OT - What am I doing wrong?
So - as you may know - we lost a very dear colleague this past weekend at my school. A man who was our school police officer and seemed to have touch EVERYONE - students, faculty, administration and parents alike. Well, as the news was spreading on Saturday morning, a few of my students texted me asking what I knew. I knew NOT to respond to these kids prior to discussing with my principal how he was going to handle breaking the news to the kids. I called him on Saturday morning to tell him that I was getting texts and asked how he wanted me to handle it. As expected he advised me to ignore the texts. That was my inital feeling anyway - as it was NOT my place to bring the news to my students without my being present to help them process it.
After I called the principal I realized that telling him that I was getting texts was probably stupid - however, I am NOT doing anything sneaky, many parents have my cell number as well and know that I am available to their children. He called me into his office this morning to tell me that although the School District does NOT have a policy against students and teachers texting each other, that it was a dangerous practice to be involved in and that if students need to get hold of me they should use email. I explained that the reason some students have my cell number is becuase they do not have internet service and therefore cannot email me. Also, they do have access to my email and I do check it - but it is not as immediate and when a student is working out a problem, they are in the moment and often get frustrated when they can't work through a problem. If I can alleviate that frustration, I feel I have made yet another connection. He again reiterated that it was a dangerous practice and that other teachers have been fired becuase of texting issues.
Now - here is my complaint - I don't allow myself to do ANYTHING with my students that I would NOT allow my own children to do with their teachers. I have gotten nothing but thanks from the kids AND their parents for being so available to their kids and how they wish they had had teachers like that when they were young. My students know that I may not always be able to answer them right away for various reasons, however, when I am available I would get back to them or talk with them the next school day. They have NEVER abused having my cell phone number and have only called or texted to ask school related questions. I have had this practice for three years and have only had positive experiences.
I will, in the end, heed the advise of my principal as he is my boss, but I am really upset about they way some people take a positive and healthy relationship I have with my students and make it ugly. I really just needed to vent a little and Larry thinks I am nuts anyway - although he NEVER complained about my students calling and I think under it all thinks it is pretty cool that I make myself available.
What do you all think? Just curious if I am completely crazy here, like I might be crossing the line, or if being available to teeneagers in Philadelphia who have crazy lives and are trying to do the right thing to have a connection to an adult that they trust is a good thing?
I really do love my job and love the connections that I can make with teenagers as they travel through the crazy road of adolescence. I always will remember certain teachers I had as I went through middle school, and watch my children and the connections they make with some of their teachers and hope that I can make an impact in the lives of my students as I hope the teachers make impacts with my own children.
After I called the principal I realized that telling him that I was getting texts was probably stupid - however, I am NOT doing anything sneaky, many parents have my cell number as well and know that I am available to their children. He called me into his office this morning to tell me that although the School District does NOT have a policy against students and teachers texting each other, that it was a dangerous practice to be involved in and that if students need to get hold of me they should use email. I explained that the reason some students have my cell number is becuase they do not have internet service and therefore cannot email me. Also, they do have access to my email and I do check it - but it is not as immediate and when a student is working out a problem, they are in the moment and often get frustrated when they can't work through a problem. If I can alleviate that frustration, I feel I have made yet another connection. He again reiterated that it was a dangerous practice and that other teachers have been fired becuase of texting issues.
Now - here is my complaint - I don't allow myself to do ANYTHING with my students that I would NOT allow my own children to do with their teachers. I have gotten nothing but thanks from the kids AND their parents for being so available to their kids and how they wish they had had teachers like that when they were young. My students know that I may not always be able to answer them right away for various reasons, however, when I am available I would get back to them or talk with them the next school day. They have NEVER abused having my cell phone number and have only called or texted to ask school related questions. I have had this practice for three years and have only had positive experiences.
I will, in the end, heed the advise of my principal as he is my boss, but I am really upset about they way some people take a positive and healthy relationship I have with my students and make it ugly. I really just needed to vent a little and Larry thinks I am nuts anyway - although he NEVER complained about my students calling and I think under it all thinks it is pretty cool that I make myself available.
What do you all think? Just curious if I am completely crazy here, like I might be crossing the line, or if being available to teeneagers in Philadelphia who have crazy lives and are trying to do the right thing to have a connection to an adult that they trust is a good thing?
