Natalie Munroe: Should teachers blog, even anonymously, about their students?
CNN and all the cable stations were abuzz about the teacher in Pennsylvania that has been suspended, and may be fired, for blogging about her students.
Natalie Munroe, a 30-year-old teacher at Central Bucks East High School in Doyleston, Pa., didn’t identify her students in the blog, but she did say some mean comments about them. For example:
According to the New York Daily News:
“In her blog, which has since been removed, Munroe referred to her students as ‘out of control,’ ‘rude, lazy, disengaged whiners,’ and called one ‘a complete and utter jerk in all ways.’”
“ ‘There’s no other way to say this, I hate your kid,’ she wrote in one post. ‘Although academically okay your child has no other redeeming qualities,’ she said in another.”…
“I don’t think I did anything wrong,” she told ABC News. “I’m sorry that it was taken out of context but I stand by what I said.” …
“In one tongue-in-cheek post she offered fellow teachers alternative ways to describe students on report cards, such as ‘rat-like,’ ‘dresses like a streetwalker,’ and ‘frightfully dim.’ Of one student, she cruelly joked that ‘the trash company is hiring. ’ ”
“Munroe’s attorney Steve Rovner argues she did nothing wrong, even if she offended people. ‘There’s no Internet policy at her school district. She was free to write and she free to express herself; it was like a personal diary,’ he told ABC.”
Munroe said only seven friends, her husband and herself were “followers” of the blog and that 60 of the total 84 blogs she wrote had absolutely nothing to do with work or her students. Her blog is back up and had 420 followers as of last night.
From an explanation on Munroe’s new blog:
“See, what I’d done was written a casual blog. I talked about everything–such exciting topics as our trip to Sesame Place, my favorite (and least favorite) restaurants, my work experiences, the diaper genie. I had 9 followers–2 of whom were my husband and myself, the other 7 were friends. When I started it, my goal was to write 1-3 times a week, though I didn’t usually have time to do it that much. I ended up writing 84 blogs between 8/9/09 and 11/25/10. (I remember that, at one point, my track of blogging was about equal with my gym-going, but my gym-going eventually surpassed my blog track. I went there religiously at least 3 times a week until my morning sickness started…) I slowed down at the end, writing only about 10 blogs between June and November. I was too busy with being pregnant, teaching a new curriculum, and being harassed at school to write anything between November and February.
“When I wrote, I kept things as anonymous as possible; I know there are crazies out there and I didn’t want anyone trying to track me down. I blogged as “Natalie M” and had no location information or email address or anything listed or accessible. Nor did I ever mention where I worked or the names of students. Yet, there’s this perception that I was trying to lambaste everyone in the school without heed. That’s bollocks.”
“What bothers me so much about this situation is that what I wrote is being taken out of context. Of my 84 blogs, 60 of them had absolutely nothing to do with school or work. Of the 24 that mentioned it, only some of them were actually focused on it–others may have mentioned it in passing, like if I was listing things that annoyed me that day and wrote without any elaboration that students were annoying that day.”
There is a whole lot more on her site and it gives much more insight into her mindset and her purpose. Reading her side of the story did soften my opinion some. However I still have thoughts and questions:
- You hear all the time about teachers getting in trouble for photos they show on Facebook or things they write on Facebook. Facebook is much more private (just your “friends”) than an open blog. I’m unclear why she thought this would be a good idea or even OK even without naming the students and even if it was only a few times.
- Maybe the teacher didn’t realize with Wordpress and Blogspot, you can set it so search engines can’t find it. It won’t show up unless someone has the exact URL. Two summers ago when we were trying to keep everyone updated on my brother’s medical condition, I created a Blogspot blog and made it private. I sent the link to family and friends and they bookmarked it. They were the only ones that could see it. But would that make it OK? Would that make it better if a teacher was writing about her students on a private, non-search engine, blog?
