Teacher's Blog gets her suspended?
@sarahruthbeth22 (43143)
United States
February 16, 2011 8:49am CST
In PA, a English teacher blogged about how her highschool students were lazy whiners gets suspended. Thanks Yahoo! Wow What is happening. There are two sides to this. does a teacher have the right to express her views online? And If students are whiners and uninterested in school who is to blame, parents? Teacher? Or the students themselves?Now since I am Way past highschool age and I am not a parent nor a teacher I can see both sides.She didn't name the students so it can't be slander of libel so she does have a right to voice her frustrations.A teacher is Still an American citizen last time I checked. They still have free speech. But I can also see the other side clearly.back in my day I had a bully Elementary teacher who would demean kids In class. Not All of her students are lazy and by Not naming names the statement Has to go for All her students. If I were a hard working teen and I read this , I Woulf become the lazy whiner she described. It could seem to the student that she doesn't care so why should I. It was wise that she was suspended. These are teens and it could have gotten ugly , quickly. But the Main question is Why? Why aren't students interested in school? I know one can't be into Every subject. But There Has to be one or two! Even if it is gym ,lol! Is it the parents who because of life can't or won't try to get the kids interested in school Before they start? Is it that because of money being linked to testing that teachers are not allowed to make the subject exciting by teaching outside the box? Or is it the students?Are they so impatient to get Everything save an education. Or worse they don't see that it is Education as a tool to get what they want? I really don't know! Your thoughts.
4 people like this
16 responses
@bounce58 (17387)
• Canada
19 Feb 11
Sadly, I think she painted a real picture of the current state of high school students(makes me glad that I'm already done with it).
Now her blogging could be taken two ways. As a cause for suspension, or a reason for wanting change. I think the people there just took the easy way out. The easiest solution to make the problem go away.
I don't claim to know the answer. To make students interested in education. But surely there is a way. And suspending the teacher is not it.
@sarahruthbeth22 (43143)
• United States
19 Feb 11
It is easier to just shut her up and ignore the truth in the statemnt. It is sad that schools rather just expell or remove the students they can't teach and focus on the ones they can.
1 person likes this
@sid556 (30960)
• United States
17 Feb 11
My family was full of teachers, Sarah. I read that article in the news and tried to imagine my dad, aunt or grandmother ever putting such thoughts out to the public like this teacher did. I think these sort of thoughts should have been written in a private journal if at all but certainly not on the internet. A teacher's job is to inspire those students that aren't so into school, that come from poor back-grounds. I watched my father and my aunt inspire kids that probably would have done nothing in life to do great things. They were both great teachers that won awards for their great teaching. They had students that to this day still recall them with fond memories. I can't imagine either one of these wonderful teachers posting a blog like this teacher did. I think the blog says a lot about the teacher. I don't know either but to me, it just is wrong. In my opinion, she isn't much of a teacher.
2 people like this
@JenInTN (27514)
• United States
16 Feb 11
Wow..that is a tough one. There are so many factors to consider. It could be a number of things but I will use my own children as examples. They all three started out with a thirst for knowledge. They are good students and love to be rewarded with a "Good job" or pat on the back. My son had some terrible teachers quite early. I won't go into detail but they really ruined him. He dreaded school. He later had a couple of great teachers that kind of helped him no hate it so much but the truth is that he was never the same.
Teachers do, however, have a great deal of work and frustration in front of them. I think there might even come a point where they are so discouraged with their efforts that later students suffer. Parents can be the cause..some are very hard to deal with and some don't care.
I don't know how I feel about the blog although it does, like you said, have the possibility of discouraging current hard working kids. I think that she does have the right to freedom of speech but at the same time I think that she has a postion that requires her to set an example. That's a hard one...it really is.
2 people like this
@JohnMach (550)
• Philippines
16 Feb 11
Blogs now can do stupid things to intellectual people like professors and teachers. It can make them express what they truly feel and could get them suspended in the process. They should watch what they post so they will not be suspended again.
2 people like this
@outlawgirl3464 (97)
• United States
16 Feb 11
That's really tough! But, teachers are held to a higher moral character than most people. There are times when even an ordinary office employee is let go because of things that they post on the internet. And WHATEVER you do DON'T post it from the office computer or a School District computer! Most computers outside of your home computer are hooked up through a main file server. Anyone who takes care of the file server can see anything and everything you ever type on your desk computer.
Most teachers around here don't even go out like dancing on the weekends around home for fear that they might accidentally run into one of their students. It all has to do with the respect image that you receive from your students after such an incident. The kids tend to no longer look at you as their teacher, the authoritarian in their life, but as someone they can disrespect and talk about.
This teacher, while yes she has every right to vent about her classes and her students, doesn't need to be posting such ramblings on the internet. If she has to vent she should do it at home on the phone with her best friend/family member/confidant. My cousin is a teacher and has been for many years....I've had many conversations by phone with her because of this student or that. My best friend was also a teacher, now a counselor, I've also listened to her tell about her students. But they don't get on the computer saying those things.
And if someone wants to post things such as that do it from your home computer and completely anonymously.
2 people like this
@danishcanadian (28953)
• Canada
17 Feb 11
I think if you are going to blog about people on line, not only keep their identities secret, but keep yours a secret too. I don't say much here on MyLot, as my identity can be traced back to me if someone really wanted to do their homework, but I could say more, if I chose a new identity, and did not use a real name on a sign-up form, on a blogging service.
1 person likes this
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
1 Mar 11
To answer your questions at the end of your post, I think I'd have to say "all of the above"!
