Here's a controversial topic from recent weeks: The case of the teacher who ranted about her students on her blog, calling them "lazy" and "jerks."
Here's the link to the MSNBC report:
http://www.educationnation.com/index.cfm?objectid=AF733A81-3A1A-11E0-A170000C296BA163&aka=0
Was this OK as long as she kept students identities anoynymous? Should she be suspended or fired or should she have the freedom of speech to write these things in her blog?
The interview also mentions the topic of a school district's Internet and blog policies. Do any of you teach in school districts that have Internet policies? What about policies towards social networking sites like Facebook? If not, what are your feelings towards what is and isn't appropriate for teachers using the Internet during their off-duty hours?
I've decided that my resolution this year is to be more careful about making complaints in general.
ReplyDeleteLike it or not, we are considered something of a role model for our students. So, even when we feel like letting off some steam, we have to be very careful about when, where and how we do it. I know there is a policy about Internet use in my school district, but haven't heard anything about social networking. However, I do know that a basic policy covering professional behavior would probably be applicable to this situation.
I'm really concerned about a teacher who thinks it's appropriate to slam students online like this. She's gone beyond calling them jerks and adding notes that help identify different individuals by giving other information. I wonder how she's going to react if her student's start posting things like this about her? Will she take it as slander?
Another thing I think this teacher is missing is how students will pick up on this and respond when you least expect it. So, now it's going to be really hard for a principal to deal with discipline if this teacher sends someone to the office for disrespect.
She's not making things easy for herself to be a teacher when she knows this information is accessible to her students. Also, I realize she's upset with her student's performance, but is it really going to solve anything by revealing this much anger on Facebook? Sometimes you have to stop yourself from taking things so seriously or you become your own worst enemy.
It is a surprise for me to hear this news. I remember that my teachers would always tell us to be careful about our talking and writing while we are grading students’ performance because you are a teacher, not a judge. What will be your feelings if you hear teachers talk about your situations even though they do not mention the name of the student? That teacher should think more about her students or take more training programs to hear what people’s opinion are instead of continuing to say she is right about everything. When I taught children at the elementary school in Taiwan, we did not have strict internet policies about the content of blogs. However, every teacher would mention the rule for their students that they cannot download inappropriate pictures or software at computer lab because it against school rules. Students can leave messages or upload pictures to share with teachers and classmates on the class blog. Teachers can give feedback or post important announcements on the blog to communicate with students outside of class. Teachers have a responsibility to report the emergency events about students if they see on the blog. I think it is a good tool for teachers and students to communicate with each other even though they are not in class.
ReplyDeleteIt's a nasty internet culture we've created out there. Hence my distaste for blogging and social networking. Present blog not included! :)
ReplyDeleteGenerally, I try to follow the rule of: keep it to myself. Perhaps this is something everyone needs to embrace a bit more. Then we could have a serious, adult conversation.
I have to admit, one side of me sympathizes just a liiiittle bit! I think back to my fellow classmates during my high school years and, quite honestly, some of them were lazy whiners. And that's putting it nicely!
ReplyDeleteBut as part of a larger context, it makes me think about this "cyber-bullying" issue and makes me wonder about what kind of culture we've become when we freely rant and attack others for, usually, very minor problems. Can't this negative energy be used in more constructive ways?
I’m not sure about internet policies in Taiwan but I know we should minimize our own risk of getting complaints from the students, students’ parents and the school. We as human beings have emotions and have our ups and downs. However, as teachers/ future teachers, we should always be careful about what we say and how we react to things in public which now includes the internet. People can misinterpret things even when we try to say neutral sentences or comments. Using negative words on your students just doesn’t seem like a smart thing to do. If you really want to express yourself by typing things out, saving it in your e-mail draft seems like a better way of doing it. The teacher said that it was for her and her friends but she could have done better to keep things private.
ReplyDeleteThe teacher’s feeling is important but so are her students’ and their parents’ feelings. I think she could have done things more appropriately and find out what made her students’ lazy. She could have spent time figuring out solutions and not just blog about it.
