“Activism”: A Follow-Up
Remember that teacher I was talking about here? The latest I heard is that he is finishing up the year, but not recommended for tenure and not coming back next year.
Honestly, I don’t know enough about the situation from an administrative standpoint to make any intelligent comments about this decision, and I really don’t think that a Facebook page made by some former students helped make that decision, either.
However, I remain disappointed in those who participated in this. You think you can put up a page and have it for a while and then take it down and poof, it’s gone. Well, that isn’t the case, and the sooner this is learned, the better. All those pictures on your profile pages? All that stuff you write that you think no one reads? It doesn’t go away. And with the new privacy policy, Facebook retains the right to use that stuff, too. What was done has implications beyond your reach, and all I’m asking is that you realize that and think about it the next time you’re angry about something.
I know several of my students were upset by my post, and will be upset about this post, too. I’ve heard from a few of them. Some of them are angry that I would “choose the teacher’s side.” Let me be clear: when it comes to a person’s rights and life, I will always be on the side of the person. No matter the crime, every person has the right to feel safe and be granted a fair “trial” or whatever you want to call this, and, especially, not to have hateful things said about him or her on the Internet.
I’m glad you wrote these posts, and, more importantly, I’m glad your students saw them. I’m glad they were upset by what you said. It shows they respect you and your opinion of them and their actions, and I hope this means that they’ve learned the valuable life lesson you are teaching them. Kudos to you for turning this into a lesson for them. You could have ignored it, made simply a comment or two, whatever, but, once again, you’ve reached your students in a huge way. You’re awesome, Ash!