Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Blogging and Teaching

When I came home today Lee asked me if I had heard about the teacher who was on paid leave from her school for things she said about her students on her blog.  I panicked a little and told him, no, I hadn't heard about her, but that I was going to seek out more information.

As someone who always blogs about her students, it's a little unsettling to hear that another educator is being punished for doing the same.  I was seriously worried, and I found an article on cnn.com that gave a brief explanation of what all the drama is about: cnn.com article

So in an effort to deter some of the heat her blog has since been blocked, but being that it is the internet, the entries have been cached and the posts are still available.  She went on the Today Show this morning in an effort to defend her position.  She claims that the blog was only intended for her friends and, "taken out of context."

I'm all about free speech and, quite clearly, I'm all about sharing stories about my students, so I was a little put off that someone could be persecuted for what they say about their students in a personal blog.  That is, until I read some of her cached posts.

Please read the following post here:Crazy Lady Posts About Students
(The rants about her students start after the asterisk divider)

I'm in complete shock.  I just read her post out loud to Lee and he is in shock.  How in the world can she try and defend what she said?  She is a TERRIBLE person, to say nothing of her interaction with children, and that became evident after reading just ONE of her blog posts.  Seriously, I'm sick. Why in the world did this lady become a teacher?  Of course students are going to give you attitude, especially kids in high school, and ESPECIALLY if you treat them like you hate them.

Every teacher has moments of frustration.  It is inevitable. Teaching isn't easy, and kids are unpredictable. As far as I know, this information is not a secret, and hasn't been for awhile. 

My heart aches for her students.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Hi Robin,

I really enjoy reading your blog, and got kinda nervous when you got into the topic of the teacher who is in trouble...but i read one of her posts and I am sadly with you. Why is she a teacher? Why doesn't she believe in her students the way she believes in her pie? She should be a baker, or a zappo's shoe critic, but teaching is obviously not her passion. She needs someone in her life to tell her that if at the end of the day she thinks they are not responding to her...they probably aren't learning either...and that is her job. How ever you can inspire youth to learn and be a role model for them so that they want to some day be good citizens that is our job to do. There are many ways to do it, each teacher has their charm or style, methods of getting there. She has proven to her readers in that blog that she is not getting the job done...and that is sad and disappointing. I am game for free speech, but I also stand for the rights that all kids have to a quality education from people who treat the profession like the powerful and inspiring job that it is.
-Zulema

Teacher said...

I just laughed so hard when you said, "Why doesn't she believe in her students the way she believes in her pie?" Seriously. I think if the mainstream media read the shoe/pie/student rant instead of the one on cnn.com where they say she referred to her students as "whiny" there would be an entirely different reaction than the "She's right, kids these days are ungrateful" responses she seems to be eliciting right now.

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