When I read about this case, my first reaction was that teachers should able to blog about their job and true feelings without putting their jobs at risk...as long as no one could identify her or the students through the blog. It's like being an author..you ought to be able to write what you want in your book...as long as you don't slander other people by naming names and so forth...which has got writers into trouble even before our digital age. I think this teacher messed up in not being sneaky enough! She should not have violated district policy by blogging (probably on school computers) this type of information at work, and she should have made extra sure no one could identify her or the students. What she sai wasn't nice, but she has/had the right to say it. But, that doesn't mean the school district has to keep her on. If she made those comments at a local restaurant in front of parents or family of her students, in such a way as to identify the students, she would be subject to discipline I'm quite sure. This type of unprofessionalism causes students and family to lose confidence and respect and without this she will not be able to be an effective teacher. Therefore, she can't be an effective employee. Had she simply been more anonymous in her postings about the frustration of teaching...she would still be happily blogging away today.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the freedom to speak whatever, but you can't let students get under your skin in this manner. Teachers should not be vindictive and blast people. I think that overall, I would not have posted anything like that on a blog, at least most likely, it's just common sense. Her picture was on the blog too, so thats far from anonymous. As a professional, she claims to be she should have figured that it's not a good idea to do such a thing. Also, she is correct when saying that school are sort of like corporate environments, thats what we are preparing students for, largely corporate worlds, and in the corporate world if she talked like that about her clients, and the clients found out about this the company would have lost business, and she could have been fired.
ReplyDeleteHowever, she does not work for a company, and the school did not have a policy against blogging largely because it would probably be a breach of peoples 1st amendment rights, but as internet is an open forum for people to browse about she should have used common sense.
Imagine if Obama went online and declared in an anonymous blog that some of his constituents were idiots, which is true without a doubt, if the blog was found even the president would most likely be 'fire' after this term.
I guess the wisdom from this should be
"think before you send"
As long as companies made about students are broad, unspecific, not associated with any particular student, and most importantly not false. Teachers, administrators should have the full right to complain about the students they serve especially if it is an issue that PARENTS need to own up to.
ReplyDeleteI do not believe, nor will I EVER believe that teachers should be responsible for the behavior of MY children. I AM RESPONSIBLE.
If teachers have gotten to the point where they need to complain then the parents need to CHECK THEMSELVES.
When I was in high school the children were lazy, and were jerks. Period. It was the truth. There were also students who were neither lazy nor jerks, and they knew it.
This is not a problem with the 'blogging' community, this is a problem with people not learning to own up to their own downfalls and misbehaviors.
As a culture (as parents) we need to change, we need to learn to teach respect to our children so our fellow teachers (our friends, our members of society) do not have to feel so to write such things!
Our parents are failing our children first.
@Melanie, you've picked a timely and highly relevant topic for a lot of teachers and other professionals in the wake of the growth of social networking and online discourse. A similar issue was just being discussed over on the Chronicle for Higher Education regarding professors being fired for tweeting, blogging or updating about their students (or colleagues) online.
ReplyDeleteThink Before You Tweet (or Blog or Update a Status)
I would say that teacher by the nature of profession has to be the sample of intelligency. So it is better to stay away from that street-level vocabulary. At all. World is so small. Once you student can find out you mindset in internet and take it personally. Once you can become the subject of discussion. Not good at all.
ReplyDeleteDo we have the remedy to relize our emotions? Sometime we want to see results of our hard job and we have to enjoy those "lazy jerks"...I think we could talk emotionally to our siblings and they would understand and give emotional support, because they valuated us for who we are. But it has to be boarding line between private and public. And the teacher has to keep up appearance for sure.
Hmm! An interesting topic indeed! Thanks for brining it up! I remember after doing my internship in undergrad at a charter school, that the boundaries were not very clear as to how the students could have relationships and interact with the teachers outside of the classroom. I remember having students friend me on facebook, and I thought that was a bit absurd- especially due to the fact that I was 20 years old and working with 17 and 18 year old high schoolers... not the smartest idea to be their friends with that close of an age and considering the position of teacher and students.
ReplyDeleteI do recall that after high school though, I friended my professors, and still to this day, remain in contact with them as references and mentors in different areas. It was like a sign of growing up almost, to be considered the friend of your high school professor and not just a student-- and now a colleague and fellow educator even!
I think as people above mentioned, that the lines are very hard to define, and must be maintained about the purpose of your internet experience. I have friends with professors at my university I attended for undergraduate in Kansas, and it is great to be in contact with fellow professors in one space in the event that you need to contact them or have those connections. I do find myself however, putting people I want a more professional relationship with on a limited profile and I have the maximum security locks on photos and other such things. But, I do realize that nothing is ever completely secure.
We need to take into consideration various factors. Does a teacher deserve to be fired over comments? I don't truly think so. We also need to realize that things cannot always be translated correctly via a text environment and intentions can be misconstrued. Even easier- don't friend your students when you are their teacher- that seems silly!
