J Gomez
September 24, 2012
Business Ethics/ The Emperor’s Club
The Emperors club shows the complexity of teacher- student relationships through a moral lens; the DVD subtly reveals the complex connections among fairness, trustworthiness, personal integrity and self-respect. All of which are represented in the organizational culture of St. Benedict’s, and relate to organizational ethics in that the school and the teachers define the values, beliefs and norms which are shared by all the employees. Teachers must make a series of judgments over time. Teachers, striving for fairness conceived of as strict impartiality, must aim to apply the appropriate standards over and over again in a consistent way to student’s performance. One can also note that teachers play many other roles besides that of being a judge of students ’work and conduct, as a result, they may have considerable difficulty achieving strict impartiality. Some might suggest of these roles involving caring for students that caring might trump fairness. In The Emperor’s Club, Mr. Hundert’s emotional involvement with Sedgwick Bell, the student he is trying to inspire, clearly clouds his judgment, because he changes Sedgwick Bell’s grade. The fact that teachers play multiple roles with students with whom they have developed strong emotional relationships adds a special level of complexity to judging their work impartially.
Teacher’s serve a diverse group of people, including students, employers and parents. Therefore teachers, are expected to be trustworthy to others and maintain a satisfied and loyal alumni association. In The Emperors Club, Mr. Hundert, the history teacher, thinks his job is to mold his student’s moral character appropriately. However, Mr. Hiram Bell, a US Senator does not think teaching has anything to do with molding character and wants Mr. Hundert not to try molding his son’s character. Mr. Hundert seem’s talent in Sedgwick Bell, he believes Sedgwick Bell is open to receive his moral idealistic values of dedication to study and civic virtue. Trusting that a teacher has the student’s best interest in mind seems easy but I think they tend to have unrealistic expectations at times. Teachers have a vested interest in the ethical performance of each student.
Integrity and self-respect in teaching is revealed in the way a teacher teaches, how they treat a student, and what kind of culture is established in a classroom. Teachers must recognize how to function as moral role model who exemplify, or fails to exemplifies, fundamental moral virtues in our day-to-day conduct. Mr. Hundert seemed to try and integrate commitment, values, ideas and principals into Sedgwick Bells life. Mr. Hundert strived to be a moral model that inspired and influenced students through his conduct and character. Mr. Hundert ultimately failed by betraying his students trust and his own sense of self integrity by allowing Sedgwick Bell to take Martin Blythe’s place in the Caesar’s contest. Teachers ultimately have their own values and commitments that represent their personal ideas, they use these as guidance for the kind of person they strive to be and that they want others also to strive to be. Depending on the teachers own conviction of what is worth valuing and emulating to maintain their integrity and self-respect.
I have learned that we as students are going to have teachers who influence our lives and encourage us to rise to a higher level of ethics in our day-to day lives. We as students are encouraged to use the Golden rule and when employed obey the organizations ethical practices and policies. I believe self-governance is the only true ruler of an individual’s morals and values. As individuals we have to look at our past experiences and learn to avoid the pitfalls.
I believe knowing who you are and whose you are is important in leading a successful life and in helping us make ethical decisions each day. Quoting Mr. Hundert, “the end depends on the being.” I believe this is not far from the truth. Despite all of Mr. Hundert’s efforts to influence and mold Sedgwick Bell his character had already been influenced by his father. There lays all our fate in what we have been taught and raised to believe and value as a child. What we teach our children today is important to the success of their lives, and we as parents don’t even realize that in each opportunity of an ethical situation, we get to teach our children the ethical virtue and instill it in their lives. That is truly an amazing honor as a parent.
Teachers, parents and bosses all influence our lives and encourage us. Each teaches us who we are and the challenge turns into becoming who we want to become. I think we all strive to be trustworthy and ethical in our day to day lives. My desire is to encourage others and teach my children integrity and ethical values that they will use the rest of their lives. Being the best each day and living with purpose and passion and a desire to help others is my life. All of us at some point in the future are forced to look at ourselves in the mirror and see who we really are. Hopefully we like what we see.