Over the past two years School Districts across the country have been struggling with how to respond to the growing trend of teachers who use social media to discuss what is happening in their classrooms.
In February, a teacher in a suburban school district in Pennsylvania was suspended for blogging about her students. In her blog, the teacher used profanity and other demeaning language about the students in her classroom. The blog caused a debate in the suburban community where there was support for the teacher and support for the firing of the teacher. Supporters of the teacher argue the teacher was just telling the truth based on her experiences as a teacher. Supporters who are in favor of the suspension and eventual firing of the teacher argue it is an attack on children[i].
The dilemma facing school districts is to protect student confidentiality and at the same time recognize a teacher’s constitutional right to freedom of speech. However, when the boundaries of student confidentiality and freedom of speech become blurred, as the most recent case in Pennsylvania, there is a call to restrict social media use by teachers, while freedom of speech advocates claim placing restrictions on social media use by teachers is a violation of freedom of speech.
Lost in the debate over freedom of speech and student confidentiality, was the message that was not properly conveyed by the teacher. The message of frustration over the lack of motivation by students is a genuine concern that many teachers face. Student motivation is a major problem that occurs in classrooms everyday, but very little attention is given to improving motivation. However, the message was dismissed because the teacher disparaged her students.
Teachers who utilize social media to discuss educational issues must remember that placing their opinions on the internet places those opinions in the public sphere and their right to freedom of speech can be questioned. Teachers must also understand that writing about their classroom experiences even though students are not named, may be considered a breach of student confidentiality, which could lead to suspension or termination. However, the most devastating consequence the teacher could face would be to lose the respect of the students and control of their classroom which would make the teacher ineffective and no learning would take place. Lastly, teachers must understand they may cause irreparable damage to their career and may hinder their ability for promotion or movement to other districts because their electronic footprint is permanently embedded in cyberspace.
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