We need to realize the internet is not a "private" space really by any means as much as we wish it was. TIs the disadvantage so to speak of our greatly interconnected world.
Take everything with a grain of salt... but be mindful!
I have never experienced something like this in my school years. I strongly believe that teacher should not reveal whatever happens in the classroom openly. Also, teachers should not use such terms to describe their students, because Teachers are supposed to be role model for students.
ReplyDeleteUsing these kinds of terms may lead to damaging affect on students, and also may lead to violent reaction from students or their parents. In my opinion, district should take disciplinary action against teacher, so that other teachers will use caution manner when they want to criticize students.
ReplyDeleteWow, this is such a heated debate. I agree with a few of the comments and at first really sided with the teacher on this one...at the end of the day, the teacher has every right to voice her opinion and feelings. I've never taught young students but I have been there before with a frustrating job and I have definitely needed the outlet to vent.
Now, her choice of medium to vent (also her right) and the lack of anonymity utilized (which is probably what caused this whole scandal in the first place) were all poorly done. Like Serge said, she needed to use some common sense.
The teacher also calls herself a "highly trained professional" which I'm sure she is especially if she's an honors teacher and she does advocate for teachers, however, professionalism should entail some sense of decorum or intelligibility when writing or voicing your opinion (not writing or acting like a jerk o** or a**h***) like she claims her students to be.
Lastly, I also agree with AC that as offended or upset as students and parents are; they too play a role in all of this. This case of a frustrated teacher because of lazy or rude students is certainly not the exception and I feel for any teacher who constantly has to deal with students who are truly like this. Many teachers take on the role of parent on top of their already difficult and underpaid jobs whether or not they want to.
I agree with @Jean and @ZweiRu, Natalie Munroe should have used COMMON SENSE. Although the names were anonymous and the school name remained anonymous does not make up for the fact that she had her PHOTO posted on her blog. But clearly, she's not owning up to that.
ReplyDeleteI believe in the freedom of speech, especially when it comes to educational reform, which she "claims" to be an advocate for on the interview. But the bashing of students is unacceptable. I didn't like her attitude or her tone either. She failed to admit she even hurt anyones feelings.
Teachers complain. Everyone complains. But if you seriously want to make a change in education THEN WRITE TO YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS instead of wasting time COMPLAINING in cyberspace. Go out there and create a social networking group where teachers can come together and make a change. Be proactive, not reactive.
Do I think teachers should be allowed to use blogs and social networking, YES. I believe in technology. Actually, I LOVE technology. Just use common sense. Yes, I use Facebook and am connected with the majority of teachers at my school. Do I watch what I say? DEFINITELY!!!!!
Our role as teachers is to provide a positive environment for students, which involves teachers to project that image as well. The job of teachers is difficult because not only are they responsible for teaching and seeing that their students pass to the next grade level, they are also responsible for classroom managemnent. It can be overwhelming and it is fine to vent if done "appropriately."
ReplyDeleteI haven't met one teacher who hasn't complained about students, but there are places and times to discuss the matter. This is not a new issue about internet comments becoming public. Constantly there are people on the spotlight for posting something "inappropriately."
I think teachers have the right to freedom of speech, but the use of common sense is the key. It might be a good idea to discuss the issues with friends outside the school or even with the school counselor. The problem I particularly was not in agreement with was the insults used for students and parents. I don't think it's ethical to express ourselves in this negative-ill manner toward our students. If it irritates a teacher to deal with students/parents, perhaps it's time to move on and explore other job areas. Teaching should be about having the passion to teach and help students in the best way possible. Teachers should teach with passion and teach students to learn with passion. That is the great benefit on both sides.
Technology is a great tool for teachers, and we should be wise enough to use it for positive outcomes.
I agree this seems like a heated conversation for everyone. I do not think that the teacher should have done what she did. There is a time and a place for everything. Her blog was definitely not the place for venting her frustration with her students. We all know that teachers get frustrated. We get frustrated when students are not listening or are not getting what we are trying to teach. But, those complaints are to be made in a private setting. She said that she was just telling her family and friends on her blog. However, she should have known that the internet and especially blogging can be seen by anyone and everyone. Therefore, I do not think that she can use the excuse that she was keeping it private. She thought that it was just for her family and friends. Blogging is a public place. She should treat blogging just like any other public place. She would not have said those things walking down the halls of her school. She should not say them in any public place. Teachers, whether their students are getting concepts or not, should be encouraging the students to do better, not tearing them down.
ReplyDelete