The COVID 19 pandemic has created a new reality for the world. From redefining the office workspace, a new set of ethics, and new ways of connecting with loved ones, the pandemic has created a new norm that will be around for the next decades. The resources presented in the articles depict a new reality where violence and riots occur due to a depressed populace who can’t stand any injustice.
In particular, the pandemic has created many ethical issues for teachers and administrators working in programs that serve young children. Acknowledging what the pandemic means for parents, school professionals, and other stakeholders is an important first step toward creating ethical action plans for dealing with pandemic influenza in the classroom.
Teachers and administrators must remember that the priority of any program serving children is to keep those children safe. Keeping the children in a program safe means keeping them healthy, physically and emotionally. An ethical action plan to deal with the pandemic should begin by protecting children from exposure to influenza altogether (Paul Ricco,2020). This includes protecting them from exposure to sick children who may spread the disease and protecting well children by discouraging sick parents from bringing their children to a child care facility when there is a risk of exposure to influenza.
No ethical action plan can be created without addressing the needs of the children’s families. The pandemic has created stress for many parents who have to balance work with worrying about their child, or if they are sick themselves, worrying about their child and getting sick. For many families, the pandemic has created a financial burden that prevents children from getting the care they need from a parent.
Reference
Paul Ricco, J. (2020). Isolation, Loneliness, Solitude: The COVID-19 Pandemic Has Brought Us Too Close Together. TOPIA: Canadian Journal of Cultural Studies, 41, 164-172.