Describe a time when you faced an ethical dilemma in the workplace.
Preschool Directors and early childhood educators face a plethora of ethical dilemmas. Along with these ethical challenges comes great responsibility. Situations that challenge our ethics, or the ethics of our coworkers, can be sensitive to discuss. First, show that you can differentiate an uncomfortable situation from an ethical dilemma. You may face a moral problem when the issue defies your ideas of right and wrong. An ethical dilemma could include a case that infringes on the rights of others, hurts the best interest of others, or threatens fundamental human rights.
Give a specific story-based example of a time when you faced an ethical challenge in the workplace. Answer with grace, being sure never to discredit any particular person or facility. When offering a story of a 'time when,' you may find it helpful to follow the STAR framework. STAR is an acronym for Situation, Task, Action, Result.
"(Situation) When I was a Preschool Teacher, I had a parent ask me to ensure that their child ate all of their lunch. The parent did not have time to feed the child immediately after picking them up from school and found that the child would often say they were hungry right after being picked up, around 4:00 in the afternoon. (Task) I knew from observing the child that they did not eat their entire lunch because they were sharing their food with a friend who had less than they did. Although I knew the child was hungry because they were sharing food with their friend, I could not provide this information to the parent as it would disclose the financial situation of another family. (Action) I approached my director at the time to gain sound advice on how to handle this situation. The director and I agreed that we needed to accept the preference of the one family while still protecting the dignity of the other. The following day, I approached the parent of the giving child. I told them that, through observation, it seemed they had raised a very generous and kind child who seemed to love nothing more than to share her delicious lunch. I explained that although I could not stop their child from sharing food, perhaps they could discuss with their child the effects of sharing their lunch, which would be feeling hungry until dinner time. (Result) In the end, the child continued to share because it was in her nature. The parents of the giving child began to keep healthy snacks in their vehicle, ready for the child at pickup. This situation also prompted our Preschool Director to push forward with further funding requests, which allowed us to provide more nutritious options for our preschool children from underserved families."
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