- I am wondering how the students came across it? It’s unlikely that search engines would have picked it up even if not marked private. You have to have a ton of hits for your blog to pull up on Google and Yahoo so if she only had nine followers, I’m not sure how anyone else found it. Hmmmm.
- As someone who blogs for a living about her children and our family life, I have definitely had to learn what is OK to post publicly and what is not. And I have gotten into trouble with friends for including things that even though were anonymous they felt were still private and out of bounds. They felt identified even if they weren’t by name. Even though the teacher didn’t identify the students, are mean comments about them still out of bounds?
- In journalism, there is a standard to be sued for libel that you have prove that someone is identifiable. Now if that teacher has five classes of 30 students a day then probably no one is identifiable if she didn’t use their names. However, I think writing nasty things about her students hurts her credibility and the parents’ confidence in her as a teacher.
- It just occurred to me: Is this the reverse of college students rating and commenting on their professors online? (And as we know people are much more vicious when it is anonymous.) Michael doesn’t think this is not comparable at all: that the students pay a college to be taught where this lady is being paid to teach the kids. Hmm.. have to think on that some more.
So what do you think: Do teachers have a right to vent? Do they have a right to write a journal or diary? Is it OK to do that online on a public blog? How did you feel about her explanation versus what was being pulled by different media outlets? What should happen to this teacher?
– By Theresa Walsh Giarrusso, ajcMomania
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310 comments Add your comment
Carla
February 18th, 2011
8:53 am
Teaching moment…I think I love you!
Teaching Moment
February 18th, 2011
9:04 am
Carla,
Let’s just go ahead and not think about love but commit to it … to a love of good teaching. Of teaching with common sense. Of that academic and social contract between a student and a teacher, and when that contract is signed, everybody enjoys a magical moment. Let’s love that a million times a day.
You Have Permission to Read My Diary,
Tad Jackson
MomsRule
February 18th, 2011
9:23 am
Teaching Moment @ 8:33 – wonderful share! Thank you!
Come on Son
February 18th, 2011
9:28 am
The more I think about this the more P.O’ed I get. The main parents getting upset are the one probably have bad *** and disrespectful kids to begin with. Go sit in a teachers lounge, you will hear much worse about your “little darlings”. If you allow your child to come to school looking like a “street walker” then trust me, more than the teacher are talking about her. If you child can not stay seated for a class period, talk, eat, etc, etc, then try home schooling.
For everyone who says this makes her a “bad” teacher and “unfit” to be an educator, spare me, every teacher does this. So what it was on a blog, she did not mention any names and these same behaviors are seen in every school. I tell young people all the time people are going to talk about you no matter what, your actions will determine if they will have something good to say or something bad to say.
“only a hit dog hollers”
Tonya C.
February 18th, 2011
9:32 am
@Carla
I said the same thing earlier. Where the heck were all these people when the legislature enacted furloughs lat year? Oh yeah, I remember…telling teachers to suck it up b/c at least they have a job. When the layoffs were coming and school days being cut…just a reality of the economy. Sonny Purdue slashed the education budget while in office, during the good years, and no one uttered anything.
I’m not a teacher, and would rather work the farm than be one. But my husband is, and he truly loves his job. And I have told him a 100x over to leave the god-awful profession. But he is great at it and has the patience and understanding so many kids need. But even he says he won’t stay much longer if he is dodging attacks and under the microscope everyday. Teaching and the hoops that come with it are exhausting enough.
@Wake Up Call: Take a Xanax and calm down. Really. Reading is fundamental, and if you knew that you’d see so many of the teachers here are not speaking about EVERY student in their classrooms. They are talking about the ones that disrupt the process for the real learners and are never dealt with b/c the time and resources aren’t there.
Come on Son
February 18th, 2011
9:35 am
Newsflash: Teachers have “relations” outside of marriage, drink alcohol, and do all sorts of adult activities like everyone else.
Home School is always an option but then again many of these same parents do not want to endure their children 8 straight hours a day trying to educate them.
tim
February 18th, 2011
9:37 am
GOOD for her!! She didn’t name any names and told it like it is……and every poster on this board shouldn’t be surprised that’s the way kids are these days.
