As a teacher, we are held up to extrodinary standards in all aspects of our lives. Lately I have continued to hear about teachers that are getting in trouble for what they are doing in their personal lives. Don't get me wrong, I think that teachers having pictures of themselves intoxicated or in compromising situations on the internet is just plain ignorent. However, I don't agree with teachers getting in trouble for being seen a local sports bar watching a game.
You are probably wondering why I chose this topic to write about, well, a teacher friend of mine from another state was seen watching a sporting event at a sports bar over their spring break. A parent of one of her students saw her there and took her photo and posted it on Facebook. Now several of the parents are angry that a teacher from their school was in a compromising situation. My friend has already been informed that the school is going to support her because she was doing nothing wrong. This situation still makes me think about how social networking is really dangerous even when you are just having a day out with your friends. Just imagine running into a student or a parent at the market and they see certain items in your cart that they deem innappropriate and then it is all over the internet.
I guess my questions to all aspiring or current teachers is... Do you feel safe all the time?
Read the two liks below and let me know what you think...
Sandra
http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/blogs/the-human-condition/2010/07/20/10-ways-facebook-can-ruin-your-life.html
http://www.pcworld.com/article/198133/how_to_ruin_your_life_with_social_networking.html
Interesting post Sandra. I have thought about the same thing many times. I have to admit with all of the changes being made to Facebook I barely post anything. I definitely don't include private thoughts and feelings about things.
ReplyDeleteI have opted to keep my account however because it makes getting in touch with old friends and family really easy. I like you think it's unfair the double standard where teachers are concerned. Kids look up to athletes and musicians way more than teachers in my honest opinion. This is kind of scary when you think about what kind of example they are setting.
Anyhow, great post! I enjoyed reflecting on it. Good luck in the future with all of your endeavors.
Lydia
This is an interesting topic and a very controversial one. I remember having this same discussion over two class period in my Education Ethic class here at UCF. Some student made the point that as teachers it can hard for them to go out as a regular person and do normal ordinary things; such as sit at a bar, drinking wine with friends at a restaurant, and being decently affectionate with their partner out in public. They said they felt like there was a cloud of eyes and questions constantly following them. Some has even experience being reprimand by their administrator due to a non-school or children related incident. In the end they all agreed it’s best to not live in your school district or even socialize in common areas that you might run into parents and/or students.
ReplyDeleteI personally think teachers should be allowed to be an ordinary person when they are not in the schooling environment. But yet again I think as teachers we should be aware of the way we conduct ourselves outside of school, because perception is everything and we should not allow parents and students to see us not fulfill the perception of the teacher.
I definitely think this an important issue. I think that some people post things on the internet without any worry in the world and it will come back to haunt you. On the other side, I do not think teachers should get in trouble or be looked down upon for being out on their own time having some fun with friends. I would completely understand a parent being upset if they saw their child's teacher way too intoxicated and acting stupid. However, teachers have a life too and we have every right to go watch a sporting game and drink a beer! We just need to be careful about what we post on the internet. I rarely post anything now. Things can be twisted and taken the wrong way. We can never be too careful!
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