Micro and Macro Values

Every family has their version of acceptable values, whether an onlooker would find those values relaxed or strict is not a proper judgment for them to make. The micro ethical behavior of a family unit should remain free of judgment so long as it does not break the macro ethical behavior of the society the family finds themselves. Within the societal realm of acceptable behavior in the United States, there are two branches. The first is a code of behavior based on written laws, where if broken government enforced punishment and fines may pursue, whereas the other is based on general customary behavior with the goal of not offending others. Breaking the customary behavior of a society also brings with it a form of punishment including criticism, shunning, and exile. Therefore, extensive knowledge of both ruling systems is necessary to thrive within any given society.

Where does this leave educators whose job is to prepare children mentally for the trials of life? I think that the role of educator should be to enforce the societal rules within the campus of the educational center. By simply making the acceptable cultural and governmental behaviors part of the student handbook for conduct and then enforcing it as such children would learn the correct behaviors without ever needing them defined as to why they should or should not act in a certain way. In a grander view, my opinion fits within the social contract theory as defined by John Rawls. If society wants people to fall within the social contract than the consequences of going against the society must also be taught. By teaching a child what society requires of him or her at a very young age it ingrains the contract into the psyche of the child. The practice of including proper conduct in student handbooks is already in use because most universally immoral behavior is disruptive to a classroom setting; therefore, the viewpoint of instructor has already been defined through the national use of student conduct