Professional Decision Making Model

1. Professional Decision Making Model Rachelle Tanner EDTE 519

2. Rationale Relevance Inner Landscape My mother taught me to be fair, kind and caring. Growing up with a sister didn't make this so easy. Although we had some battles, I would not take back one experience, because with these battles came time for reconciliation and forgiveness. When thinking back to these disagreements, I can't help but relate them to some of the disagreements I know I will face while teaching. If I learned anything growing up, I learned that I always felt better after a "situation" was resolved. I hope I can carry this feeling with me throughout my career, and attempt to resolve situations quickly and fairly. Throughout my life I have been faced with many situations where I have had to make tough decisions. Some decisions harder than others, and some decisions seemed to be tougher than they should have been. Although I have made some difficult decisions in my life, I have not yet had to make decisions that pertained towards a professional body. By creating this professional decision making model, I am creating a working document for reference when I come face to face with some of the many difficult decision that I know will cross my path during my teaching career. This document will help inform my decision in a professional and ethical way.

3. Rationale Cont. Approaches/ Principles I believe that all situations are different, therefore, there can be many different ways to solve different problems. Although a situation may appear to be very similar to another at first glance, there are always outside circumstances that differ, which can often call for a completely different response. When it comes to decision making I feel that I most strongly coincide with the Virtue Approach to decision making. I am a strong believer in the saying "there are always two sides to the story." I think that the virtue approach relates to this statement since everyone is made up differently and with different character traits that enable us to act in certain ways. What is right to one person might seem completely absurd to another. This is not necessarily a matter of right or wrong, it can simply come down to the values and beliefs we were brought up with. I think that it is extremely important to take this into consideration when making a decision. Whether it is an adult or a child, everyone comes with their own background and way of doing things, sometimes these just don't see eye to eye.

4. Rationale Cont. BCTC/TRB/BCTF Reconciliations Patience has always been something I have struggled with. I quickly learned after entering the education program that this was a virtue that I would definitely need to work on. The attribute of patience certainly comes into play when considering disputes and decision making. For this reason I have discovered that I need to reconcile with the fact that I may not always have to be patient at home, but in order to succeed as a teacher as well as be successful in making decisions, I must make a conscious effort to be more patient as a teacher and coworker. As a beginning teacher, I am aware that by choosing this work, I am also choosing to enter into the rules and regulations of both the BCTRB, the BCTC and the BCTF. The ethics of the BCTF and the standards of the BCTRB are put in place for a reason and they will help guide my decision making as a teacher. I think that by combining my knowledge from these two governing bodies with my well thought through personal beliefs, I can choose not necessarily always the right decision, but the best decision in conflicts throughout my career

5. Steps Find out what happened Identify The Problem Consider implications of all option Weigh the options Form decision and apply it Reflect on decision

6. Step One Identify The Problem • Who is involved? • Ethical Considerations • Safety Concerns

7. Step Two Find out what happened • Listen to everyone involved • Decide if I need more information

8. Step Three Weigh the options • Listen to opinions of everyone involved • Try to stay objective

9. Step Four Consider Implications of all options • Who will be effected? • Am I following the standards and ethics of TRB and BCTF? • Which option has the most effective solution?

10. Step Five Form decision and apply it • Ensure I am confident with decision • Have reason to back up decision • Ensure all parties affected are treated with respect

11. Step Six Reflect on decision • Consider if/ how this situation could have been handled differently • Check in with parties involved

12. Summary This decision making model will help me in the future by acting an a set of guiding principles for me to rely on when faced with difficult decisions in my career. This model is not set in stone. I can adjust it with experience and knowledge. Because of this, I know that I can trust that if I follow these steps, my decision will be made to the best of my ability and in the best interest of everyone involved.