I've been a bit busy over the last week but I've been doing some research. It has to do with the topic that I've been thinking about recently. I'm curious as to what your opinions are on the following matter.
In the distant past, I had an issue with a student and their blog. I learned that students need to have a place to vent and have their friends chime in without having a grown-up checking in on them. Kids need to be kids and privacy is one thing that they demand as they get older.
Recently I was made aware of a situation here at school. A student wrote something on her blog about a teacher that she didn't like. Her remarks were what you would expect from a teenager - the usual bit about the teacher being horrible, dumb, and some other choice descriptions that kids are known to feel about their least favorite teachers - the usual stuff.
Well it turns out that the teacher found out about the blog and read her site. When the teacher stumbled upon the entry that said less than outstanding things, they took the issue to the director of the school. The student was called into the office, unofficially reprimanded and told to remove the entry. The student complied and then was directed to make a formal apology to the teacher. She did so and the issue is past.
But what this brings to light is the idea of free speech. The student attends a school were American values are at the forefront and one of our most treasured beliefs is the freedom of speech. I know that student newspapers around the US have battled the issue of free speech and censorship but what is the policy on blogs? Does a school have a right to enforce censorship on a student who has done nothing more than exercise their right to free speech when the blog isn't on a school site and wasn't written during school hours?
I've talked with a few people here at school on the issue and I find that there is a division. The students all feel that what was written on the blog was perfectly acceptable as each of us are entitled to our opinion. If a student wants to write bad things about a teacher, that's their opinion. The content of a blog is a personal statement and no one has the right to censor an opinion.
The teachers I talked to were a bit more divided. At what point does free speech become slander? Should a student be able to write their opinion publicly about a teacher? Shouldn't a teacher be allowed to do the same about a student? Teachers are expected to maintain a professional demeanor and not do such things - student affairs are supposed to be confidential. So since we are hamstringed from being able to talk about students, shouldn't they be required to follow the same guidelines? Or does freedom of speech allow us to write about our students? Is the student afforded some protection from the outside world when they are in a classroom? If they are, do teachers get the same protection from their students?
So what's your opinion on the matter? How far can they go? The 'they' in the question applies to student, teacher, and administration. Just what are the limits of freedom of speech, if any?
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8 comments:
Note from Expat - I've moderated this comment because I feel that while the person who placed the comment had a lot to offer, the story that was presented wasn't specific to the questions being asked on the original post.
Anonymous said...
It all depends. If the students put up the name of the teacher openly, the teacher concerned should have the right to answer to that, and do that honestly on his blog. Do not imagine that teenagers do not lie about their teachers, and do it to embarass and to demean. Even little children do that. What's worse the administration (some idiotic heads) believe the nonsense written and evaluation of the teachers are then based on what is written. Even if the authorities that be try their best to be impartial, the damage is already done.
We are all humans afterall, with very human feelings. Would you still kill yourself to teach these bad-mouthing kids who show by their blogs that they are self-centred and cared for no-one save themselves. I am talking about students who not only 'blame' teachers for their poor grades, but their own parents for whatever short-comings (read 'flaw') they are deemed to have. These are teenagers who are in high school, who are supposed to have some common sense.
Thanks for the comment. I can see that you know of someone who has had a bad experience with student's blogging about a professor. You state that a teacher should have the right to respond but should they have the right to censor or moderate?
Hey Jules, what if you did tell your parents how you felt about the teacher? I know I expressed to my parents about my dissatisfaction with some teachers in high school. The student in question definitely didn't keep her opinions to herself and her parents knew of the feelings she had.
And one other thing, do you think the director had the right to demand the removal of the opinion?
"Note from Expat - I've moderated this comment "
Dude, you talk about free speech?
:P
I'll post a less snarky comment later but my brains are fried from a days worth of travel.
I was waiting for a comment like that. I figured it would have been Shamash but you beat her to it.
I moderated the comment because it was very lengthy and didn't get to the point of the question at hand. The author did a copy and paste of an entry/email that pertained to a college prof and a student; while a story within the same general topic, the post really didn't even come close to answering the question on hand.
So yes, I have moderated my comments but I feel as though it was for the sake of other readers. Besides, I'm asking the question of whether free speech really exists! ;)
Looking forward to a comment whenever you are less fried - snarky or otherwise.
Here's the thing...
Kids are kids. This is a teachable moment. Instead of being reprimanded and "forced" to remove the post, why not talk to the student? Ask questions. Dig into what he or she thinks is appropriate. Talk to him or her about definitions of slander and free speech. I'm interested to hear more from the kid.
I think we're finding issues like this all over the place, especially on college campuses through the use of myspace.com and thefacebook.com. Students are posting everything from their address and home phone number to how much they drink (illegally and despite the code of conduct) in their residence halls.
How much is too much? What is inappropriate? I don't have the answer. My opinion is that we cannot regulate what they do outside our boundaries. We can, however, use these topics related to free speech in a digital world to help students reflect on their values and make better decisions.
It's education. It's what we do. I like it.
I hear ya NKP and agree with the teachable moment. As a teacher I try to use those moments to my advantage and educate kids in every aspect of their life (not just science). I haven't talked too much with this particular student about the incident since I wanted to gather some other opinions on the matter and got a clearer head.
Personally I'm a bit set off by the deal. I'm an advocate of free-speech and if that means a kid blasts me as a teacher on their blog than so be it. Today's world is a bit too PC for me and everyone doesn't want to hurt everyone else's feelings. Ya know what, sometimes people get their feelings hurt with other people's opinion - it happens. But trying to insulate everyone from everything is just plain insane (please read upcoming entry about iPods and volume control).
Blogs are just like everything else on the web - unsubstantiated stories that can be published by anyone. Publication on the web doesn't mean its true, look at all the spoof websites designed to teach people about how NOT to believe everything on the internet. So why is a blog any different? Just because a kid (or anyone for that matter) writes something down about a teacher (or anyone else for that matter), doesn't make it true.
In my personal opinion, people have the right to say whatever the heck they want. However, they must stand behind what they say and have the evidence to back it up. Perhaps the teachable moment in this case is to reinforce the idea that we are responsible for our actions and the reprecussions from our actions can be severe (although this case was just humiliation).
Would anyone like for me to bring the student in question in on this so they can offer their opinion?
I wasn't saying you need to talk more to the kid, although I'm sure he/she would like an advocate, I'm saying that the swift reaction failed her.
Your thought of talking with the student about responsibility for actions and reprecussions is exactly what I as a student would want to hear and what I as an educator am interested in.
Kids are smart. Helping them reason out why naming a teacher and all of her not-so-sparking qualities on a blog might not be a superb plan is definitely the way to go. They appreciate coming to their own decisions with the facilitation and guidance of people who care about them.
I just think that whoever dealt out the punishment will and should lose credibility with the student.
The bigger loss here though is the stifling of creative expression. What has this student learned other than if you share your true ideas, you may be punished?
This student could easily vent his or her personal frustrations with a teacher on a blog in a manner that would save him or her from finger-wagging administrators. These kids just need that EDUCATION from someone with a little more savvy.
I promise to stop harping on this. I think this is a really interesting situation and it has kind of touched a nerve with me as I've been seing this and things like it a lot in my work lately.
Thanks again for sharing this story.
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