Ethics and Multiculturalism Post 8

            After reading chapter 4, I am not going to lie; it was pretty overwhelming reading all of the ethical principles. Don’t get me wrong, I understand the importance of each principle. Also, I feel that I understand the meaning of each principle. At the same time, it made me nervous! I am going to be responsible for following and maintaining these principles day in and day out (and countless others)? I think of the way I am today, and I really start to question me becoming a guidance counselor.

            There definitely have been moments in my teaching career where I was toeing the line with a child or with a parent. Not to say that I flip out or anything, but sometimes I say what needs to be said without truly thinking about how a child or parent will interpret it. Of course, what I say or do is what I believe is right for the child or parent. I have been a pretty outgoing and in your face person for most of my life. My personality has truly gotten me to where I am today, but I feel that I will have to scale it down a few notches in order to stay within these principles.

            This thought connects to what I read in chapter 5. I had to laugh at myself after reading Brown’s reference to the white male and the male Apache (Brown page 100, 2012). I put myself in the white male’s shoes because I feel that I would have communicated in a similar way (not as dramatic as the example). One thing I do need to work on is thinking before speaking and acting. I just assume that others are fine with the way I approach them. I went through a similar experience as the white male two years ago when I started teaching at Lincoln Charter School. The World Language teacher, Mrs. Sanchez, is African American and Hispanic. At the beginning of the year, we got along just fine. Then, after school one day, I decided to put my arm around her (not in a weird way) because I could tell she was upset about something. I learned my lesson on that day. She grabbed my arm and threw it away from her, and then she went on to say that the only person who touches her that way is family! I was shocked! I eventually made amends with her, but I will never forget it.

            From this experience, I completely agree with Brown when he writes “In a diverse culture such as ours, all counselors need a multicultural approach to career counseling” (Brown page 97, 2012). Looking at my own classroom, I teach a predominantly African American and Hispanic class. I have been teaching these diverse students since I began my teaching career 5 years ago. Trust me, I am no expert on how to truly treat or communicate with these students, but over the years, I have learned and grown as a professional. The more interactions I have with diverse students/parents combined with the use of VBMCC, can only improve my understanding of multiculturalism.

Brown, D. (2012). Career information, career counseling, and career development (10^th ed.). New York, NY: Pearson Education, Inc.