Teachers - Social Media and Your Professional Life May Not Mix

Younger teachers have always had email and are comfortable with social media sites. This can cause problems in your professional life because you are used to saying and doing what you like on your own sites. However, there are a growing number of cases of teachers being fired for unwise or inappropriate material on their sites. In some cases they have been fired for completely unjustifiable reasons. If they sue, they may eventually get their jobs back or at least get restitution. Even if this happens, however, several years of income can be lost and the publicity may keep them from ever teaching again. It's best to avoid getting into a mess like this in the first place.

The advent of Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and YouTube have changed our perceptions of privacy and private life vs. public life. I am astounded at the things people will write about themselves for the entire world to see. Many of these are things they would never admit to people in person.Teachers need to think twice before posting.

The following are potential danger spots:

YouTube: This is one that you have little control over. Teacher baiting has become a great game for kids. Kids will intentionally get a teacher worked up and then video the teacher responding. Substitutes are often the victims but it can be regular teachers as well. All it takes is a couple of kids who don't like you, or who are just bored. Don't believe me? Go to YouTube and type in "angry teachers." The best solution is to make sure that students don't have cell phones out. But because they are so small this is difficult to police. Yet another good reason to keep moving around in the room.
Your Facebook page: Teachers have been fired because of the content on their Facebook pages, even when those pages are not accessible to students or parents.
Flickr or other photo sites: If you post a photo that your school deems inappropriate you may be fired. Tops in this list include pictures of you drunk, in disarray, kissing someone, doing anything illegal.
Blogs: In blogs if you say negative things about your school, district or students you may be fired. Yes, this is probably illegal, but it is happening. As far as the world is concerned you love your job and want to work there forever. Keep complaints to friends, and never write them down.
Private Behavior: Yes, outside the school building you have a right to behave as you wish, within the law. But understand that if students, parents, fellow teachers or administrators see you vomiting outside a bar on Friday night it can cause big problems for you. Use your head!
Doing controversial things in class: Clear it with your administrator first. This often happens with social studies teachers who are trying to re-enact a particular time period. There are some terrific activities that kids can learn a great deal from. But none of them are worth losing your job over. Do something else.
Showing all or parts of R-rated movies. There are many R-rated movies that are excellent teaching tools. The beginning segment of Saving Private Ryan is a good example. However, no matter how valid your reason for showing it, no administrator is going to support you if a parent comes unglued about it. I did show portions of R-rated films on occasion, but I certainly would not do it in our current anti-public school environment. Find another way to get your point across. It's simply not worth taking the risk of losing your job.
Remember that teachers are considered to be public figures and are open to public scrutiny. Most teacher contracts still contain a morals clause. While it may grate on you, it's best to keep your personal activities off line. Teachers are under enough fire and criticism as it is. Don't allow yourself to be caught up in a situation you could have avoided.

For additional protection I recommended joining your teachers' association. You will be provided legal counsel if something does happen.

Creating an Effective Classroom

Classroom management becomes truly effective when the teacher is able to effectively communicate to their classes that they mean business.

Easier said than done, right? It actually is quite easy, although there is a subtle art to it. However, even if you are a teacher who is struggling right now with class management issues, you can go into your classroom tomorrow and send the message immediately that you mean business by doing one simple thing right now.

Make up your mind that you will take ownership of the management issues in your class and that you will be the one to deal effectively with them. Understand that effective classroom management begins and ends with you. Put away the detention slips, and use them only for serious offenses. Remind yourself that this is your classroom, and you have been empowered by the school district to manage it professionally and effectively. Then, sit down and write a list of the class management issues that you are experiencing which are making it almost impossible for you to teach your class.

Put the curriculum on hold for a week. Don't worry, once you get the class working effectively, you can catch up. They are probably not learning much now anyway, so focus like a laser beam on your list.

Examine your list. Ask yourself: what can I do to decrease the problems I am having, and increase my on task teaching time? Try to think like one of your students. What really motivates them? Why do they act the way they act? Why do they do these things in my class but not in other classes?

Then, prepare lessons which deal with every problem on your list. Talk about them openly with your class. Try to get them involved and engaged with the problems in class. Be clear and precise with them, and discuss the importance of the issues in your lessons. Be firm, but understanding. Try not to yell, but do not plead either. Show them you are in control of yourself and your emotions, and that from now on, things are going to be different in this classroom.

Set behavior goals with the class which can be measured and if met, they can receive a reward. Link them to the problems on your list. Show your students you appreciate their cooperation, but do not overdo it, otherwise they will think you are trying to manipulate them. Remember that your goal is to decrease problems and increase on task teaching time. Chart your progress towards that goal, and cross off your list the issues you effectively have been able to conquer.

Lastly, understand that effective classroom management is never going to be perfect. Some days will be good, and others not so good. However, if you decide to take control today, you will have more good days than bad. Guaranteed.

The Internet As an Educational Tool? Not Until We Can Control Plagiarism

Teachers have recognized the educational potential of the internet from the very beginning, both for the educators and for students. Unfortunately, there are three areas in which the "Sleaze Factor" is ruining the internet as the powerful educational tool it should be: (1) massive amounts of plagiarism, (2) the growing number of safety and ethical issues, and (3) pornography. Until we find a way to remove these very important areas of concern, allowing children under 18 open access to the internet could actually be considered negligence. This article will deal the issue of plagiarism.

Because the majority of articles I write deal in some way specifically with mathematics, I generally start will reviewing necessary prerequisite information and the definition of terms. I decided I should check to see if "sleaze factor" needed to be defined. What do you think I found? You are correct! No definition is necessary. Whether it was husbands who go out on their wives, marketing tactics, or characteristics of certain female dates, I found many references about "sleaze factor."

What is especially sad and frustrating about this topic is that in the 3 areas I just mentioned, the people involved and possibly hurt are adults. However, when discussing educational issues, the people involved are children. We as a society should simply not be allowing these issues to even exist.

Plagiarism: A "Sleaze Factor" Ruining The Educational Value Of The Internet"

Plagiarism is becoming rampant on the internet. This has been a recent topic of conversation within an active group of ezine article writers. It is happening to me as we speak. Someone using a fake name, although I don't believe she actually exists, has stolen at least one of my articles, changed the title, put her name on it and now it is appearing on many sites and is being downloaded and emailed by people who don't know what she has done. The fact that she stole an article that is the first in a series I was announcing as well as the fact I mentioned another series I write makes me wonder if she intends to steal them all.

Because I am new to the writing field, I am finding this to be beyond belief. I brought up the issue to fellow authors, and discovered that this is happening to many, if not all, of them. It is just as troubling to them as it is to me. This problem is incredibly widespread. It is also very important! It is almost as if people don't know it is illegal. I don't know what happened to decency and honesty; and this is certainly increasing my cynicism about materials I find on the internet.

While I may be very frustrated about this for myself, I want to be very clear about why this is such an important issue for our school children. As our junior high students and high school students and even college students are doing research for a paper, just what is going to tell them that the information they are reading is plagiarized? When they turn in their research paper, it will have the name of a thief cited as the original author, which is a lie and can be verified. Students can fail for using plagiarized material.

The internet is becoming a breeding ground for "bottom feeders" because there are no controls nor punishments for the illegal things they do. If sites cannot be trusted to furnish factual non-plagiarized material, our children may just need to return to encyclopedias. They are safer in many ways.