Who’s to blame?? disinterested, look the other way, uninvolved, misguided, blame it on others parents………..
Shelley Ann
February 18th, 2011
9:44 am
Of course she has the right to blog and write whatever she wants. As a teacher myself, I completely understand her frustrations. However, I don’t understand why people these days feel the need to put all their business out there, exposed, on the internet. I know we are in the age of facebook and myspace and you tube, but come on, what happened to valuing your privacy and keeping some things to yourself? People these days feel the need to put their every move, every thought on the internet for friends, family, even strangers to see. I know I am in the minority, but I just don’t understand it. When I am frustrated about work, my students, my life in whatever area, I confide and vent to close friends in person or over the phone, I don’t tweet it, update my status on facebook about it, or blog about it for all the world to see.
Miss Priss!
February 18th, 2011
9:48 am
Shelley Ann, sweetie … you just did!
Come on Son
February 18th, 2011
9:50 am
Shelley Ann, you said yourself that you confide in close friends, well your close friends have close friends to and whatever you say can quickly be spread and “twisted” in your small community. By having a blog this teacher controls HER WORDS, and people can not say she was talking about this student or this parent because she can point to WHAT SHE ACTUALLY WROTE.
It only takes one disgrutled parents to hear part of what your close friend says and run with it, then you have to defend yourself over something you probably never said or meant.
Wake up call
February 18th, 2011
9:53 am
“@Wake Up Call: Take a Xanax and calm down. Really.”
Tonya C.
You’re the one that started this tit for tat! Just admit, you don’t give a darn about my comments as your opinion is the one that matters most. Your comments and other posters (teachers) “my way or the highway” attitude is out of control. Again GO BACK AND READ – the vast majority of comments here are ALL INCLUSIVE in regards to students and their behaviors.
From middle school to high school – teachers don’t want you in the classroom. The parent has to be the one to make contact or it doesn’t happen. Again, if your teaching skills and knowledge were age appropriate – you would have control of your classroom and your students.
Your picking the wrong fight. Teachers should have banded together years ago and fought with lawmakers, school superintendents, whoever – that is who your real beef should be with. They are the ones that have created this environment. Your so focused on everything BUT teaching and nuturing our FUTURE that it shows – and those kids see it.
jw
February 18th, 2011
10:08 am
I’m a teacher and this one is very simple!
NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Whether the comments are true or false, posted comments can be misconstrued. Venting to a grade level person, administrator is nothing like putting it out there for the whole world to see. Not worth the negative feedback it creates for your district and school. Kinda like biting the hand that feeds you.
The very thing we try to teach our children in regards to “time and place” for things – she violates – the internet isn’t the place to air dirty laundry.
I’m quite sure this teacher wasn’t a T-Totaler in school and she probably could have had that same boot in the butt she is posting about her students – but she would have been horrified putting it out there for the whole world to view.
Simple – should be no more comments about it – in education, you don’t do that stuff in public.
Tonya C.
February 18th, 2011
10:15 am
@Wake Up call:
Wow. Again..I’m NOT A TEACHER. My son just started middle school, and I admit there is a change in involvement. But his teachers reach out to me. I’m happy with his education, in large part because we picked neighborhoods with involved communities. I don’t pick fights. “My way or the highway”…nope. I admitted that the venue she chose for these comments was not the necessarily the right forum.
But I’ve worked on the inside enough to know the system. I didn’t become passionate about education until I dealt with having a special needs child while concurrently working for a major metro school district in the central office. I’ve read your comments and AGREED that the system is bad, but blowing it up and starting over won’t change anything if MAJOR issues are not addressed.
I have told teachers that they helped to foster this due to silence and being ‘in it for the kids’ if you don’t understand the history of education, it’s hard to grasp WHY we are where we are now. When teachers have complained in the past, they were (and still are) told repeatedly, “You knew this before you signed up for the job” or “Are you not in it for the love of the kids?” Being a female-dominated profession has hindered the type of progress that COULD be made, similar to nursing BEFORE they had enough.
