Saturday, February 5, 2011
Facebook Insults
Well, there it is. A student insulted a teacher on Facebook. They make it appear that this is something that never happens. The problem is that the student was "ratted out" and the school took action against him. The student was suspended........I believe it was three days. However, now we have groups coming forward saying that his freedom of speech rights were being violated. As a teacher, I have some specific feelings about how this is all playing out and how this is going to set a precedent. Some say that the school should not have attempted to punish him because it didn't happen at school. Some others say that the teacher should just ignore it. One of the most interesting comments I have heard came from another teacher. Her comment dealt with what would happen if the roles were reversed and the teacher had made a derogatory comment about a student? Immediately we all think that the teacher would be reprimanded in some way, but doesn't the same apply. Isn't it the right of that teacher to have free speech and to speak her mind? I'm curious as to what other educators think about this issue and if it has happened to anyone else.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I think the comment by "another teacher" that you mentioned is spot on. If the roles were reversed the teacher would be harshly reprimanded. When did we arrive at this point that we have to constantly protect the feelings and rights of students while forfeiting our own? I'm sad to say that this viewpoint wasn't my first thought until I read it.
ReplyDeleteYour colleague has a good point. Would the teacher get reprimanded? I guess that would depend on the individual district. I wonder, though, how many people in the general public realize how much negativity and bashing is done on these social network sites where students are concerned? (Don’t get me wrong. I think these social network sites are great for connecting people, but not everyone uses them as they were intended.) The security person in my district has a Facebook and MySpace account. I don’t know if she has an alias or if she uses her actual name, but in any case, she finds out so much information. She knows who’s talkin’ trash about whom, who’s having the party this coming weekend, and who’s generating lies about their “friends.” This is great because she can actually head-off situations or fights before they begin or get out of hand. Almost every Monday I walk past her office and she has a room full of students who need issues resolved that were generated over the weekend. Not every student is going to get along with every teacher, and not every teacher is going to get along with every student. Obviously, the personalities of this student and teacher clashed, and it’s unfortunate that it has been made so public.
ReplyDeleteI agree that if a teacher made negative comments about a student, they would get severely reprimanded. But if the student is crying freedom of speech, how come teachers can't. It is a two sided world out there. It seems like students get away with so much, and the parents always back their child and never back a teacher. We have to watch everything we say and do so we don't offend anyone, yet parents and students can say whatever they want.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very touch topic. Yes everyone should have freedom of speech but children do not understand that they just can say certain things, or post certain things. In today's society, we are way to lenient on teens. They should know right from wrong and it is not right to insult anyone. It is far too easy to be mean on Facebook or in texts, than in person. Recently, a coworker of mine, was threatened on Facebook. It was a death threat because her grade was not what she wanted. Whether or not she meant it, she posted it and it was taken seriously. Teens and children need to learn when it is appropriate to use certain language.
ReplyDelete