Reference call about a counselor's lateness
- Kind
- Ethical dilemma
Prompt
Last summer you supervised the counselors at a children's day camp. One counselor, Marcus, who is 19, arrived late eleven times in his first month. On one of those mornings, a group of eight-year-olds waited 20 minutes without an adult before another counselor noticed. After you spoke with him, he was never late again, and he became one of the most trusted counselors at the camp, the one the children asked for by name. He has listed you as a reference for a job as a swim instructor at a community pool, and he asked you beforehand not to mention the lateness, calling it a rough start that he has put behind him. The pool manager calls you and asks, "Has he ever been unreliable, or left children without supervision?" How would you answer?
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After you practice: what this question tests and how to approach it
What this question tests
- Professionalism and integrity
- Ethical reasoning
- Communication
How to approach this question
This MMI station tests honesty in a reference when loyalty to someone you respect pulls against the safety of the children he'd supervise. Name the duties on both sides: what you owe Marcus, who improved and earned trust, and what you owe the pool manager and the families who rely on your answer. Note that the manager asked a direct question about supervision, and consider whether leaving the incident out would be a lie of omission. Weigh telling the full story, including how he changed, against keeping quiet, and think about telling Marcus before the call what you plan to say. When the station adds why he was late, consider whether it changes the facts you report or only how you frame them.
More on honesty and disclosure of error
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