Put your energy into the schools YOUR children attend. Moan, groan, and cut-up if you don’t feel they are meeting your child’s needs. Improvement of any kind DOES NOT happen in a vacuum. You don’t need to be in the classroom to make a difference, just being at the school is enough. I’ve only volunteered in my children’s classrooms a few times, b/c it’s just not my thing. But I do actively participate in the PTA, offer to volunteer where I can, and financially support those that have more time to give.
Mike Hunt
February 18th, 2011
10:20 am
ABSOLUTELY! Teachers should put every little detail about their students online. I don’t see any problems with pointing out the fatties, the dumb kids, the sluts, ect. It’s not like the internet is public. I don’t understand how anyone could see it. I vlog sh*t about my employer everyday.
DragonHeart
February 18th, 2011
10:33 am
I think she was completely right. She should be able to say anything she wants. When I was in school I remember my dad giving the school permission to paddle me. They should bring that back today. The teacher is responsible for those kids for a period of time so if they don’t do what the teacher ask then they should be punished not just get away with anything they want to do. There should be more teachers like her and maybe our schools would produce smarter and better kids.
JATL
February 18th, 2011
10:44 am
@Todd Smith -LOVE IT! It’s supposed to be fine for students and parents to offend teachers, but teachers should never say anything (much less write it) about the precious angels they put up with every day. These kids should get REALLY used to being offended, because if they keep up their current behavior, things are going to get a lot uglier for them. I, too, don’t understand when we got to the point that offending someone is supposed to be such a horrible act. Maybe if more people (including teenagers) were offended, they would watch their actions more closely! Everyone needs to take a big SUCK IT UP pill and grow a thicker skin.
stinger
February 18th, 2011
10:45 am
This teacher is a Loser!
☺☻ Black & white smiley faces
February 18th, 2011
11:03 am
“This teacher is a Loser!” <- this is hogwash.
☺☻ Black & white smiley faces
February 18th, 2011
11:12 am
How about we break it down into the basic elements?
Q1: Was it unethical?
A: No.
Q2: Was it unprofessional?
A: Yes
Q3: Does she have the right to write/say what she wants?
A: Yes
Unfortunately I guess their are repercussions to it, though the school seems to be, like always, snooping into the outside lives of teachers.
Making an example of the teacher and possibly firing her is not necessary. Rationale and common sense would have say a sit-down discussion with the teacher and the opportunity to change the blog would have been a much better and professional approach by the school.
However, once again some anonymous punk-arse coward has gone and “tattle-taled” to the school and possibly wrecked someone’s career, and more.
There seems to be a continual pattern of anonymous cowards snooping into what these teachers do, and say, (not that it’s the school’s business to begin with!!) with the intention of getting them fired and destroying the livelyhood, with the bass-ackwards school administration leading the “crusade.”
Nothing infuriates me more than anonymous cowards attempting to stay at arm’s length and destroy otherwise honest working people (the teachers).
I would suspect that unfortunately one of her family or friends/etc ratted her out to someone, or mentioned the blog in passing and a “crusader” decided to start the “investigation.” :(
Nemo
February 18th, 2011
11:22 am
Only in education are we held to such a standard. If this had been any other profession, an anonymous person blogging about their anonymous job would have been okay. We are teachers AND we are human too. She could have not blogged about it and just exploded on the students one day. So what if it was mean what she said, but she was right. The truth ain’t always pretty.
Sandra
February 18th, 2011
11:24 am
Please note that Sandra and sandra are two different people.
To prevent confusion, I will now call my self OldSandra
Tiger Ochocinco Mellencamp
February 18th, 2011
11:51 am
@Nemo….”Only in education are we held to such a standard”….uhhhhh….that’s an incorrect statement.
An ambulance driver got fired over posting disparaging comments about her boss which led to a landmark case just recently.
