I’ve been reading quite a bit about Jon Favreau and his party picture that was on Facebook for a good two hours.  This hits home for me on two fronts.  The first is about my personal facebook page and what I currently have/am allowed to have on there.  This is something I did not even consider when I started teacher.  Now, I’m certainly not the type of person to put up a ton of personal information or pictures online.  But, after a couple weeks, the first student sent me a friend request.  IGNORE.  Then again, and again, and again, etc.  Ok, at this point I took down everything possibly incriminating (not too much there) and made my profile friends-only.  My decision was to only accept friend requests from graduated students.  I’ve found they’re much less interested in having me as a Facebook friend once they graduate.  It’s just not taboo or special anymore.

I absolutely do not agree that employers should be allowed to make job decisions based on an employee’s/applicant’s personal online space — unless there is something illegal going on.  In that case, it goes into the “dumb criminal” bin.  Don’t rob a bank and leave an address, and don’t post pictures of you taking massive bong hits.  But there was a case in which a teacher got fired, she alleged, because she worked on the side as a party boat girl (basically she wears a bikini and comes with the boat you and your buddies rent).  Would it be wrong for me to work as a bartender on weekends?  No.  What if I worked as a bartender at a strip club?  Does that distinction matter?  I bet that would be a problem with the school district if I had that job and students found out.

This all revolves around the legal decision that teachers are held to a higher moral standard than others because they should be setting an example for their students.  This blog wrote a post about this higher standard and how a teacher in New Orleans was fired for having abstract – but not overtly sexual – artwork on a personal website.   He also asks the question about profanity on his blog.  Allowed or over the line?  If you didn’t know this, it’s true.  Teachers are held to higher moral standards.  This higher standard usually comes up in regards to athletes who do drugs or commit some crime.  “But what about the children?!”  The millionaire athlete can apologize, or even blow off the criticizm, and then continue to make money.  I get fired and then have to explain to the next potential employer why I was fired.  It’s probably not a school system either.

Going back to the Facebook topic (I’ll try not to wander anymore), the other problem I have is relaying these dangers to students.  These kids are posting up increasingly shocking material on the web.  As Jon Favreau knows now, even having something up for two hours is dangerous.  What about the “sexting” cases where underage students are sending naked pictures of themselves over their phones.  Guess who gets these pics…that’s right!  EVERYBODY.  I’m wondering where this leads us as a culture.  Does it continue to get enough students in trouble that they learn the lesson?  Or does it become so mainstream that these transgressions because decriminalized.  Enough pictures of high-schoolers drinking and doing drugs that the adults and employers just shrug and roll their eyes.  Enough naked pictures of students floating around that nobody cares.  Enough of our lives documented on-line for the world to see that it just isn’t interesting anymore.

Meanwhile, if you are out drinking with me, please remember not to post those pictures on Facebook.  Unlike you, I have a higher moral calling to answer to.  Isn’t that why we teach?  Remember the children!