As I searched myself on the internet through both Google.com and Pipl.com, I found exactly what I expected. There was a lot of links to articles about my lacrosse playing days and my current coaching jobs. There really was not anything that I wouldn't want my future students to see. One link I found was my myspace web page which I haven't used since my sophomore year of college so I chose to cancel my profile. I was not embarrassed about anything on the site but more that I just don't use it any more. My facebook might be questionable but it is privatized so only people I accept as friends can see my profile. Even so, my profile doesn't have anything that would be unbecoming of me as a teacher.
I do think teachers should be held to a higher standard than most professions, but not to a level where every aspect of our lives are being critiqued. We must be held to a higher standard because parents entrust us with their kids. And if they don't approve of our behavior, then why should they trust us with their kids. At the same time, we should still be able to live our lives how we want. We need to have a professional life and a personal life. These two need to be separate. This goes for actions and speech. America is great because we have all the freedoms we do. I understand why some of this needs to be censored in the school but outside the school is our place to express ourselves.
From the article, I found the piece about how the teacher uses facebook to reach out to her students to be very interesting. I completely agree with the author that some of the more quiet students use the Internet to let their voice be heard. Not everyone can come up with their thoughts on the spot in class, but given time and a keyboard, their thoughts can be conveyed.
To protect myself in the future, I am going to be careful what I do online and more aware of the consequences to the choices I make. I am not going to change who I am but rather the means by how I do. I have matured since college has ended and I think one can see that by looking at my facebook page. I do not regret how I acted in college because it has made the person I am today
Your right, a keyboard can be a strong resource for students to "convey" their emotions outside of class. If we used technology as a tool, it seems that we can provide an outlet for voice to those who don't wish to participate-classically. It's pretty cool that you found a lot about yourself, I didn't find anything! Post a few links for our class or maybe we'll just google you.
ReplyDeleteTrevor, I agree with you that teachers need to be held to a higher standard. Parents are entrusting us with their children, and often times we spend more time with their children than they do! I also believe that we should have the freedom to live our lives outside of the classroom. It is important that we understand the responsibility our profession holds and to act accordingly!
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