Juan Williams got fired by NPR for expressing his opinion on forums like Fox News.
Ben Roethsliberger didn’t even say anything bad about his employer or commit a crime and got suspended for 4 games.
Those are only THREE in the last 6 months or so that hit the news, so please spare us the teacher martyrdom “we get treated worse than everyone else in the world” argument. Teachers are not the only ones held to this standards and punished. Employers have been holding their employee’s accountable for their LEGAL actions off the clock and punishing them for those actions for decades across the professional spectrum.
Tiger Ochocinco Mellencamp
February 18th, 2011
12:34 pm
I’m curious how many people here thought it would be ok for this teacher to face disciplinary actions from her employer for exercising her right to free speech.
http://blogs.ajc.com/momania/2010/09/30/can-admitted-prostitute-be-a-teacher/?cp=all
Vicki
February 18th, 2011
12:35 pm
Who hasn’t come home and complained about the jerk they encountered at work that day? It just so happens that the people she encounters each day are students. If she was complaining about adults would the consequences be the same? If the kids want people to be nice about them maybe they should consider being nice themselves.
Tiger Ochocinco Mellencamp
February 18th, 2011
12:43 pm
Here’s what Jeff had to say about the former prositute speaking the truth and exercising her rights to free speech…
“It’s a stupid career move but nothing surprises me anymore. My guess is the ACLU will sue to protect her job and she’ll be encouraged to grasp the opportunity to have a teachable moment and “educated” students about the sex trade industry.”
Here’s what he had to say about the subject of this blog
“She has the same right to blog as anyone else. End of story.”
Is it just me or is there a interesting dynamic going on here as to which teachers should be or should not be protected under the First Amendment?
Tiger Ochocinco Mellencamp
February 18th, 2011
12:48 pm
JATL’s opinion of the former prostitute:
“DON’T SHARE YOUR BACKSTORY! I used to teach, and if I had once been a stripper or a hooker or anything “shady” -I certainly would have kept it locked up tight. Quite honestly, if it had ever come to light for some reason, I would have expected to be fired.”
Here opinion of this topic
“Everyone needs to take a big SUCK IT UP pill and grow a thicker skin.”
hmmmm…hey JATL…I only picked on you because I genuinely like your opinions and know you have thick skin! ;-)
Tiger Ochocinco Mellencamp
February 18th, 2011
12:50 pm
JATL also stated this in the prostitute blog
“Freedom of speech means that I absolutely have the right to stand up at work right now and announce, “I did 5 lines of cocaine this morning before coming in!” However, I should expect to be fired. And no, I didn’t actually do that…”
Daddy Rabbit
February 18th, 2011
1:48 pm
I have read most of the comments made. The sad thing is the people reading and commenting are not the ones that are the problem. The people that need to read this either can’t or won’t.Either way you will not see a change.
JATL
February 18th, 2011
4:05 pm
@Tiger -I think there’s a chasm of difference between being a prostitute and letting students or school officials know about it and complaining about anonymous students on a blog. I think the prostitute certainly had a right to say whatever she wanted, but she did operate as not only a criminal while she was a prostitute, but as a criminal in the sex industry. Yes, discussing that and blogging about what morons students are all falls under free speech, but most of the time any criminal past disqualifies you from getting a teaching position. If it comes to light that you managed to hide it or not get caught at it while doing it while you’re a teacher -then you can still expect to be fired. I also always thought that former hookers usually wanted to keep that type of thing quiet -and if they did open up about it -it usually wouldn’t be to a bunch of teenagers they’re supposed to be teaching and managing in a classroom. At one of the places where I used to teach, and I’m not saying this lightly because it played a big part in my leaving, students knowing you used to be a prostitute could be quite dangerous for you.
If Munroe had gone in her classroom and told the students to their faces that they were the names and adjectives she wrote in her blog, or if she had told other students or classes who she was talking about, she still would be exercising free speech, but she would have crossed a line you’re not supposed to in a classroom, and she should THEN expect to be fired, but not for blogging on a site that isn’t owned or operated by the school, and she never mentioned names.
