...and if I did, our policy has changed.
The articles What Kind of Stuff do Employers Search For When I Apply For a Job by Thorin Klosowski, The Online Activity That's Keeping you Unemployed by Sara Roncero-Menendez, and They Loved Your G.P.A.Then They Saw Your Tweets by Natasha Singer are all articles on the online profile and how it affects the chances of getting where you want to in life. The articles describe how potential employers and colleges are screening the internet for additional information about candidates. Colleges and companies are looking at social media sites like facebook and twitter as well as the good "old fashion" Google search of your name. We all know about background checks, credit reports and criminal records, but this is taking it a bit further. According to Sara Roccero-Menendez, companies are thinking twice about candidates that show or hint about illegal drug use, pictures of alcoholic beverages, sexual comments, profanity and even spelling errors/ grammatical errors on their social feeds. I was surprised to see that overtly religious and/or political views posted were looked down upon too. It almost seems like your online personality has to match your public persona...imagine that!
It does worry me that this is happening, but I can't say I blame the companies/colleges. If the information is out there then why not get a better picture of who you are letting manage your company or who has the potential of raising your drop out rate. I can only hope that companies realize that people do have personal lives and that people understand how to change gears as they step in their roles in their jobs. There has to be a little balancing here. The way I choose to look at this is that companies are just making sure you know how to divide that personal life and professional life online as well as in person. If you want to be a professional you have to project yourself as a professional.
Teachers are professionals as well, but even more to the point they are working with our kids. I would not want to see my daughter's third grade teacher passed out cold in a picture her friends posted on facebook with her permanent marker mustache glaring at me. Teachers need to understand that they have to be role models outside of school as well as in the classroom. I have always been kind of a prude and I had my children relatively young so my partying days are few and far between. However, I don't mind going through my pictures and changing the privacy on or deleting the occasional borderline inappropriate comment or picture. I also plan on talking with my friends about tagging me or posting any pictures of me otherwise compromised. My students will need to understand what in on the internet is judged and lasts forever. high school students are notorious for making bad decisions, but I hope to at least reach those that plan on having a professional career to be careful about what they say. I am interested in having students create a portfolio where they can upload their achievements and future goals. I'd like to see what it would take to pitch this and implement this school wide. Having such a portfolio would help them to create a positive, professional space and therefore a positive digital identity.
I understand your concern about seeing a picture of a teacher passed out on the ground from obviously drinking- but what if it's a teacher holding a glass of what could be alcohol? Not in a bar, but at home. Not a crazy party, but a family get together? No, it isn't hard for us to hide the glass, but there was a news article of such a situation and the teacher was going to be fired because a parent saw the picture. It was a very innocent occasion, but still she was seen in a hurtful light because she held the glass.
ReplyDeleteI think it would be really cool to have students create a portfolio online so that they can get a head start on their digital ID. It would be neat if the online portfolio started when they were young, so they can look back at all their posts when they were in school.
Cara, I do have those pictures of me holding a glass at a family get together. I'm not a partier by any means but my family is Italian and we DO drink wine. Like I said in the blog, there has to be some balancing here. Teachers aren't saints and they come with opinions, passed experiences, baggage and yes even the occasional glass of wine. I can only hope that teachers protect themselves with knowing their rights, remembering their manners and knowing their privacy settings!
DeleteHi Megan,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your post here, and I like the style of your blog a lot! I think this is an important subject, and I mostly agreed with everything you wrote about here. I wonder if you felt like unlike some other professionals, teachers aren't allowed to have much of a personal life? It just sounded that way because right after you mention that hopefully employers understand that candidates have personal lives, teachers must always be roll models. I agree that they should be roll models, especially around children and their parents, but at the same time, what do I care what they do on their free time? What I care about is how they act in the classroom with my child and making sure that they are doing their jobs. I agree, though, I would not like to see my child's teacher passed out drunk, though I see no reason to ever go exploring to find out if there are any such photos.
I definitely agree that teachers still should utilize privacy settings and monitor their posts and pictures carefully because as we have learned, anything on the internet can be found and as a teacher, you never know if you'll be applying for a position elsewhere and have that employer looking you up.
Sarah,
DeleteI think my drunk teacher passed out is an extreme case, but that is just the point. Extreme partying, lewd conduct, profanity and sexual comments should not be acceptable and they have no place on a professional's social media site. I said in the blog that there has to be a balancing act done here because I do believe it to be a line to walk on where you can still participate in social events within legal limits and not worry about persecution. On the other hand, (and this is where I think I answer your question) where teachers are set apart from the group of professionals is that they are dealing with the young and impressionable. Teachers need to be role models and they need to set a good example for students. I will be working with high school students so they will be curious to see what Mrs. Ballachey does on her time off. I have never looked up a teacher's Facebook so I'm with you on that boat, but that doesn't mean that nobody does it. If you take a look at Cara's comment above she mentioned a news story where the teacher was looked down upon and possible up for suspension because she was holding a glass at an event. I feel that teachers should just be that much more selective with what they post and prepare those extreme parents/administrators with privacy settings and careful discretion.