On Being a Teacher and Blogger
Natalie Munroe is a teacher in the Philadelphia suburbs. She also has a blog. Last year, it was discovered that she had posted disparaging comments about her students on her blog. She was suspended and then went on maternity leave. Now she’s getting ready to come back to work, and let’s just say that bygones aren’t bygones at this point. The principal has called Munroe unprofessional and said that any student can withdraw from her classes.
I’ve tried to steer clear of this story because I really have a limit to how much negativity concerning teaching I can handle at a given time, and there’s definitely an abundance of that right now. But the latest batch of stories caught my eye, there are some things I want to try to say to clear my mind, and if I’m not going to get all meta on my blog, what’s the point of having one?
- I never read the original blog, so I can only see the quotes of Munro’s writing out of context. But the only context that would make some of these quotes not insulting, unprofessional, and otherwise way out of bounds would be if the phrase “You should never say” appeared before them.
- Munroe says that blog was meant for close friends, and that she didn’t use her full name. Well, if you only want to send messages to personal friends – get an email list. Don’t create a blog that the whole Internet can see. And don’t put your picture on it. And leave off your last initial. How long is it going to take people to realize that on the Internet, very little goes away forever?
- Related to the last point: Do not underestimate students and what they can/will do to find out more about you. Every year I have new students search for me on Google. They find my Facebook profile, this website, tons of stuff I’ve posted on message boards over the years, and photos of me. A few of them even remember my birthday. You can hide, or you can open up an opportunity for kids to connect to you. But if you’re gonna hide, you better do it well.
- It is very interesting that Munroe still has a job when it’s pretty clear her boss doesn’t want her there. The principal is quoted as saying that the only reason Munroe still ha job is because she has “employee rights.” I have no idea what the contract in her district says, but I admit I am surprised that there is no notion that creating a hostile and difficult educational environment is not something that can get you fired. On the other hand, a First Amendment lawsuit would be almost inevitable. I would like to see those cases filed in order to get some precedent here, but I guess I can understand why the district doesn’t want to be on the hook as a guinea pig.
- The result of that, though, is that some people are going to use this as fodder in the “Why can’t we fire bad teachers?” debate, and that makes me sad. I teach in a district that tried to fire a teacher for motivating her students to speak out about conditions at their school, a teacher whose alleged offenses were far less injurious to her students than Munroe’s. Union and contract provisions helped save her job, but they didn’t stop the district from trying. Those protections are not a Get Out of Jail Free card. If administrators find that a teacher is not doing the job, they should take the time and gather the evidence to make the case under the due process accorded in the contract. Otherwise, it’s too easy to imagine someone getting fired at a whim.
- Munroe’s comments in the article I linked to do not help her cause in my eyes. It’s not the principal’s job or the district’s job to defuse the situation. It’s hers, by apologizing, discussing what she’s learned, and telling her students and colleagues how she will do better. But she doesn’t seem to realize that’s what she should do, and so I don’t really expect things to get much better for her. Nor do I have any sympathy.
About Dave Thomer
Born and raised in Philadelphia. Studied philosophy at Fordham University in the Bronx, where I made many great friends and met my wonderful wife. We moved back to Philadelphia, where I studied philosophy some more and became a teacher. Online and off, I'm looking for ways that we can be better citizens and build stronger communities.