The Importance and Structure of Ethics as a Instructor 

Ethics are moral beliefs, values, or principles and ideas that govern our way through life determining what is right or wrong in society. An example of this is if I were to go inside my mother’s pocketbook in the middle of the night and take something when there is no one around. In our society, we’ve habituated to understand what it is exactly what right and wrong is. I know that taking things from my mother’s purse is a significant violation of law not only the law but the consequences will be to die for once found out. I have violated this law because it was there, wanted to get an item out and no one was around to see. Not only is this a violation of ethics, and everything I know what is right and wrong. It also goes against my integrity as well. Consequences can surround this evidence of my delinquent acts.

As an Instructor, ethics is an essential element to sailing straight on your moral compass. Covering a topic such as copyright infringement is one of a few areas in which we all need to be most aware. As an instructor/writer it is instrumental to be topical and inquire research into material that you are going to discuss with students. However, using the information from that which you research as your own, without permission to acquire credit is known as copyright infringement. Which can have substantial effects on a personFrom lawsuits and severe penalties to possible jail time could ruin any means of career progression for an individual. Your image and reputation could be destroyed. An example of infringement would be flea markets, barber shops or even local neighborhoods. Back in the 1970’s,80’s, 90’s, even now these areas of business make big bucks buy and selling such products as unauthorized recordings of copyrighted music. In the present day, people still conduct such criminal activity as recording movies in theaters, then selling pirated copies. The punishment of this conduct as an Instructor can be costly. Not only would you face administrative action, but it could also go as far as confinement under UCMJ. Cheating is another subject you should be aware as an instructor. Most do this to gain an advantage in support of their success in their careers. If not trained or experienced, this act can be unforeseen from a teacher’s perspective while grading exams or monitoring test takers.

Which could affect your judgment and observation as “attention to detail” is part of development in becoming a positive example for others. As an Instructor, ethics is an essential element to sailing straight on your mental state. You’re always being watched and judged by your character, how you teach and interact not only with your class but your peers as well. Making ethical choices requires the ability to make distinctions between competing options. Cheating from any standpoint is morally and ethically wrong. Although some may think it’s not a big deal, cheating can have severe outcomes to your developing future. Giving someone’s work off as your own is another form of cheating also known as plagiarism. As I have progressed in the ranks in the U. S. Army, I’ve attended an advanced leader course. During my time we were told to Compose a paper about an American war in history. A student in my class had plagiarized 85% of his writing. The magnitude of this incident led to a dis-enrollment from the course near the end of completion. Some people may not even realize that if they plagiarize you must give the source of the credit used. The biggest problem as an Army Instructor is the fact that some have had improper relationships with their students.

Examples can range from taking students out for lunch or dinners individually or as a class to having sexual relations. Even the slightest text message on the phone could be the cause of compromise to an Instructor’s position. The consequences are dire. Similar to college students, who, if caught cheating, can strip away academic achievement hindering the possibility of receiving acclaim from a credible college, Army Instructors can be hugely affected in such a way that advancement in their careers is highly improbable as well as punishable under Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). Coming into this position as an Instructor, the belief that while improper and unprofessionalism completely violates ethics. As I am setting an example for students while simultaneously helping to improve their knowledge of the subject matter, I want to promote an environment of equality and fair, an impartial judgment which should create a happy environment than to go against morals that I’ve set for myself. It is vital to understand ethics as an Army instructor, because based on historical conflicts, we as experienced subject matter experts, forget where we come from and lose that ability to discipline ourselves in a position where we possess and specific knowledge. The importance of ethics is recognizing when your integrity is on the brink of altering for the worse and knowingly able to bring it back to being intact. Everything you do as an instructor is a test of your moral and ethical aptitude with the decisions that could justify you. When educating and evaluating students in the classroom, it is vital to be known so as not to push our values onto students or to others.