The Busy Biology Teacher: Time Conflict and Responsibility of a Teacher
Case: “The Busy Biology Teacher”
1) The problem in this case is the time conflict and responsibility of a teacher, in which the biology teacher must decide whether or not to cut off a student from talking, who obviously needs to talk, in order to attend a planned meeting.
2) Part of the Biology teacher’s job is to advise students primarily with their academics, but in addition to academic advising, the teacher also provides personal advising, which may consist of problems at home or at work. The teacher has a student who comes to talk about a personal problem that is affecting her school work, and becomes quite emotional about the topic while speaking. The teacher also has an obligation and position on the college hiring committee in which she has a planned meeting and is expected to vote on a candidate who may receive an open employment position. In order to be on time to this meeting, the Biology teacher would have to cut off the student, who doesn’t seem to be slowing down in her talking.
3) In this case at stake, is the well-being of the student. She is obviously in an emotional state and going through something that she not only feels she needs to talk about but it is affecting her school work. Also perhaps the well-being of the teacher. Would missing her meeting and obligation put stress on her in terms of not following through with her expected duties for her position in another job? Would cutting off the student violate the value of respect for the student’s personal problem? Does this raise the value of beneficence and nonmaleficence? What would bring more benefit from this situation? Who benefits more? What is more important? Attending an important obligated meeting? Or tending to a student who needs to talk about an emotional situation that is affecting her academic health?
4) As the Biology teacher, I could choose to use the consequential theory, which is the class of normative ethical theories holding that the consequences of one's conduct are the
1) The problem in this case is the time conflict and responsibility of a teacher, in which the biology teacher must decide whether or not to cut off a student from talking, who obviously needs to talk, in order to attend a planned meeting.
2) Part of the Biology teacher’s job is to advise students primarily with their academics, but in addition to academic advising, the teacher also provides personal advising, which may consist of problems at home or at work. The teacher has a student who comes to talk about a personal problem that is affecting her school work, and becomes quite emotional about the topic while speaking. The teacher also has an obligation and position on the college hiring committee in which she has a planned meeting and is expected to vote on a candidate who may receive an open employment position. In order to be on time to this meeting, the Biology teacher would have to cut off the student, who doesn’t seem to be slowing down in her talking.
3) In this case at stake, is the well-being of the student. She is obviously in an emotional state and going through something that she not only feels she needs to talk about but it is affecting her school work. Also perhaps the well-being of the teacher. Would missing her meeting and obligation put stress on her in terms of not following through with her expected duties for her position in another job? Would cutting off the student violate the value of respect for the student’s personal problem? Does this raise the value of beneficence and nonmaleficence? What would bring more benefit from this situation? Who benefits more? What is more important? Attending an important obligated meeting? Or tending to a student who needs to talk about an emotional situation that is affecting her academic health?
4) As the Biology teacher, I could choose to use the consequential theory, which is the class of normative ethical theories holding that the consequences of one's conduct are the