Lesson Taught
I had been working off and on for three years as a sub in the third-largest school district in the state. A couple of months ago, I put a video on YouTube where I told students to get their work done and graduate. A lot of students left vulgar and stupid comments, which i ignored. 
One day at the end of 6th period at one of the high schools, a teacher told me I was wanted at the office. When I went in there, the principal had a printout of the YouTube comments and told me he did not like them. He told me that my services would be no longer needed at that school and that he had requested that the school board take me off the sub list. He then had security escort me out of the building while another teacher covered what was supposed to be my 7th period class. I met with the HR people at the school board office and they told me that it was unprofessional for a school board employee to allow that kind of language on the Internet. I told them that it had nothing to do with my classroom performance, as I was a good sub, but they were so stubborn and hard-headed that they would not listen to me. I tried to appeal a few weeks later, and the HR director kicked me out of his office. My job was to fill in for the regular teacher, not be the students’ moms and dads. Maybe the parents should watch what their children post on the Internet. I will try appealing this when they get some new (hopefully open-minded) people in the HR department. I have been applying for jobs since then and had a few interviews. It will be a matter of time before another company snatches me up.
Loading …This post was submitted by Educator.
October 27, 2009 - 10:01 pm
There’s definitely an argument for monitoring content that you make available to your students – after all, you are a role model. Even though you were not directly responsible for the foul comments, they are part of content that you are presenting to your students. May some of them been offended? Perhaps some parents were? In either case, I really don’t see it as a cause for termination, although it’s clear that your employers saw different. I’m sure you’ll take this as a lesson learned and move on – but next time much more careful with what you present to your students.
Thanks for posting and good luck!