Maybe Miguel is right.
Maybe I am being way too transparent in the way I have aired my personal thoughts on my district’s approach. I suppose more than anything I was a bit hurt by the way it has happened. I live my life in a very transparent way both personally and otherwise and I suppose I did not give pause to think that a bit of censorship might have been warranted.
Truth is I work in a great district who has had a rough few years. We recently got a new Superintendant who seems to be gung-ho for technology. He posted a presentation for the world to see about his vision for the next few years. I guess that after seeing that and getting fired up, this news of taking technology away seemed to contradict the new vision. I guess I wouldn’t like it if I were in the tech director’s shoes if someone was airing gripes about me. But does that mean I should not have? It is such a tough question, and one I have to answer for myself. It’s out there now, and I suppose I will deal with the consequences if they come my way. What else can I do?
I have learned that being a teacher means a constant life of strife and joy. I think that this decision to take the machines hurts me more because it is hurting my kids. I guess I was reaching for the proverbial life raft, the life preserver. I suppose I owe my district an apology. They have to do what is right to prevent virus outbreaks that could bring the network down. I guess I just wish they would have done it a different way.
Transparency is good, selectively.
Update: I pulled the posts down to draft mode for now. I cannot afford to risk my job. My wife and girls are too important for that.
I worry when people are afraid to speak in public about the situation in their school. If someone at your district wants to come back with a good justification for the policy, that’s one thing. They can smack you back in a comment right here on your blog. Retaliation beyond that is something else entirely.
I believe debate is healthy. I believe we all have something to learn. I went back and re-read your posts (in my RSS cache) and they don’t seem overly critical. You’re asking reasonable questions, perhaps bordering on admitting you’re considering some disobedience. Is the thought itself a crime?
I worry that people self-censor too much. I also worry that heavy-handed administrators use policies written before the web was like it is today to control employees with an iron fist. Or just the threat of the iron fist. Maybe even unspoken.
I hide behind this anonymous name. I want the ability to write without fear. But this also detracts from the dialogue. Using your real name puts you on the line, and that’s an incredible example to show your students. It opens so many possibilities for communication and connection. So many teachable moments about publishing and online identity. But there are risks, and I acknowledge your courage in taking them on.
Put the posts back. I don’t think you’ve been insubordinate or disrespectful to your superiors while stating your points and objections. Seems to me that you’ve told a story that would’ve otherwise been untold. In fact, I think you’ve gone out of your way to be deferential to authority as you’ve shared what’s going on in your school.
Keep it up.
I think that what you wrote was pretty balanced and it seemed that both sides of this issue had good reason to do what they had to do. Neither side wanted to mess with the network, but you wanted to find an alternate solution.
I totally understand that you thought it might have been iffy. I totally respect that.
I agree with the above comments. What you wrote was far from something that could get you removed from your position. It even lead to a teachable moment amongst my Art Club students. (In addition to the topic you covered, your first post was a good source of vocabulary words.)
Still, its your blog, your job, and your family. My opinion is that you could leave them up, but here its your opinion that matters.
Miguel is right. You blog about work at your peril. It doesn’t matter what you feel or what other commenters feel – legally, all that matters is what your superiors feel. If they can make the case that you’ve sufficiently eroded the working relationship because of something you’ve blogged, you’re out of there, even if you’re blogging about important and/or that the public should know about. Sorry.
Hello, Chris,
While, as some people state, you blog at your own peril, you also silence yourself at your own peril.
I’m sorry you’re in a predicament where you feel you have to choose — I look forward to reading what you have to say — on this or other subjects.