholic schools. The rules of the school required me to listen during principal-parent meetings, to make an assessment of the situation, and then to report such incident to the head office. As a leader, I made a fair, accurate, and honest assessment of the situation and reported it to the concerned authorities (Shapiro, 2006). As an observer during the principal/parent meeting, I also became a neutral party, the one who does not take sides. Instead, I was the one who was accurately noting the events as they happened in order to later make an honest evaluation and to provide an honest testimony regarding the events (Branson, 2006). In case of possible investigations of the case by higher authorities, I could be the party called in to deliver an accurate account. The values of the Catholic schools primarily support the importance of honesty (Bowen, Bessette, & Chan, 2006). Lying is against the Ten Commandments, specifically the commandment that forbids to bear false witness against one’s neighbour. The principal bore false witness against the teacher by claiming that the teacher became hysterical. The principal also committed a lie of omission by not informing the teacher about the proceedings with the parents and the latter’s demand for an apology. Another value of the Catholic schools is respect (Bowen, Bessette, & Chan, 2006). Respect calls for individuals to treat each other with courtesy and decency. The actions of the principal were not respectful to the teacher and the students. My actions in this case were in line with the Catholic standards of honesty and fairness (Catholic Education Commission of Victoria, 2005). I saw a situation which I believed to be unfair and I carried out my corresponding duties to serve just and fair interests. Evaluating my actions, I consider myself a transformational leader. Being a transformational leader includes vision and responsibility (Bowen et al., 2006). It also includes support for exploring consciousness and the awareness of the political and social conversations. Catholic tools of leadership are a means of achieving noble ends, and they are tools which support true leadership in order to help others develop a will to serve their fellowmen and to help them transform children under their care (Bowen et al., 2006). I took on this responsibility by reporting to the head office. I acted as I did in defiance of the actions of the principal in order to ensure that the proper measures are taken on behalf of the students and the teacher, who had been blamed for the incident (Shapiro & Gross, 2007). The transformation in the young children’s care relates to an eventual goal in this case, the one that can be secured once the head office takes the proper measures. Although the principal is the leader of the Catholic school, his activity is a source of distributed leadership – he becomes the microcosm of the collaborative leadership among the other teachers (Harris & Lambert, 2003). The leadership in these settings is, therefore, collaborative. In this case, the leadership was somehow focused only on the principal, who made unilateral decisions on the incident. However, my initiative in reporting the incident to the head office helped correct and provide balance in the principal’s authoritarian actions. The actions of the principal in this case were aimed neither at capacity building nor at empowering other leaders (Harris & Lambert, 2003). Instead, they fragmented the school and the leadership. As a leader, I considered my actions to be a service to society and a service to the truth. As a witness of the events and the actions of the parties concerned, I feel a significant obligation to the truth. My actions were very much in line with the Catholic values of leadership and the teachings of Christianity. In Catholic schools, everyone must be aware to some extent of the living presence of Jesus, who is the genuine teacher, a perfect human being (Society of Catholic Teachers of Australia, n.d). The inspiration which he provided in his life must, therefore, be the inspiration for our actions. Jesus set forth a difficult path to follow; however, he also set guidelines for daily leadership which could be easily followed. These guidelines and values include humility, suffering, and service (Society of Catholic Teachers of Australia, n.d). The principal did not portray these values. As a leader with actions in counterpoint to the principal’s decisions, I need to portray values of humility, suffering, and service. In did my best to portray service by reporting to the head office, by being accurate in my report (as I did not fabricate what I witnessed), and by serving the values of basic truths and honesty. It was important for me as a leader to be driven by the ethical standards and the identified needs. School leaders have long been committed to students and to learning and acting in response to such needs (Treston, 2008). Guided by a moral purpose, leaders are able to accurately reflect on the extent to which the original goals were achieved. The original goals of the Catholic school have always been to ensure protection for the students against unfair treatment and to guide them in their learning. Treating each other justly and fairly has been a related goal for the members of the institution (Treston, 2008). Observing the unfair practices as they unfolded for the students and for the teacher was not in accordance with the goals of the Catholic school. Being vigilant in the incident was my primary role, and in the process I was able to make fair and honest observations about the incident (Shapiro, Gross, & Shapiro, 2008). In the process, I was also able to provide an objective basis for the decisions of the head office. Observing the incident, I noted the importance of leadership values, including the values of risk-taking, open-mindedness, confidence, decisiveness, and reflectiveness (Treston, 2008). These values helped me make a thorough assessment of the incident and make a decision based on the application of such values. I also noted how the lack or the violation of these values could often cause negative consequences for individuals involved in the incident (Bass & Steidlmeier, 1999). Catholicism emphasizes the values and virtues of respect, integrity, and empathy, and the principal has violated these virtues and values (Camerona & Quinn, 1999). Consequently, she created an unfair scenario for the teacher and violated the very foundations of the school which she is supposed to protect and uphold. Conclusion The incident demonstrates bad and good choices in Catholic leadership. First, when one assesses the situation and the actions of the teacher and the principal, the dishonest and disrespectful actions of the principal are very much apparent. The failure of the teacher to make an accurate assessment of the situation can also be considered the cause of this issue. The disrespectful actions of the principal were also apparent in the way he yelled at the students without even giving them the chance to explain themselves. My eventual actions in making an honest and accurate report to the head office provided an opportunity for the truth to be revealed. Catholic leadership values were served by my actions as I attempted to be an honest witness to the incident. These values offered an opportunity for the teachings of the Catholic Church to be practiced by the school authorities. The values of the Catholic Church reside in its members, and in this school, there were gaps in their application which needed to be filled. References Bass, B., & Steidlmeier, P. (1999). Ethics, character and authentic transformational leadership behaviour. The Leadership Quarterly, 10(2), 181-217. Bowen, C., Bessette, H., & Chan, T. (2006, September). Including ethics in the study of educational leadership. Journal of College & Character, 7(7). Branson, C. (2006). Beyond authenticity: Contemporary leadership from a world view perspective. Values and Ethics in Educational Administration, 4(4), 1-8. Camerona, K., & Quinn, R. (1999). Diagnosing and changing organizational culture: based on the competing values framework. Addison Weasley: Reading MA Catholic Education Commission of Victoria. (2005). Leadership in Catholic schools: Development framework and standards of practice. Retrieved from http://www.lsfvic.catholic.edu.au/_uploads/rsfil/000118_aabb.pdf Harris, A., & Lambert, L. (2003). Capacity building connects with leadership in building capacity for school improvement. Maidenhead, PA: Open University Press. Kocaba, I., & Karakose, T. (2009). Ethics in school administration. African Journal of Business Management, 3(4), 126-130. Mich, M. (2011). The challenge and spirituality of Catholic social teaching. London: Orbis Books. Shapiro, J. (2006). Ethical decision making in turbulent times: Bridging theory with practice to prepare authentic educational leaders. Educational Administration, 4(2), 1-8. Shapiro, J., & Gross, S. (2007). Ethical educational leadership in turbulent times resolving moral dilemmas. Philadelphia PA: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Shapiro, J., Gross, S., & Shapiro, S. (2008). A rational navigation route for school leaders through the choppiest of seas. Retrieved from http://www.educ.msu.edu/epfp/meet/3_09_09files/Shapiro.pdf Society of Catholic Teachers of Australia (n.d). Leadership in the Catholic school in the twenty- first century. Retrieved from http://www.scta.org.au/catholiceducation/leadership.pdf. Treston, K. (2005). Five key challenges for leadership in Catholic schools for 21st century. Retrieved from http://www.acu.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/89893/Five_Key_Challenges_For_Leadership.pdf Read More