Professional Ethics, Recordkeeping, and Student Welfare
Ethical practice
Instructors hold power in the car, so boundaries matter: no harassment, no discrimination, no gifts or favors in exchange for favorable evaluations, and no promises of a license. Honest advertising and clear pricing protect students and the school's license. Confidentiality covers student records, medical information, and progress notes; disclose only with consent or where law requires. Appropriate physical contact is limited to safety necessity, and it is described to the student beforehand.
Records and welfare
Keep a lesson log for each student: date, duration, route type, skills practiced, performance, and next steps. Records must be accurate, legible, stored securely, and retained for the period your license type requires. A clean, fueled, inspected vehicle with working dual controls is a welfare obligation. Phones stay out of use during instruction. If a student becomes ill, distressed, or unsafe to continue, end the lesson and notify the responsible adult.
Traps
Questions test integrity: falsifying a lesson log to satisfy a package requirement is the wrong answer in every version. So is discussing a student's performance with another parent. Promising that a student will pass is both unethical and usually a licensing violation.
Rule of thumb
"Would I be comfortable if the student and DMV read this record?" If not, the entry or the action needs to change.