Bluebell Jones
February 18th, 2011
4:38 pm
JTAL’s posts are getting shorter, today we got 11 paragraphs from the blog author. Everybody gets a brownie.
That teacher can blog whatever she wants. There is freedom. There is also the stupid, though. Seems like a bad way to blow off steam- kind of puerile. She has more in common with her students than she thinks.
JC
February 18th, 2011
4:47 pm
I don’t have an issue with her right to say anything she wants because we live in a country that allows this.
However, why do people feel the need to air every thing that comes to mind on a medium that is sure to get them in trouble.
I agree that children today are different from the way they were when I was a child, but frankly, so are the adults raising them. I also know that she probably felt frustrated teaching in the current environment of the education system today. But to lower yourself to that level by blogging, using your name and thinking that it’s okay is a problem in itself that questions her judgement as a responsible teaching professional. If I had a child in her class, I would probably want her gone. Not because she’s a bad teacher, but because she used such poor judgement. She sullied her position by not restraining herself from saying what we are all thinking.
That’s the difference between an adult and a child.
NeroFiddling
February 18th, 2011
4:57 pm
Political correctness won it’s battle with truth and honesty 15 -20 years ago. As a result we’ve lowered our moral standards to the point that the honest, like Ms. Munroe, get punished and the wicked are excused and even often rewarded. Tolerance is certainly important in a world with 7 billion people, but so is appropriate behavior!
Tiger Ochocinco Mellencamp
February 18th, 2011
5:01 pm
@JATL…so lets try another angle. I knew a bunch of education majors in college. A bunch of ganja smoking education majors who are now long into their careers as teachers and adminstrators at all levels. I’m sure you’re not so naive as to think that none of your children’s teachers smoked a bunch of pot. With the emphasis to “Just say no” and “D.A.R.E.”, would you support the firing of any teacher in your school who was found out to have smoked pot in their youth? I would guess probably not. Why though? They committed a crime that violates some of the core principles that we are trying to instill in our children….don’t use drugs.
Now let’s say these teachers created blogs re-living the frat parties that resembled a cheech and chong movie talking about how high they used to get, then I think that disrupts the ability of the school to focus on educating kids. And for that, the school has the right to take action against the teacher. What this Munroe teacher did was effectively the same thing, she undermined the ability of the school to focus on education by making the school focus on damage control. I think the school has the right to say that making all parents (especially the good ones) concerned that the confidentiality of their children is subject to compromise even when spoken about anonymously is outside the profesional standards of the school, and that the teacher can choose between continuing the blog or terminating her employment.
Tiger Ochocinco Mellencamp
February 18th, 2011
5:07 pm
@JATL….to revisit one of my earlier posts….would you have a problem with my kid’s teacher who had been teaching for 4 years to 26 students per year re-telling her account of an anonymous little girl who was viciously and repeatedly molested by a relative? I would have a problem with that.
JATL
February 18th, 2011
8:16 pm
@Tiger -half the faculty was getting high on a regular basis when I taught (although not during the school day), and I don’t know many people anywhere who didn’t toke up in college or high school or both. To me, there’s just a big difference in what you make public that students can find out about and what you keep to yourself. Teachers blogging/writing or talking about personal real-life accounts of getting wasted and high in college or any other time should expect censure when it comes to their jobs -to me it’s akin to my post about announcing I had been doing cocaine before work. There are plenty of personal things that need to be kept personal. I would expect a teacher to be fired if he or she walked into class one morning with a giant smile on his or her face and announced, “I had amazing sex with my spouse last night!” -Illegal? Absolutely not. Personal and completely improper to announce to minors (or anyone really)? Yes. You have the right to say it, but you need to know what will probably or certainly get you fired. You have a right to tell your boss to f-off or students to f-off without fear of prosecution, but you still need to expect to be fired. However, when you’re not writing or talking about anything illegal or mentioning student’s names or even including your own last name, I see nothing wrong with it. It’s obvious this teacher didn’t blog about this ever thinking her students or their parents would read it.Of course people need to know if it’s ever been posted on the internet -it’s out there, but she had no reason to anticipate worrying about it at all. I can certainly see myself writing a “teacher blog” if I were still teaching, and I’m sure some of the posts would certainly contain derogatory statements about students -but if their names or identifying descriptions aren’t used -so what?
