The basic story is that a 6th grade health class was given a quiz on the definitions of sexual orientation. Students had to differentiate between lesbian and transgender, etc. The mom was very upset that this content, not part of the health curriculum, was presented to her daughter without parental knowledge or permission. The mom’s intention was to take the matter to the school board. Dekalb County has since looked into the matter and made a statement that parents had been informed, had been given the option to have their student opt out of the class and that the quiz was part of the curriculum.
Whether or not you agree with the curriculum, this teacher potentially jeopardized her position by issuing the quiz.
Last year, Katie Nash, whose job was to interact on social media for her school district was fired for a comment made to a student who asked if they had school tamarrow on Twitter. Her response? “but then how would you learn to spell “tomorrow?” A cute answer with a student who was hopeful for a snow day. This was her job. To make the district and its interactions with students warmer and more approachable. She was fired nearly immediately. (Happily, she seems to have landed a wonderful job she loves, and she seems not to have had bad feelings toward the district. I commend her, and wish her every success.)
Many people made her a local hero while others castigated her tweet as critical and cruel. It should be noted the student was not hurt in any way. Here’s an example of a job that became jeopardized through fulfilling the very duties of the job.
Because a quick Google for teachers fired over Facebook posts have yielded things that are super offensive, I will just say we all know of people who posted comments on Facebook resulting in a job lost. Jeopardized job for having an opinion others find offensive or inappropriate for a teacher to have expressed.
In a world with social media so prevalent, and in a world with opinions sharply divided, I think it is safe to say that teachers walk a tightrope with social media. Teachers also walk the same tightrope with every email sent to families of students.
As a matter of fact, I worry sometimes about the way this blog could be perceived. I read over it many times prior to posting to ensure I am communicating content correctly. Tone does not translate well digitally. Even with emoticons, tone is missing from many digital interactions.
If you need to vent, don’t do it in writing. Don’t do it with your friends where you can be heard. (The worst thing is to be venting throughout a meal, only to stand up and see someone who is familiar with the ventee seated at the adjacent booth.) Be mindful that you can not afford the instant gratification of fussing about job situations.
Personally, I don’t use social media for such communications. (Obviously, I do this blog anonymously for the very reason that some one may perceive my thoughts or emotions to be something they are not. My job regularly scans teacher social sites, and if you are posting things or opinions they find unacceptable, you are asked to remove it. I avoid that like the plague! ) Yet, many people love social media. If I were to give advice it would be as follows:
- Fuss and complain to someone you can trust personally in a room where you can not be overheard.
- Avoid all comments about your job or your students.
- Don’t become friends with parents or with students. Ever. In fact, don’t interact with people from your school. I know this seems extreme, but we are keeping our jobs, right? 🙂
- Be aware that for every opinion you have, there are many people with variant opinions. Tolerance is not always available on Twitter or Facebook or Instagram.
- Look at any pictures through the lens of the most conservative person you have ever met.
- Be more conservative than your school’s media policy. Err on the side of caution. Mistakes are tough to undo.
So, let’s be mindful and keep our sanity and our jobs today!
First published October 13, 2017
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