Have You Googled Your Teacher Lately?

I guess the secret’s out… That’s right. I was a porn star in my wilder days! Ok, not really… But if a student, parent or potential employer tried to google me, this is one of the unfortunate histories tied to my name. At http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiffany_Clark you can read all about her colorful repertoire of experience. My name must really have the potential for fame as it’s also claimed by a rising singer who even appeared in some movies (of a less questionable nature...). She even has her own website―www.tiffanyclark.com. Obviously with such a common name it’s possible to find any number of crazy stories, but I was interested to see that I was actually able to find myself on Pipl.com. It was a little disconcerting to see that my personal information is for sale on this site, in case my name and age as well as that of all my immediate family members isn't enough for you!

Even if the real me were to show up in a google search, I’m pretty unconcerned about what might be found. To my knowledge there is no incriminating information posted about me or photos that might be deemed inappropriate, nor have I exercised my right to free speech in any way that might upset someone. I keep my security settings very high on any social networking sites that I use, but even the information that is posted within the security of those sites is rather limited. You could say that I’m a pretty uninteresting person in that regard. At worst there may be some unflattering photos of me that I haven't untagged (keeps you humble), but other than providing short-term ammunition for my students, I think that is pretty survivable.

However, if I did engage in behavior "unbecoming of an education professional", it would be high time for me to mend my ways. It is no more wrong for a teacher to make a mistake that it is for the average Joe. However, for someone in the public spotlight to make a mistake the effect it has on others is more widespread and damaging than are the actions of our average Joe. Teachers are role models for many kids just as famous people are. The public gets upset when people like Miley Cyrus and Lindsay Lohan screw up not because they don’t have tje right to make mistakes, but rather because their children admire these individuals and sometimes even try to be imitate them. I think teachers should remember that they are being watched by many young and impressionable minds and ought to rise to the occasion and be worthy of admiration. This goes for behavior as well as speech. Although, revoking or suspending a teacher’s license for an isolated event that only a few parents complain about is an additional measure that I don’t necessarily agree with. As Carter (2008) sites from the Tiniker vs. Des Moines case, “Teachers do not ‘shed their constitutional rights…at the schoolhouse gate'” (p.684). I found this to be a strong point and I was shocked by the extreme disciplinary actions taken in some cases. However, I feel that the Pickering/Connick balance mentioned by Carter (2008) is a good guideline for determining the limits on teachers’ rights.

I’m thankful that we’re being educated so well as to the ways to best protect ourselves and our jobs. I know that I need to be very conscious of the kind of information I make public and I plan to take the advice given by several professors that we do not accept students as friends on social networking sites. Beyond that, even knowing that I will likely use these sites to network with my colleagues, I plan to be very careful to monitor both the information I post as well as the information made others post on my pages. I have had colleagues in the past who have made negative comments about work their “Facebook status” and that never seem appropriate to me. It doesn’t demonstrate the attitude we want people to perceive in us. Even now as a part of this graduate program I’ve felt the need to monitor the comments I make, especially about this program.

References

Carter, H. L., Foulger T. S., & Ewbank, A.D. (2008 May) Have You Googled Your Teacher Lately? Teachers’ Use of Social Networking Sites. Phi Delta Kappan, 89(9).