I really do love my job and love the connections that I can make with teenagers as they travel through the crazy road of adolescence. I always will remember certain teachers I had as I went through middle school, and watch my children and the connections they make with some of their teachers and hope that I can make an impact in the lives of my students as I hope the teachers make impacts with my own children.
Steffi,
You are not crazy. You are a caring, devoted, and thoughtful teacher who understands that teachable moments don't happen solely between 7:30 and 3, M - F.
Unfortunately, in this litigious society, technology policies in education have not caught up with today's reality of how students use technology. You could just as easily have had that exact same conversation 3 years ago, but on the topic of emailing students. And now email is accepted as the primary means of communication. But the policies lag behind.
There are a couple of things you can do to "cover" yourself, especially as your principal has warned you about the practice. They're all worth considering.
1. Have your students and their parents sign an "awareness policy" at the beginning of each school year... one that says they are welcome to text you, email you, or call you on your cell phone, but to be aware that those communications may be monitored or transcribed (and are thus discoverable in the case of legal action) and that the conversations should be restricted to school-related topics. (set forth any other guidelines as to hours they can call, no profanity, etc., in the same document.) By having the parents acknowledge it explicitly, and notifying them that it may be monitored/transcribed, you cover yourself with regard to FERPA issues and may prevent other legal entanglements.
2. Find a chat tool that works with your phone (I don't remember what kind of phone you have). If you have a smartphone, you can use chats like meebo, aim, etc., that allow you to keep chat logs. Make sure your communications with the students are logged (as long as you make them aware of that!), so you can cover yourself in a he said/she said situation. This gets to the heart of the email vs text debate and is why the district wants to see them use email, which passes through their servers and can be monitored and transcribed in the event of a lawsuit.
3. Contact your union and see if other teachers are concerned with the same issue, and lobby together for the creation of a forward-thinking policy that acknowledges that students are much more likely to use texting than emails or phone, and that sets forth guidelines for how to effectively use it in a middle- and high-school environment. I'm sure there are school districts who have adopted such policies, so there may be some good models out there that you can copy from and learn from.
I hope this helps a bit. You're doing the right thing - it's just that bureaucracy hasn't caught up with you yet! And you're EXACTLY the type of teacher that I wish I had had in middle school!
Hugs,
Karen
You are not crazy. You are a caring, devoted, and thoughtful teacher who understands that teachable moments don't happen solely between 7:30 and 3, M - F.
Unfortunately, in this litigious society, technology policies in education have not caught up with today's reality of how students use technology. You could just as easily have had that exact same conversation 3 years ago, but on the topic of emailing students. And now email is accepted as the primary means of communication. But the policies lag behind.
There are a couple of things you can do to "cover" yourself, especially as your principal has warned you about the practice. They're all worth considering.
1. Have your students and their parents sign an "awareness policy" at the beginning of each school year... one that says they are welcome to text you, email you, or call you on your cell phone, but to be aware that those communications may be monitored or transcribed (and are thus discoverable in the case of legal action) and that the conversations should be restricted to school-related topics. (set forth any other guidelines as to hours they can call, no profanity, etc., in the same document.) By having the parents acknowledge it explicitly, and notifying them that it may be monitored/transcribed, you cover yourself with regard to FERPA issues and may prevent other legal entanglements.
2. Find a chat tool that works with your phone (I don't remember what kind of phone you have). If you have a smartphone, you can use chats like meebo, aim, etc., that allow you to keep chat logs. Make sure your communications with the students are logged (as long as you make them aware of that!), so you can cover yourself in a he said/she said situation. This gets to the heart of the email vs text debate and is why the district wants to see them use email, which passes through their servers and can be monitored and transcribed in the event of a lawsuit.
3. Contact your union and see if other teachers are concerned with the same issue, and lobby together for the creation of a forward-thinking policy that acknowledges that students are much more likely to use texting than emails or phone, and that sets forth guidelines for how to effectively use it in a middle- and high-school environment. I'm sure there are school districts who have adopted such policies, so there may be some good models out there that you can copy from and learn from.
