Teachers’ Private Affairs
By KK on May 7, 2008 in Thinker
I couldn’t help but to blog about an issue being discussed today on M and J Show, it’s about teachers getting fired over what they do during their non-teaching hours. One teacher was fired over a picture of herself dressed like a pirate while drinking beer and with a caption: drunk pirate. She said that she posted it on MySpace for her friend’s eyes only. A reprimand would have been enough but firing her was too severe for such a lame reason. However, teachers should be more careful with their party pictures. Anything posted on the Internet is for the whole world too see. Even if the profile is on private and only your ‘friends’ can see it. You can never tell who will leak out the pictures. Why take the risk of offending uptight people in the educational system. Sure, teachers are human and want to have some fun but I believe that because their job is to teach young impressionable minds, they have to keep a low profile and keep the private photos off-line.
Then the other teacher was fired because she was moonlighting as a bikini model for boats. She is a single mom with 3 kids and she had a divorce that drained her resources and she needed money can augment her income because a teacher’s salary isn’t enough for a family of 4 to live on. Was the school system right in firing her because she is a bikini model? No. What’s wrong with wearing a swimsuit? She happens to be blessed enough to wear a bikini even after she had 3 children. I’m sure that she will be winning a law suit soon. If the school system doesn’t want their teachers to moonlight as bikini models, they should increase their pay.
I believe that a teacher’s private life becomes a concern if she/he is breaking the law or pushing the limits of morality i.e. moonlighting as a porn star. I don’t think I’d be able to keep a straight face when I go to a parent-teacher’s conference after seeing a hot video of my child’s teacher. There has to be a level of respectability maintained because they are authoritative figures whom our children look up to. What say you?
julie | May 11, 2008 | Reply
Teachers are supposed to be models of good behavior. But teachers are human too, prone to make mistakes. Judging these teachers’ actions based on assumptions is not fair when the circumstances are not thoroughly investigated. Why, even preachers commit grave, mortal sins.
Speaking as a teacher, I know the limits to my patience and discipline but I try hard to control the urge to be impatient. Nor do I answer back to people who accuse me of things that were not discussed in the proper forum and lose my credibility and professionalism to senseless and baseless “myth”. Click my url to read what has happened a few days ago.
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Hi Teacher Julie,
I am glad you agree that teachers are supposed to be role models.
I read your post. I’m sorry you had to endure that treatment from a parent. It’s a good thing you have a blog to release your pent up feelings.
julie | May 22, 2008 | Reply
Tina, have you heard about one of those Filipina teachers who committed suicide there? Not sure if it was VA or MD. ONe of those perhaps, she is the second one to take her life in that area.
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Hi Teacher Julie,
I haven’t heard of the sad sad news.