At what point in time did schools obtain the power to suspend a teacher’s constitutional right to free speech? I know that social media is relatively new to our modern history, which is reason to give some institutions a little breathing space to catch up to all of social media’s ramifications on our society, but it doesn’t give any institution the power to suspend the constitutional rights of an individual, or to punish in any way an individual who exercises a constitutionally guaranteed right.
I read a post today about a teacher in a New Hampshire school district who was forced into retirement for refusing to unfriend students on Facebook. This is not an isolated incident. As a connected educator I have had many discussions with educators from all over the United States who are fearful of retaliation from their districts for involving themselves openly in social media communities.
I lived in the community in which I taught for 25 years. This is not unlike many educators in our country. At no time during my tenure in that district did anyone call me into an office and instruct me on how to interact with the children of the community. No one told me I could not be friends with children in the community. I was never told where I could, or could not go in that community. I don’t think any administrator would have even considered such a discussion. Yet, these are the discussions some administrators are having with teachers today about their social media communities.
I understand the need to protect children from a range of inappropriate adult behavior even to the extreme, contact with pedophiles. This however is not a reason to suspend every teacher’s right to free speech. Just because there are some inappropriate adults on the Internet, we can’t jump to a conclusion that all adults on the Internet are inappropriate, especially, those who have been vetted and entrusted with children face to face every day. Statistics tell us that our children are more in danger from family, close family friends, and even clergy, much more than people on the Internet. If we really want to protect our children on the Internet we need to educate them early and often, not ban them from what has become the world of today. They need to live in that world. I heard a TV celebrity say recently that parents need not prepare the road for their children, but they must prepare their children for the road.
Social media communities are open to the public where everyone sees all. It is transparency at its finest, and in some cases at its worst, but that is what we have come to expect from social media. We need to learn how to deal with that. There is no fixing stupid. Some people will be inappropriate, but the community will deal with that as it develops and matures. People are still adjusting and evolving in these social media communities. Having educators participating and modeling within these communities is exactly what is needed. The more they participate, the better the communities will all be. We, as well as our children, benefit.
Administrators are quick to use social media as a public relations tool to shout out the accolades of their schools. They have control over that. They do not have control over what others might say about the schools in a social media community. The blemishes are often exposed. If administrators are fearful that their image, or that of the school will be tarnished by people speaking publicly about the school, then maybe these administrators should look at themselves, or their policies. It may be indicating a need to assess a few things. Instead of trying to shut people down by limiting their right to free speech, they might try asking them to speak up. This is where listening skills become very important. This is why transparency is important.
Eventually, someone will take this issue to some court of law. After all, we are a very litigious society. It will be litigated and maybe even travel up to the Supreme Court. I cannot see any court supporting the idea that a person gives up a constitutional right, just because they are employed by some backward thinking school district.
Schools need to better understand the world our children will be living in, as well as the world that we live in today. Social Media communities are not going away. Technology is not moving backwards. It will always move forward bringing us new problems to deal with. We need to deal with the problems and not tell people they can’t use the technology.
It amazes me that I am even writing about this. It is very clear-cut to me. I know however that not everyone looks at this the same way. Before the comments start coming from protective parents and teachers, I need to say that I am the father of two girls. They were brought up using technology. They were taught the good and the bad, as well as how to deal with it. I live what I preach when it comes to kids and technology. I understand every parent has the right to bring up their kids as they see fit. I also believe that every person has the right to free speech. We need to find a way to respect everyone’s rights without denying anyone’s. The world is continually changing and we need to adjust and adapt if we are to survive and thrive.
Tom, I completely agree with you. I too live in the community that I work in and have friendships with children out of school based on my children’s friendships- no one questions that! As educators we need to communicate with children in their world. Being friends with teens on social media has alerted me to bully issues, emotional pressures and friendship problems that do impact a child’s school life. We are professionals and should be treated as such! An excellet. Post
It seems pretty ridiculous, no? In ultra-conservative Idaho, a teacher was recently “fired” because she posted a vacation photo on her Facebook page. The photo was taken at a honest-truth a family vacation at a nearby lake. She was in a swimming suit that was not overly revealing but her boyfriend – who happened to be a highly successful football coach and also a teacher – had his hand touching her breast area. She was fired, he was not – go figure. But of course, as soon as this got to the first court of law, she was reinstated and a settlement was made privately. In the situations I have seen, what I can gather is that social media allows people to get a closer look at your life and that means, those who judge have more to go on. Their positions allow them to act on those judgments – in some cases, that is the entire reason for them to have that position. Those problems will never be solved by education or court cases.
As a parent, knowing your child and the local adults they see regularly, socially is the parents’ resposibility. Get to know their favorite teachers and why there is a connection, does not have to be an interrogation, but to understand. The benefits of a good influence can run deep. As you mature, think of how many older friends you hold dear. There is a balance in keeping children safe. School and Parents have their territory. Teachers should be having periodic (3-4years) background checks for all children’s safety. Violating rights is not a disciplinary action any employeer should take. We do pretend to be the society of laws our founders intended. What some schools are doing is a true crime.
As a Kindergarten teacher I have a unique opportunity to model, explicitly and safely ‘how to” use social media to enrich, challenge and inspire learning for my students, their families and myself. Through modeling “how to” be a safe, kind and responsible digital citizen my students and their families learn how to use asynchronous and synchronous tools in a safe way that supports meaningful learning discourse and rich conversations beyond our walls!
[…] By tomwhitby […]
Tom, you have pointed out that more and more schooling is not about teaching, learning or what most of us commonly think of as education; it is about control. Control of curriculum, control of students, control of teachers and, ultimately, the control of ideas and what passes for democracy.
An added horror of all this is that much of it is done with good intent. That does not absolve us of responsibility to stand up and shout when those good intents overstep what is genuinely reasonable and useful.
A district neighboring mine is battling this with serious safety issues that are not adequately being addressed in-house. Students and teachers are at risk on a daily basis, but there is fear of retaliation from administration if they go public. This anonymous blog: http://scsdtakebackourschools.blogspot.com/ was created, and finally they are gaining the support they need to hopefully move forward with positive change for all.
Excellent post!
[…] think much of it. But today, I read Whitby’s (April 9, 2014) sloppy critique (see Revoked Rights For Educators), which made me take another […]
[…] "At what point in time did schools obtain the power to suspend a teacher’s constitutional right to free speech? I know that social media is relatively new to our modern history, which is reason to give some institutions a little breathing space to catch up to all of social media’s ramifications on our society, but it doesn’t give any institution the power to suspend the constitutional rights of an individual, or to punish in any way an individual who exercises a constitutionally guaranteed right." […]
Although I agree with elements of this argument I believe that we are responsible for our public persona which affects our ability to teach. I wrote an article about the same subject today. http://bit.ly/1gg2uQs