I hope this helps a bit. You're doing the right thing - it's just that bureaucracy hasn't caught up with you yet! And you're EXACTLY the type of teacher that I wish I had had in middle school!
Hugs,
Karen
Thanks Karen - I was soooo hoping you would respond - you always have an amazing way of putting things into perspective. I think I will call the union - just to cover my butt. I don't think the principal was threatening me in anyway - I just think he was making sure that I need to be careful. I love the idea of an awareness policy. And anyway - are all texts and cell phone calls able to be retreived anyway? I think that is what is the most conufusing - if it is easy to get history of texts just like it is easy to get email messages, I don't know the difference. Oh well....
Yeah, well, that's where things get murky. It's simple to get the history of who called whom and who texted whom. You can speak with your mobile carrier to find out exactly what's archived and for how long in terms of text message CONTENT (the fact of the text occurring is definitely archived, it's the content that can vary). But if you think about recent high-profile cases like the train conductor who was texting right before the accident, it was possible for them to reconstruct the conversation. Not sure exactly where or how they did it, but there was some record there. But it may not be enough to cover your butt in the event of an accusation.
That's where a recorded chat tool might come in handy (even AIM records chats). But any time you're recording something, you also have to provide the disclaimer that it's being recorded (especially under FERPA). And since you're dealing with minors, you have to have the consent of the parents/guardians.
We're dealing with the same type of issues at the college level, but we're dealing with adults. As a result, we need things to generally NOT be transcribed/discoverable as confidential discussions might be occurring - like "My husband beats me, so I have to take online classes while I'm at the shelter." We can't run the risk of having that type of conversation stored somewhere, and then become compromised in some way, so we ensure that they are not transcribed.
It's good to hear that your principal wasn't threatening you - it sounded pretty heavy handed, but that doesn't come across in print. BUT... it's good to speak with the union and to have a clear policy in place, if only for yourself.
Karen
That's where a recorded chat tool might come in handy (even AIM records chats). But any time you're recording something, you also have to provide the disclaimer that it's being recorded (especially under FERPA). And since you're dealing with minors, you have to have the consent of the parents/guardians.
We're dealing with the same type of issues at the college level, but we're dealing with adults. As a result, we need things to generally NOT be transcribed/discoverable as confidential discussions might be occurring - like "My husband beats me, so I have to take online classes while I'm at the shelter." We can't run the risk of having that type of conversation stored somewhere, and then become compromised in some way, so we ensure that they are not transcribed.
It's good to hear that your principal wasn't threatening you - it sounded pretty heavy handed, but that doesn't come across in print. BUT... it's good to speak with the union and to have a clear policy in place, if only for yourself.
Karen
I don't think you did anything wrong, either, Steffi. I also teach at a middle school in Philly and I make no secret of my cell phone number. I often call parents from it and I have called children on their cell phones to discuss problems they are having in my class.
I do not text with students but that is only because it hasn't come up yet. I think it is a little to relaxed for me, but I recognize that it makes sense for some.
You are doing the right thing by sucking it up and discontinuing the practice since your prin made a big deal out of it. Maybe in the fall you can re-visit with him and find out exactly what he thinks the worst that could happen is and address his concerns when you have some distance from the issue?
I do not text with students but that is only because it hasn't come up yet. I think it is a little to relaxed for me, but I recognize that it makes sense for some.
You are doing the right thing by sucking it up and discontinuing the practice since your prin made a big deal out of it. Maybe in the fall you can re-visit with him and find out exactly what he thinks the worst that could happen is and address his concerns when you have some distance from the issue?
Where do you teach? I am at Decatur near Franklin Mills mall. And I think that is how it started - I would call parents from my cell phone and let them know that they could call me back there or at school. It was never a problem and with the world and caller-ID the way it is - it is no big deal for me to get in touch with parents. I will let this incident drop as I am sure he will....he is very type A and I don't want to get on his bad side.
I know you well enough to say that there is nothing wrong with this and you have the best interest of the students in mind. HOWEVER other people ruin it for good hearted people like yourself.
I like Karen's suggestion of getting something that can be "transcripted" just in case your principal decides to be even more a schmuck then he already is.
*hugs* so sorry to hear about the loss of a colleague and friend too
I like Karen's suggestion of getting something that can be "transcripted" just in case your principal decides to be even more a schmuck then he already is.
