Tough Choices for Teachers

Book excerpt: From lesson planning to instructional practice to classroom management, teachers must make choices constantly throughout their day. Sometimes these decisions are easy, but there are some decisions that are very difficult. As in other professions, challenging choices arise in education which could be detrimental to one’s teaching career. Therefore, thoughtful decision making must be part of every educator’s daily experience—yet how can current and future teachers be equipped to make the best decisions in their fast-paced profession? In Tough Choices for Teachers: Ethical Case Studies from Today’s Schools and Classrooms, Robert Infantino and Rebecca Wilke help teachers and those working with educators to acquire practical skills to enhance their ethical decision-making processes. By utilizing case studies based on real scenarios the authors have encountered, readers will be able to work through numerous ethical dilemmas that will assist them in honing their approaches to current educational challenges. Who can benefit from reading Tough Choices for Teachers? Teachers—Preservice, New, and Experienced District Leaders Professional Development Providers Professors of Education Student Teacher Supervisors Student Teaching Seminar Facilitators Department Chairs Cooperating Teachers Mentors of Teachers Thinking through the ethical situations described in each chapter will assist teachers in not only improving their own decision making but also in learning specific strategies to pass on to students in today’s schools and classrooms.