If a teacher published a novel with sex scenes and drug-use in it, but it was published as fiction, I have no issue with it. IF someone has been charged and convicted for criminal activity -drugs, prostitution, theft -whatever -then they usually don’t get hired in the first place (many school districts fingerprint applicants and they also run criminal background checks when you’re hired), but if it comes to light while they’re in a position working with kids, then they should expect to be fired. Complaining about what a bunch of a-holes students are is not a criminal activity. It doesn’t even illustrate poor judgment in my book because she did not do this in class or mention anyone specifically or use the school’s website or anything. Basically -what you do on your own time is your own business. IF it’s illegal and you get busted, then you need to expect to lose your job (and not just a teaching position). Whether you use drugs or are a hooker or steal cars on the weekend -if you’re up to something less than kosher, then you ought to have enough sense not to mention it -ESPECIALLY to a class of students! Complaining and venting isn’t illegal or intimately personal though…
To answer your post regarding the teacher and the molestation account -that’s just weird. Unless it is being told in context of a unit in health or some safety program about molestation or inappropriate touch, I can’t imagine the reasoning behind her telling the story. Have parents inquired with her about what her point is in telling it? I’ll have to go back and find your original post about it. The only way I can see that being okay is if she is teaching on the middle or high school level and they’re reading a book or story about molestation -and even then you have to be careful about terminology and how graphic you make it.
JATL
February 18th, 2011
8:18 pm
@Tiger -did you catch Mike Hunt’s post? I couldn’t help but giggle at his name. Reminded me of our Dick’s and balls conversation yesterday!
James
February 18th, 2011
8:33 pm
As a teacher, I sympothize with Ms. Munroe. Instead of blogging about it, I did my “venting” in the student vs. faculty dodgeball game. Of course I aimed for their feet, but I accidentally let a few throws sail too high. Catharsis!
B
February 18th, 2011
8:52 pm
Ok have I missed something. My understanding is this was a “private” blog seen only by her husband and seven friends, or something. She did not identify any students in any way. She was expressing her opinion just like anyone else. Therefore why is this a problem? I cannot figure out how she was identified however if this was all “private”
PJ
February 18th, 2011
9:42 pm
It’s time all these kids are home schooled and let the parents of these brats deal with them! I come from a family of teachers and believe me it is nothing but the parents who feel their children are entitled to everything cause they are such precious little dears. This poor lady was blowing off steam cause if she did it in the classroom she would be fired. I’m sure this is a freedom of speech case but if the parents would do their jobs then the children wouldn’t do all this stuff cause if they did they would get it from the teacher and then again when they get home. But Heaven forbid the little dears get in trouble it may hurt their delicate ego’s which by the way is just like their stupid parents!
Bluebell Jones
February 18th, 2011
10:43 pm
Sadly, JATL’s posts are getting longer. Does this woman even have a job? Or a life? Internet 101: tl;dr. Learn it, hold it close.
Wake up call
February 19th, 2011
8:36 am
From Get Schooled … This probably won’t change the grossly exagerated opinions that some people feel the urge to post, but thought that it needed to be re-posted here since some like to blog without researching abouth the subject at hand. Enjoy Munroe supporters!