*hugs* so sorry to hear about the loss of a colleague and friend too
Steffi,
Did you know I am a former principal? So here's my take on it.
You are not violating any policy so you are absolutely in the clear. I would consider, however, speaking to a union rep about the conversation with your principal. Keep it at an information level only - not a grievance, but just to create the "trail" if you know what I mean. It's best if the union rep is a friend of yours - that way, it doesn' t have to become anything truly official, but the information has been shared.
Your principal may be a little rattled by all the "what ifs" involved with texting and visualizing a "slippery slope" on the staff, ifyou know what I mean. But the truth is....he shouldn't make this a bigger deal than it is. There are enough REALLY big deals to handle in a day's work.
My hunch is that if the district created a policy on texting between teachers and students, it would become a "no texting" policy...simply because the word "texting" has gotten such a negative connotation. And that would hurt everyone who is in your situation across the district - and I KNOW there are some excellent teachers who are highly accessible to students.
You were wise - very wise - not to respond to the kids via text about the death on your staff. Issues like this need to be handled face to face, not electroncially, and you never know where a kid is coming from when a loss is involved.
Next year, in your course syllabus or overview, if you include your phone number I'd follow Karen's suggestion (an excellent one!) and put a disclaimer in. I would make it clear each year that your students have never abused the privilege of being able to reach out when they needed to. That fact alone makes it clear what a great relationship you have with them.
And you DO make an impact, have no doubt. It's about a LOT more than math!
Did you know I am a former principal? So here's my take on it.
You are not violating any policy so you are absolutely in the clear. I would consider, however, speaking to a union rep about the conversation with your principal. Keep it at an information level only - not a grievance, but just to create the "trail" if you know what I mean. It's best if the union rep is a friend of yours - that way, it doesn' t have to become anything truly official, but the information has been shared.
Your principal may be a little rattled by all the "what ifs" involved with texting and visualizing a "slippery slope" on the staff, ifyou know what I mean. But the truth is....he shouldn't make this a bigger deal than it is. There are enough REALLY big deals to handle in a day's work.
My hunch is that if the district created a policy on texting between teachers and students, it would become a "no texting" policy...simply because the word "texting" has gotten such a negative connotation. And that would hurt everyone who is in your situation across the district - and I KNOW there are some excellent teachers who are highly accessible to students.
You were wise - very wise - not to respond to the kids via text about the death on your staff. Issues like this need to be handled face to face, not electroncially, and you never know where a kid is coming from when a loss is involved.
Next year, in your course syllabus or overview, if you include your phone number I'd follow Karen's suggestion (an excellent one!) and put a disclaimer in. I would make it clear each year that your students have never abused the privilege of being able to reach out when they needed to. That fact alone makes it clear what a great relationship you have with them.
And you DO make an impact, have no doubt. It's about a LOT more than math!
I did NOT know that you were a former principal. What district? Just to clear this up - I am NOT worried about my job. I did NOT do anything inappropriate or unethical. I am VERY comfortable in how I handle myself with my students. I will call the union - my union rep might not be very supportive as he thinks I give too much of myself to our students anyway - he is a grade partner and likes to keep himself VERY seperate from the kids - he states that it is because he is a man and there are different standards - while I agree to a certain extent, I trust my daughter's male teachers and am comfortable with the relationship she has with him.
I don't think he meant to make a big deal out of it - I think I was just so upset when I wrote this that it came across that way. I know he respects me as an educator - a crazy one, but I'll take what ever I can get! :)
I will decide what to do next year as the year progresses. Not sure I want EVERYONE to have my cell number. I liked that only those that needed it had it. Those students who care enough about their education typically would also care about my life outside of school and are less likely to abuse the information.
Thanks for your words and insight! :)
I don't think he meant to make a big deal out of it - I think I was just so upset when I wrote this that it came across that way. I know he respects me as an educator - a crazy one, but I'll take what ever I can get! :)
I will decide what to do next year as the year progresses. Not sure I want EVERYONE to have my cell number. I liked that only those that needed it had it. Those students who care enough about their education typically would also care about my life outside of school and are less likely to abuse the information.
Thanks for your words and insight! :)
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