Ethical Principles and Leadership for Christian Educators

Introduction

A personal ethical code needs to integrate both professional behaviors crucial to institutions and personal behaviors, owing to their likely effect on an individual's leadership ability. Personal ethical codes should also echo an individual's worldview, as this is important in establishing the key values that must be dominant in the ethical code. Of the many values identified, the crucial ones include vision, wisdom, service, character, work ethic, communication, commitment, and learning (Sullivan, 2009). When shaping people into educators, care must be taken to ensure others will recognize them as leaders. Educators represent leaders among students, in educational institutions, and particularly, leaders who work for Christ (Howard, 2010). They carry spiritual influence through the use of the Lord's guidance. Leadership abilities include spiritually influencing others through God's journey. Leaders who attempt to ascribe only to personal influence are bound to fail themselves as well as to lead their followers into failure. A connection with the Almighty implies a connection with a trustworthy source (Blackaby & Blackaby, 2011). This paper's emphasis is the ethics and principles for educators at the elementary level.

Ethical codes for professionals in different disciplines have assumed great value in recent times. Unethical behavior by corporate CEOs, other top managers, and the atrocious sexual abuse of students by teachers are only some instances of improper behavior witnessed in the United States today. Furthermore, the numerous cases that never reach any media outlet and are dealt with discreetly within companies or social communities likely have significant and potent harmful repercussions (Sullivan, 2009).

Setting up an ethical code for distinct professions constitutes a move toward fostering an ethical atmosphere. This, however, does not in itself suffice to produce an ethical environment. Every individual in a firm should accept and agree to comply with the code. Though a few ethical codes specify penalties for those who step out of line, others serve merely as professional guidelines, with violations not being unequivocally liable for punishment (Sullivan, 2009).

While some ethical laws or codes address moral subjects, they do not comprehensively encompass the moral values that principled Christian leaders must employ while conducting themselves. Although educators might be required to abide by more than one ethical code, as decided by professional institutions and governing organizations, ethical leaders in the field of education need to choose to comport themselves according to the highest possible standards. Irrespective of the style of leadership, ethics always form a central part of sound leadership. Instituting a personal ethical code for self-governance in an academic leader's professional capacity marks one of the first steps toward forging an ethical atmosphere for oneself as well as for those working under their direction (Sullivan, 2009).

Characteristics of a Christian Educator

Christian educators possess a God-driven purpose, and their inclination is toward Godly things rather than worldly pleasures (Howard, 2010). The educator must maintain a Christian outlook and should refrain from indulging in worldly matters that only cause destruction and hamper their ability to fulfill their duty as an ethical Christian leader. Knowledge springs from the fear of God, and it is only fools who scorn discipline and knowledge (Prov. 1:7). Educators should know their Lord and have a deep-rooted awareness of the consequences of disobeying His commands. Christian leaders with knowledge are also wise. They must have wholehearted faith in the Almighty and not depend entirely on their own individual understanding. The Lord must be acknowledged at every step of one's life, and He, in turn, sets people's paths straight (Prov. 3:5–6).

A good leader understands that other people might not accept their advice or decisions without question, and therefore they need to guide such people to understand the reasoning behind their choices — for example, why they might prefer one textbook to another. An attempt at coercing colleagues to consent to one's decisions because of one's authority, personality, or position within the organization (Blackaby & Blackaby, 2001, p. 94) will likely result in those decisions being received poorly. By contrast, decisions grounded in encounters with the Lord, thorough preparation, strong character, and a sound track record will have a greater likelihood of winning others' regard and acceptance (Blackaby, p. 22).

While Blackaby does not expressly address the choice of curriculum, he offers guidelines about how leaders should make decisions and convince other people to accept their way of thinking. Leaders who follow Biblical principles in their decision-making and who are skilled at successfully communicating their vision will be far less prone to facing obstructions and disagreement on the part of their subordinates or colleagues (Hubpages, 2013).

References

Blackaby, H., & Blackaby, R. (2001). Spiritual leadership. Nashville, TN: B & H Publishing.

Blackaby, H., & Blackaby, R. (2011). Spiritual leadership. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishing Group.

Howard, K. (2010). Principles and ethics for elementary and junior high school teachers.

Hubpages. (2013). How Christian educators should choose a school curriculum. Retrieved from

Maxwell, J. C., ed. (2002). The Maxwell leadership Bible. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.

Maxwell, J. C. (2002b). Leadership wired. Retrieved from

Rebore, R. W. (2001). The ethics of educational leadership. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Prentice Hall.

Sheldon Chumir Foundation for Ethics in Leadership. What is ethical leadership? Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Retrieved from

Sullivan, M. P. (2009). Ethical leadership: Guiding principles for educators and administrators. Christian Perspectives in Education, 2(2).