__________________________________________________________
AF Klingler
February 19th, 2011
5:48 am
Just letting everyone know- I’m a sub for the Central Bucks School Districts and had the pleasure of subbing at East this week. I have sub many times for this high school and I have never had the student disrespect me- and I’m a sub, the lowest on the respect totem pole. The students are hurt because the majority of the student body excels and works hard. This blog (which I have not read because it was taken down) did not just vent about the bad things (about any and every high school in this country!)- but completely disrepected the studens, fellow teachers, and the admistration with foul language that would make even a ’street walker’ blush. She made fun of students that asked to many questions or wanted extra help so they understood the content. Now as a stated earlier I did not read this blog but students and teacher alike confirmed this to me when I asked.
She crossed the line- no questions about it. I can feel for her because I have been in her situation- as many teachers and usually because of a handful of students- but it comes with the job. If she was that unhappy about the situation, she should have stated any concerns with the students, their parents, her fellow teacher, or the princple!- instead of posting it in a public forum that anyone could stummble on! She has made teachers look bad but then it only ‘takes one or two’ to give the whole profession (or as she did the whole student body of CB East) BAD!
Wake up call
February 19th, 2011
8:42 am
“Whether the comments are true or false, posted comments can be misconstrued. Venting to a grade level person, administrator is nothing like putting it out there for the whole world to see. Not worth the negative feedback it creates for your district and school. Kinda like biting the hand that feeds you”
Well said, jw
Concerned Teacher
February 19th, 2011
4:25 pm
As a parent the teacher’s blog personally would not bother me. As a parent I have taking the time to make sure my child is not lazy or disrespectful so I know the teacher would not be talking about my child. If you are concerned about such blogs it is most likely because you do not like to hear the truth about your child. The teacher did not use names or make any personal references to the students. If you do not want a teacher blogging about your child make sure they are at school prepared to work and teach them to be respectful to adults and peers.
Reginald
February 19th, 2011
5:46 pm
Absolutely NOT!!! This is a topic that is listed in the teacher code of ethics. Even if they are blogging anonymously, there is really no such thing as anonymous! If teachers and the world want teaching to become a highly respected profession again, no one would blog about there students. Take a doctor. Is he going to blog about his patients health, whether good or bad! No!
Concerned Person
February 19th, 2011
6:05 pm
To be an educator you must love it. Kids today are TERRIBLE. Many come from broken homes and some live under their own rules. Many parents don’t have the time or don’t take the time to discipline their children. It is challenging to be a teacher and you definitely have to be in it for the right reason – TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE. You can’t save everyone, but the right attitude has to be present when you enter the classroom. And you have to find that renewed purpose daily.
She has a right to her private thoughts but professionalism should have dictated that they remained private. I have many friends who are educators, who probably feel the same way, but they hold themselves to a higher standard.
Does she have the right to blog? Absolutely.
Is it ethical? I hope that the school system fires her.
janett edwards
February 19th, 2011
9:54 pm
Enter your comments here
janett
February 19th, 2011
10:05 pm
Maybe, she should not have vented about all of this on the computer but, like Martianqueen said if you reconized your kids in this blog who should you really be upset with? I volunteer every chance I get at the elementery school my kids attend. I am sure alot of people would be shocked to see the breakneck speed the teachers go at all day long in order to fit everything into a day that they must do to keep their jobs along with wiping noses, washing hands and fixing boo boos.
I recently had an older neighborhood child harrassing my 7 year old every day on the bus. I went to the parents and asked if we could discuss this and resolve the issue without getting the school involved. The Dad procedded to cuss me out and tell me that he did not care what his child did to my child and to get off of his property. In other words he didnt want to know and have to deal with it. Guess what? My child is being harrassed yet again by the same older much bigger child. This time we will be going to the school
CLM 750
February 20th, 2011
9:10 am
Do the Students Blog about their Teachers?
Bone
February 20th, 2011
9:16 am
For telling the truth, she should get a raise. Face it, parents….your kids are mostly horrible little brats.
emmysmom
February 20th, 2011
9:40 am
She has a right to say/post whatever she wants; however, one would think a teacher would be intelligent enough to pick her audience. She can say whatever she wants and then she can suffer the consequences for it.