This is a quote from a September 17 article in USAToday, Teachers Speak Out of Turn.
When the fed-up young teacher decided to quit her job in rural North Carolina in June, her resignation letter was brief — three lines. But she had more to say.
So she spoke her mind online, in an anonymous, 1,000-word Internet posting to her principal that recounted in grim detail racist teachers, obligatory prayers at faculty meetings, “What would Jesus do?” lectures and a “terrible” vice principal who “tries to sleep with the coaches.”
Although all names, including those of the school and city, were withheld, the letter was widely read. For three years, the thirtysomething teacher had been writing a popular Internet weblog, or blog, under the pseudonym First Year Teacher.
USATODAY.com – Teachers speak out of turn
I learned about this article through Canadian blogger, Dean Shareski, who likens these anonymous teacher ranters to road rage, or blog rage. In Ideas and Thoughts from an EdTech, he writes…
Let’s encourage each other to be forthright in our comments and
discussions and stop hiding behind pseudonyms for the soul purpose of
unleashing personal attacks. You’re giving us a bad name!
Ideas and Thouhts from an EdTech – Blog Rage
I commented on his blog that I did not come away from the article with the impression that the title (Teachers Speak out of Turn) seemed to be eliciting. I got the impression of many teachers out there blogging as a professional practice of reflection and communication.
The exceptions, the blog rage (I like that), are an indication of an education system that is broken, where teachers really do find themselves in a fox hole, forgotten about by their commanders and even the country they are fighting for. Teachers should feel a part of a team that includes instructional support professionals, administrators, school boards and other elected officials, parents, and the students. If that is not how teachers see themselves, then there is something broken. It’s not an excuse for bridge-burning rants, but there are reasons.
Blogging should be about bridge building, not bridge burning. ..and as someone who works across the range of educators — teachers, administrators, school board members, parents, and even legislators — I see that by and large we are all on the same page, faced in the right direction, caring about our children, and wanting to provide the best education that prepares them for their future. The bridge is communication, and the system has to be designed for communication.
Still, anonymous blogs don’t really bother me. Neither do anonymous comments. Tom Hoffman (whom Shareski mentions), doesn’t even bother me. It’s about conversation, he and others who criticize my writings make me think. They make me try to come at my positions from different directions, and sometimes I change my views. ..and even if I do not change my views, I usually come to understand them a little better.Â
technorati tags:blogging, teachers, education, rage, warlick
Blogged with Flock
There are no teacher unions in NC. Teachers can be fired for any reason within their first five years before they get tenure. If your principal doesn’t like you they don’t ask you back for another year. They don’t need to give you a reason why, they can just say “it’s not a good fit”. When this principal is called for a reference, they are asked “would you hire this person again?” You can get a bad reputation because you don’t agree with the administration. I can totally understand why she did not sign her name on her blog. I’m lucky my school does not have the problems “to the degree” she listed but these problems exist.
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Disagreeing with administration is one thing but I got the impression that it was more than disagreeing.
When you make accusations about someone “sleeping with someone else” I think you’ve crossed the line from professionalism to gossip and malice. I would suggest we help folks create dialouge and discussion that is more sophisticated that simply throwing out accusations. And if you’re not comfortable doing that, perhaps blogging is not for you.
I think you lose a great deal of credibility when you blog anonymously. If you truly have something significant to address in a public forum, I’m not sure why you have to hide behind a fake name. I realize there may be occasions when anonymous blogging is viable but I see the examples quoted in the article as cowardly attempts to challenge authority. I would say if there are these types of violations of teacher rights occurring, posting them to a blog is akin to talking about it at a party….probably not the place for that type of discussion.
To quote a famous blogger…that’s my 2cents.
I recently wrote an article for one of the prominant ed tech magazines about school districts with teachers who blog. In it, I say and far more smooth-flowing words, that blogging needs to become a part of the district’s conversation, regardless of whether teachers are blogging as teachers at their school, or blogging independently. The district should come up with proactive policy statements and recommendations for professionals, and clearly stated legal issues and issues of appropriateness. Bottom line, “Don’t be stupid!”
It is, at the same time, important to acknowledge the tremendous frustration among educators today, and that frustration goes up and down the scale, from classrooom teacher to supintendent. We all got in the business because we had a vision of what success would look like as educators. It seems, however, that the system is designed more to prevent that success than support it.
It is often said that statements are taken out of context, but this story and much that is reported in media today seems selected and mixed in order to make a context.
You’ll be interested to see that the teacher blogger in question has chimed into the conversation on my blog.
It is so much more than “road rage”. It is reflection, sharing, shouting for joy, lunacy, and more….much, much more.
Many people simply clicked over once to see what the USA Today article was referring to and based opinions, spoken and unspoken,on the post they saw……there’s is more there. I think you have visit many teacher blogs regularly to fully understanding what a great tool they can be.
I posted my response to my part in the article over at my place.
You have an interesting site here…I’ll be back.:)