Paraphrasing the Serenity Invocation, life is all about finding the balance between accepting things we cannot change and impacting those we can. According to the same saying, the greatest wisdom is to learn to distinguish between these two.
While accepting that nothing and nobody is perfect, we firmly believe that ethical issues in education belong to those we can transform. The very least we can do is make them visible and discussed. So, here, we intend to articulate some of the pivotal ethical issues of modern education.
Inequity
Inequality and inequity affect people in each and every aspect of the social system. When it comes to education, the issue is even more burning, as young individuals are more vulnerable and susceptible to the problems inequity entails.
Students’ backgrounds form the way they perform at school. Kids from underprivileged communities may have less access to the resources needed for learning. Not to mention the children whose daily priority is to get food before they proceed to their homework. Lack of attention or problems at home may also cause low performance at school. However, it is crucial to understand that it is the initial issue that should be addressed instead of blaming the student for their marks.
Technical inequity can result from social inequality, especially regarding online learning. Meanwhile, this matter has other aspects, like a generational gap and the difficulties people may experience with technologies required for education compared to more tech-savvy individuals. The mentioned problem may lead to low performance caused not by the lack of understanding of the subject but by the absence of technical skills.
Racial inequity is a pressing issue in the USA and around the world. Despite the efforts made to overcome the racial achievement gap, it still persists, urging educators to take action on both global and local levels.
The issue of special treatment at schools embraces all the mentioned matters. Preferential treatment can be based on ethnicity, the intent to support the student whose parents make donations or just personal bias. In any case, such an attitude is imprudent and harms the student, the teacher, and the whole class.
Diversity
Given the cultural and ethnic diversity in class, making each student feel respected and understood may be problematic. The situation can become even more complicated when we consider the cultural differences and discuss appropriate school norms.
Uniforms are one of the vibrant controversial aspects of the complex problem. On the one hand, they help students focus on studying, stop comparing themselves to others, and help them adhere to the institution’s dress code. On the other hand, they restrict self-expression, which is crucial for young adults, not to mention that some families may find it hard to afford the uniform.
Multicultural festivals and fairs, along with educational elements introduced during the lessons, are named among the best solutions for confronting diversity issues. Giving the students the stage for self-expression and educating them on our differences from an early age can be the key to a more tolerant and accepting society.
Cheating
Academic cheating is one of the most apparent examples of unethical behavior at school. Plagiarism, ghostwriting, and submitting AI-generated papers are among the most common violations of the rules teachers face daily.
Educating the students on the importance of a critical mindset and honest work, along with assigning creative tasks, can form a stimulating and thought-provoking environment. Another essential step is implementing a plagiarism check tool in the assignments processing routine to maintain academic integrity and uncover copying or machine-written text in the early stage. Understanding the consequences of plagiarism in regular assignments makes students less prone to copy-paste their doctorate research work, ruining the reputation of both the student and the university.
Grading System
School grading seems to be a given. It is also a given that even the brightest students are stressed out and may perform worse than they can due to nervousness. Moreover, exams and tests may impact students’ mental health and well-being. They make young people associate learning with something undesirable and replace natural curiosity with goal-focused turmoil.
Obviously, some system for tracking the student’s progress is still required. Moreover, evaluation can motivate children to strive for better results. High grades can become a social lift for those aiming at prestigious universities and reflect the level of education, indicating the issues that need improvement. However, the format and implementation of the evaluation system remain an open question.
Bullying
Unlike some of the mentioned problems, this one is not debatable. Bullying is unacceptable in any environment, yet frequently met in educational institutions. Zero tolerance towards such behavior is crucial on all levels, from the principal’s office to the parents’ homes and the peers’ companies. Educating the teachers, parents, and students about the appropriate ways to prevent, detect, and react to cases of bullying is another essential step, along with psychological help to the children, as the bullying problem arises from some unresolved issues that need attention.
PlagiarismCheck.org is our way to oppose unethical behavior and promote honesty and equality in the academy. Discover how we can improve your teaching and learning experience now!
