Ethics: The greatest good for the greatest number, or help individuals reach their full potential?
A small child was bugging her father to play with her. He was intent on reading his daily newspaper, and was trying to ignore her.
He then came across a large map of the world, so he ripped it out the paper and then tore the picture of the world into small pieces to resemble a jigsaw puzzle and gave it to the child.
Satisfied with his genius, he thought that will keep her busy for at least 20 minutes.
Within a minute, the child exclaimed, “Dad, I have done it!”
Amazed, the father looked at her and said, “How did you do it so quickly?”
“It was easy,” she replied. “On the other side of the world was a picture of a person. If you get the person right, you get the world right!”
If you get the person right you get the world right!
There will always be disruptive students within the classroom and at school. Perhaps these students are the ones that teach us the most. They make teachers use their class room management skills, challenge teachers the most and, at times, are outright rude. These are the kids that end up in the Principals office and then are usually sent to the School Counsellor. There are always reasons for this behaviour.
I raise the ethical question, should schools seek the greatest good for the greatest number, or seek to help an individual reach their full potential? I understand the need to seek the greatest good for the greatest number, but as a counsellor, for me it is individuals that matter most. This is illustrated simply in the well known story above.
Of course, schools and society and even teachers must focus on the greatest good for the greatest number, but we can’t dismiss the individual who will need our help.
Because it is when you get the person or individual right – that it that we can get the world right!