Have you read about the teacher in Pennsylvania that has been suspended because of her blog?
Natalie Munroe, a high school teacher in Pennsylvania vented on her blog about her school and students. She does lash out at them, saying, "They are rude, disengaged, lazy whiners. They curse, discuss drugs, talk back, argue for grades, complain about everything, fancy themselves entitled to whatever they desire, and are just generally annoying," but never once did not use her full name or identify her students or school in the blog. According to the article, She also listed some comments she wished she could post on student evaluations, including: "I hear the trash company is hiring"; "I called out sick a couple of days just to avoid your son"; and "Just as bad as his sibling. Don't you know how to raise kids?"
One of her former students, who is in college now said, "It's a teacher's job, however, to give students the motivation to learn." I'm sorry, but by 12th grade if you are not "motivated to learn," there is not much I can say to change that.
Her lawyer said, "She did it as carefully as she could," he said about her blog. "It's so general that it applies to the problems in school districts and schools across the country." This I totally agree with.
As far as I am concerned, as long as I don't name names or give out personal information, I should have the same rights to FREEDOM OF SPEECH as anyone else.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
3 comments:
Well, without reading the blog it's hard to really say too much. I can relate to the same thing because I am not suppose to give details out about my client but I feel that if I blogged and didn't use real names then aren't I safe? It sounds like she is really frustrated and angry with the system. I agree that if the children/adults are not motivated to learn by 12th grade then the teacher can't work wonders unless she has some magic fairy to throw on them. Personally, I am disgusted with my own son. He just goes to school and does nothing. All her has earned is F's all year round and that tells me that he hasn't even tried. So, he is a tenth grader with 3 credits to show for the past year and half. Well, that is another subject, right. Do you have any magic fairy dust to send my way?
You know what, I think that teachers have a really hard job, not only do they have to deal with the shenanigans of kids, but they have to deal with the parents who sometimes couldn't care less about what their kid is doing in school. I think what you've quoted (and of course, that's all I've read about it anywhere else either since her blog is now down), is generalizations, it's not like she's saying, "Billy Cook is lazy and could work for the trash company." She's just making generalizations. I too have taken flack for things I've said on my blog, but, it's my blog, I don't name names when I'm saying something unflattering, but I'm entitled to my feelings as is she. I imagine it's a very frustrating job the majority of the time, and I believe that most of the time it's a thankless job. I can't fault her.
I have not read her blog, but based n the few comments you have shared, I must agree with her generalizations. I am a high school teacher in a public school. Enough said. I wish I felt like a I truly had freedom of speech, but honestly I feel like I am expendable (I mean, there are a plethora of history teachers that need jobs waiting in the wings) and even if I could not be terminated based on my blog they could find something to dig up. Not sure what, but they would find it. Not to mention that there is really no protection for teachers in my state. Thus, I simple have a no blogging/no facebooking rule about work. No matter how frustrated and angry I get, I keep my mouth shut. It is simply a way to keep my a** off the grid. Heck, I am even hesitant to write about my own political views because I know most of the people in my area would disagree and thus not want their kids in my class, even tho I work VERY hard to teach my kids analytical skills and not to "brainwash" them. I wish I could feel "free" to write my true thoughts on work on my blog, but I won't.
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