Now this is transparency. Given my recent dealings with whether or not to blog things that happen at work, I am a bit surprised to see this type of openness and cynicism coming through.
Will this make future employers less likely to hire this teacher?
Would it make you less likely to hire this teacher thinking that if something bad happens, he’s going to run to the blog?
I am not knocking him, just asking curious questions…
understanding » Day of Conflict
Technorati Tags: christophercraft, understanding,
Ben says:
I completely agree with you on the standpoint of being too transparent. I myself have come close to the job-threatening transparency post in the past, so I have some sympathy for this blogger, yet what he (or she) writes goes too far I think.
True, what the blogger has to say is right on the money, and the assistant principal in the matter sounds like a lot of other administrators to teachers in similiar positions, but surely there’s either a much more anonymous and/or personal arena in which these opinions can be voiced. When it comes down to it, the only damning words that I read would have been the labeling of the AP as inept, but I’m sure if he’s smart the assistant principal already knows the feelings of this teacher, and thus might not consider this post completely out of line. Then again, venting can sometimes prevent an individual from taking a look at the real issues and trying to work them out, instead just blaming others for their short comings.
Tough call on this one.
26th January 2007 at 2:10 pm
joe says:
He’s been careful not to say who he is or where he works, so his post probably won’t ever be read by anyone who knows who he’s talking about.
26th January 2007 at 10:37 pm
mrc says:
Yeah, you definitely don’t want to say stuff like this with your name or workplace attached to it. Mine is an interesting position on the continuum of blogs: I’m anonymous because I don’t want to censor myself in situations like yesterday, but I also like to engage with people on issues of curriculum and instruction. Does that make it weird for people who interact with me on these various blogs? I don’t know. I just want to be able to tell the truth about how urban public education looks to me.
Ben’s point about the danger of venting obscuring real issues or solutions is well-taken. Ideally, the point of all the reading and writing on the web is to find more solutions and more success. I think that it’s important to bring out not only the issues that we face with students and parents and culture and content and NCLB and all of those challenges, but also the issues that we face inside our own schools.
Understandably, those of you speaking in public with your names attached shouldn’t air the dirty laundry. But the management — or mismanagement — of schools is definitely part of the reason our educational system isn’t working as well as it could be. I never really knew that until I became a teacher, and so I feel like it’s worth sharing especially when it gets overwhelming. So thanks for reading and engaging. Having a voice, even to a small audience, is helpful.
26th January 2007 at 12:27 am
WBishop says:
Wow! From a legal perspective, I would say that he could be looking for another job. If you are going to vent, you should do it in a professional way. Although, we could all find something to agree with in his/her post, the way he/she went about the post lacks tact. I have posts at my site that may or may not relate to my experiences, but I hope that I never get mad enough to blog it in an unprofessional way. If I do someone point it out to me and I will remove it. Chris your title for this post may be the understatement of the year. Transparency gone to far: I’d say so!
26th January 2007 at 4:39 pm
mrc says:
WBishop, do you think that having these sorts of posts out in the world is useful? More or less useful than something that “may or may not relate” to reality? Aside from the risk I’m taking of getting fired if somehow my anonymity is compromised, your other objection seems to be my tone. I can understand that, because I’m definitely harsh.
Question, though: Do you think I could have communicated the same reality in a more “professional” or tactful way? Would my words lose some of their impact if I described with great respect and deference what it’s like to struggle against a bureaucracy of the incompetent?
I guess I’m just not sure how you decide when transparency becomes a bad thing or goes too far. I’m comfortable with the risk, and I feel it’s a small risk. So is it crossing the line when transparency shows us things we don’t want to see? If transparency never reveals anything uncomfortable about our institutions, are we really being honest about what’s going on in urban public education?
26th January 2007 at 11:22 pm
Open Source Classroom » Interesting discussion about transparency… says:
[...] have been following an interesting discussion in the comments of my recent post about Transparency gone too far. I keep going back to Christian’s post on anonymity, or rather the lack thereof. I keep going [...]
26th January 2007 at 8:10 am
understanding » What’s Appropriate says:
[...] light of all this, and particularly the questions that Open Source Classroom raised, and the responses that Will Bishop offered, I’ve gone back to ones of my posts and [...]
26th January 2007 at 4:18 am
Can transparency be detrimental? | Crucial Thought says:
[...] blogged about my concerns about blogger transparency before. This time it may have taken its [...]
26th January 2007 at 2:49 pm