Usually I hear very good things about our grads. Not so much here. Please communicate this with
faculty. c
Corinne Mantle-Bromley, Ph.D.
Dean, College of Education
University of Idaho
875 Perimeter Drive MS 3080
Moscow ID 83844-3080
cmantle@uidaho.edu
208.885.6773
From: <Employer>
Sent: Monday, August 27, 2012 4:13 PM
To: Mantle-Bromley, Corinne
Subject: RE: ethics question
Thanks for taking the time to respond Cori, it explains what I believed was the case in regards
introducing basic ethics guidelines to future teachers. Although it would be impossible to conceive of all
the odd examples of ethics violations that people can come up with, there is a rather generic sense to
the ethics code that may be difficult for young education students to understand specific examples of
how to break the code, i.e. since no names are being used here, feel free to pass this story on as an
example of very poor judgment.
You’ll probably be saddened to know that the teacher in question graduated UI in May of 2012. She was
woefully unprepared for the classroom; unable to adapt literacy lessons to kindergarten age kids, didn’t
know how to write a newsletter or field trip permission form, and thought showing movies was a good
activity for kids in school. We tried redirecting, guiding, but she got the major red flag when she came in
and asked for a dog leash. A dog leash? Yes, she wanted to use it on a child who ran away from her
instead of walking in a line down the hall. The solicitation of a 4 yr. old for a play date without first
consulting the mother or me was the final straw of course, and part of me wonders if it rises to the level
of a reportable violation, or if I should just let it go.
Even sadder is the Unemployment Office ruling that such behavior by a teacher of young children is not
misconduct. That is a battle I intend to fight and I’ll probably use your first paragraph in my supporting
argument without needing to mention you specifically. I am glad that you and Paul concur with my
concern over such behavior… it certainly made it into the top five of, “I can’t believe that teacher did….”
Thanks again!!
From: Mantle-Bromley, Corinne [mailto:cmantle@uidaho.edu]
Sent: Monday, August 27, 2012 3:07 PM
To: <Employer>
Cc: gatherco@uidaho.edu
Subject: RE: ethics question
Hello <Employer>, I hope you’re doing well.
My answer can be more or less specific, depending on the person’s graduation date. For the past three
years, the teacher education program has taught the Idaho Code of Ethics, the College of Education’s
“Dispositions” system, and the National Education Association’s Code of Ethics to students in EDCI 201,
our introductory course. They are reinforced in two other classes: EDCI 301 (Learning, Assessment,
Development) and 302 (Diversity). If the employee is a graduate of the Early Childhood Blended
Program, the students follow a different course sequence. You’d need to contact the Early Childhood
program in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Our secondary students also take the above
sequence.
If the person graduated more than three years ago, they certainly would have been introduced to the
concepts and codes, but perhaps in different classes. We have a newly designed program, dept chair,
and dean, so going back too far gets less clarity.
Both Dr. Gathercoal, Department Chair of Curriculum & Instruction, and I agree that the behavior you
reference is out of line. We would be very concerned.
Best wishes,
Corinne Mantle-Bromley, Ph.D.
Dean, College of Education
University of Idaho
875 Perimeter Drive MS 3080
Moscow ID 83844-3080
cmantle@uidaho.edu
208.885.6773
From: <Employer>
Sent: Sunday, August 26, 2012 8:46 PM
To: Mantle-Bromley, Corinne
Subject: ethics question
Cori
We had a former employee who graduated from U of I whom we released from her duties because she
gave her personal phone number to a 4 yr. old in her preschool and had conversations with the child
about arranging a “play date.” The mother and I had not been informed of these conversations, but it
came to light when the mother found the number on a slip of paper and asked her daughter about it.
Essentially, we fired her for misconduct, but now she is fighting that charge. My question to you
concerns whether or not the Code of Ethics for Idaho Teachers is provided to teachers in training, or if
conduct like this is addressed as they enter the profession. One of her claims is that she was never
informed that this was not allowed, while my thoughts are more along the lines of it being a matter of
common sense and to conduct oneself with a child in this manner is astoundingly egregious behavior.
I was curious as to your thoughts on the matter and if you thought it falls in the category of a violation of
the Code of Ethics.
Thank you,
<Employer>
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