Joyce From This Side of the Pond has once again provided us with a variety of questions, also known as the WEdnesday Hodgepodge.
1. Did you know there is a National Day of pretty much everything in the universe? February 23 happens to be National Inconvenience Yourself Day...when was the last time you were inconvenienced?
An Inconvenience Day?! Let's call it an Inconvenience Fortnight since my car was totaled!
2. When a room in your house needs painting who does the job?
It depends. If it's purely cosmetic painting, I usually do. We've been doing some pretty major remodeling involving some sheetrock work and the guy we hired has done that painting.
3. Are you friends with your cousins?
I am not in frequent contact with any of them. I'm closest to an older cousin on my dad's side; we don't see each other or visit much but when we do we "pick right back up where we left off."
4. Do you use an alarm clock? If yes-is it an actual alarm, music, or something else?
Yes, it is an alarm clock with a tone. When I travel I use my phone with a song.
5. What do you put ketchup on?
As little as possible. I don't hate it, but I'm not much of a fan.
6. What smells make you nostalgic?
Libraries andl library books.
7. Have you heard about the high school English teacher recently suspended as a result of some things she wrote in her personal blog? You can read the story here but in a nutshell she vented a lot of frustration onto her blog. She didn't mention individual students by name but she did make some harsh comments about kids in general and their parents.
What are your thoughts-If you're a parent is your child's teacher online and are you 'friend' or 'follower' there? If you're a teacher are you on facebook and do you accept or friend students on fb? How about their parents? If you're a student are you friends with your current or former teachers online? Do any of them have blogs you read? If you're a teacher or a parent do you ever use your blog as a place to vent your frustrations with our educational system? So much to discuss...
Our district's policy is that teachers are not supposed to be FB friends with students. I have friended one of my girl's teachers and I have noticed he is friends with a number of the kids within the class. I think it is a good policy to have, both for the child's protection as well as the teacher's.
I am friends with a couple my kids' former teachers from elementary school with whom I developed a closer friendship with.
Regarding the situation at the beginning of this question, I haven't read the story Joyce is referring to, but I will say this much. I do think companies have become far too intrusive on folks' personal lives. While I don't think it was particularly wise of her to vent online, if she didn't mention names and if she just indicates she is a teacher and doesn't even identify the school at which she teaches, I don't think they should be able to suspend her. If she was not identifying herself as a representative of the school, and if her actions were not illegal, then her personal activities are off-limits and she is not accountable to them.
8. Insert your own random thought here.
I'd rather be sick a week with a cold than a day with a stomach bug.
Ahhh...library books...I didn't even think of this!!!
ReplyDeleteAny estimate on how long it will be before you get your car back?
My van was "totaled plus" so it is not coming back. My new one should hopefully be here by this time next week.
ReplyDeleteI love random lists! I hadn't heard about that teacher thing, there is a fine line I guess. Kinda like pastors wives... ;)
ReplyDeleteI love the smell of books too. I think that is why I am not taking to well to the Kindle and Nook concept. I like to feel them, smell them....turn the page and feel that too.
ReplyDeleteI love libraries and just browsing to see if anything pops out at me.
ReplyDeleteI so agree with you on your random thought. I hate a stomach virus.
I totally agree with your random thought!
ReplyDeleteSorry about your vehicle...what a bummer! The smell of old books makes me think of when I used to help out in our school library. What fun answers...enjoy your day!
ReplyDeleteLibraries and books...I never thought of that one.
ReplyDelete#8. Agreed!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely agree with you on #8.
ReplyDeleteAnd #7-I just heard today that companies are going to be allowed to ask for potential hires facebook passwords to view their accounts before hiring. I can't believe that can possibly be true but we're headed that way so its not out of the realm of possibility.
Your car was totalled, I am so sorry. Libraries is a good answer. I agree with your #8.
ReplyDeleteYes to the cold versus the stomach bug. Nasty stuff I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy.
ReplyDeleteCan you believe I rarely, if ever, use an alarm clock? Up with the chickens by 6 at the latest, all on my own. Weird.
#3 & #5 -- same answers from me!
ReplyDelete#7 -- the school district I worked for required us to sign confidentiality agreements. I was not allowed to speak of my students or parents by name in public. While I could voice my personal opinion about the school I was not allowed to speak for the school.
I did blog about my students when I taught, but only the good stuff and I gave the kids all made up names. I never mentioned the name of my school, either.
Teachers get frustrated, teachers get angry, teachers need to vent -- but we are also the caretakers of people's children and people need to be able to trust us with their children. That teacher's rant might have been a momentary bit of anger but it has changed parent's concepts of who she is and whether or not their children are emotionally safe with her. It has also changed their concept of whether or not their children are safe in that school.
I have not read what the teacher wrote. I don't know if she or the school should be much more closely scrutinized by the community for such issues, but that teacher has just assured that is exactly what is being done, and most likely other teachers are now having a harder time communicating with both students and parents because of it.