Working Ethics Series

In America, we rely on multiple institutions and as many pathways to train new educators in the fundamentals of the teaching craft. Reformers have routinely called for more systematic approaches, prominent among them transforming teacher education to model the clinical training, research practices and mentoring of doctors.

Erin Mattimoe is a young nonprofit professional with a special talent for building leaders in youth organizations. She is currently a program specialist in the Ann Arbor and Jackson Regions of Girl Scouts--Heart of Michigan. When we began our conversation, we thought we already knew about Girl Scouts.

Sometimes, when we ask people to talk about the ethics of their work and the pathways they have taken to be where they are, they offer up their best linear moves and memories. Many of our listeners are interested in learning the point-a-to-b directions people follow as well as the google maps they rely on along the way. 

There was a time, we suppose, when telling someone you were a development officer for any organization would have elicited this knowing response, "oh yes, fund-raising." Or when having this position may well have required a spirited defense, including taking out a full page ad in the New York Times to respond to any and all critics: "Why I Am Proud to Be A Development Officer."

Concussions. Dehydration.  Fraternization with players.  Pressures from coaches, parents and athletes to give the nod to go back into the game after getting injured.  Athletic trainers have a lot of ethical issues to worry about. How are they able to balance and deal with the many dilemmas they face? And what are athletic trainers for anyway? What are their roles and obligations on the field and off? 

Barton Bund talks with Arborist Jack Richardson, founder and CEO of Guardian Tree Experts. The Ann Arbor tree care company approaches the work from a scientific point of view, helping clients preserve their trees, not just cut them down. The young entrepreneur talks about how he started his business on the right ethical foot, and where he sees it growing. Environmental ethics and business ethics are a constant balancing act, in a town with as many trees as this one.

Our talk with City Council Member Christopher Taylor. After a mini-fracas involving emails and emoticons between Council Members, Taylor discusses with Bart and Jeanine how this small event speaks to the peaks and valleys of public service. Now that the dust has settled and the small matter seems to have blown over, the conversation turns to the role of the representative and his approach to ethical governance. This lively and fascinating discussion was recorded Thursday, July 2, 2009.
 

Social workers are teachers, therapists, advocates, and police all rolled into one. They are in the trenches at the center of the school system, caught between the faculty, administration, students, parents, and school board. Join Bart and Jeanine in their hour-long discussion with Jennifer Cotter of the Livonia Public Schools.

Join us for our audio podcast with Katharyn Hanson and Elizabeth Bridges. Two professional archaeologists debunk the myths of the profession, and give us a picture of what archaeology is today.