I don't think it's right that she got suspended. It's her right as an American citizen to express her views and she didn't name or slander anyone. Just the same, if it had been elementary kids I might feel differently but high school students know better and I'm sure those who fit her descriptions know who they are and if the truth hurts, that's their problem.
One thing I'll say for sure is it's not always the teacher's fault nor is it always the parents' fault. It's not uncommon to have two or more children of the same two parents and from the same environment, etc. who go to the same schools and have the same teachers have very different results. I'm saying this because it's that way with my grandchildren.
Annie
1 person likes this
@sarahruthbeth22 (43143)
• United States
1 Mar 11
I agree. The thing is every child learns differently.So the hard part is to find the right method. But with the system the teachers' hands are tied. They can't explore any other options.
1 person likes this
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
2 Mar 11
I have a friend who is a teacher and teaches mainly elementary children with reading disabilities or problems. She's said for a long time, since I've known her actually, that the worst thing is how they're forced to teach according to a test. She said SHE has never been good at taking tests and that many good students have the same problem but they never learn the way they should because of the way they're taught. Also, classrooms are much too large in some schools so there's not enough one-on-one for the kids who need it.
Annie
1 person likes this
@coffeebreak (17798)
• United States
16 Feb 11
MY first thought when I read this was...keep your personal life seperate from your business life and don't put them both together on facebook! And control WHO sees WHAT on your Facebook. I don't care for FB...to much work to be safe and to much crap that can happen because of it. But in this case...she shouldn't have put her business friends as "friends" and she should have only sent it to certian people. Yes, she has freedom of speech, but at the same time...don't get mad when those you speak bad about exercise their freedom of speech back at you!
1 person likes this
@sarahruthbeth22 (43143)
• United States
17 Feb 11
When I heard this I thought that a honest teacher got caught being Way too honest.Then I thought of the good students in her class. How would hey take this? Then I thought about how the bad students would react if she were to go back and I was both sad and reliever by the suspension. These are teens , she may have gotten hurt returning.
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
16 Feb 11
I guess it's the same principle as when you post something on Facebook, like a wild party, and then a prospective employer sees that and doesn't hire you. It's intrusive (even though it's posted publicly), but it points out that people need to be aware that anything posted on the internet can and will be used against them.
Why aren't students interested in school? The parents don't stress the importance and enforce rules, and/or they fall in with friends whose parents don't. And then there's the whole "anti-intellectualism culture" in our country...
1 person likes this
@murtaza45 (173)
• India
16 Feb 11
why to friend pa english teacher supended. i am about metter of this supended me teacher for pa english about me not english for clear and then understand for the subject for pa english teacher constrain me for student in the learn for better me or not me.so friend lazy for pa higher studies for this type for life career for not better way not you silent to the college me for better place enjoy this for lazy for teacher claim for principle for supended for pa teacher me.
1 person likes this
@speechteacher (104)
• United States
16 Feb 11
Feeling like students are lazy, or whiny is one thing, BUT actually posting it for all to see is another thing entirely. Granted, she didn't name names, but it's still EXTREMELY unproressional and to me, unethical to post something like that for all the friends you may have on a friends list to see. If she wanted to be able to complain about her students, then she should have realistically set up a seperate account, that none of her fellow teachers, or possibly board members and people in authority would have known about. Yes, I am a former teacher myself, so I know you will have days where you wonder what do i have to do to get these kids motivated, and you need to vent somehow...just need to be a lot more careful on where and who you potentially are venting to.
@Reed201084 (347)
• United States
16 Feb 11
The question of morality, whether it was right or wrong, I do not believe is in play here. A Nazi fanatic can post hate about people and not be even looked at that hard. No matter how wrong we think they are, they have the right to be the way they are and to express what they want as long as they do not threaten anyone. Doesn't she have the right to he freedom of speech?
1 person likes this
@Ichiru101 (284)
• United States
16 Feb 11
I just read this off yahoo momentary too. I do not think she should of been suspended. What happen to freedom of speech? It is not like she named them off or anything. It is just her personal view. Next thing you know if you can get sue for saying how you dislike the cold?
1 person likes this
@sid556 (30960)
• United States
17 Feb 11
Ya..freedom of speech but would you want a person like this teaching your troubled teen? Clearly she doesn't like these kids. I wouldn't sue her or anything but I also would not want her to be teaching my teen who I am doing all I can as a parent to get to school everyday and to inspire to go and then have a teacher that is as negative as this one is. She only wants to teach the ones that aren't a challenge?? If I were one of those kids that really wasn't into school...she'd be one of the reasons why and certainly not one of the teachers that inspired me to stay when I really didn't want to. Not someone I want teaching my kids.
@sarahruthbeth22 (43143)
• United States
17 Feb 11
But Sid If she didn't post this , how would you be able to tell which teacher is good and which isn't? If you want your child/teen to do well , then teach them to motivate themselves. Sadly I don't think this teacher is the exception.Many think this way about the bad kids in their classes but they love the good. But if your teen can see school as their job, somewhere they Have to go and if they go and do their best , they will get rewarded, then it won't matter what type of teacher they wind up with.
@Reed201084 (347)
• United States
16 Feb 11
Well from her location she is still in America. Here we have freedom of speech. As long as she made no threats or did not point out a particular student, there is really nothing they should be able to do about it. If the students want to tell their story, they can write one to.
1 person likes this
@Liliac26 (557)
• Romania
16 Feb 11
I think she did something really stupid and imprudent, but I also think people shouldn't get suspended from their jobs because of stuff they post on Facebook. We shouldn't sacrifice freedom of speech that easily. For all we now she might actually be a good teacher in class, and her Facebook rambling just a way to vent frustration. Of course, she should have done it anonymously, but still she didn't use the names of students.
1 person likes this
