Being a teacher, the way that you present yourself and the information about you that is accessible is extremely important. I am sure all of my fellow educators can attest to that. I’ve heard all sorts of horror stories on the news and from word of mouth with similar plotlines; a teacher lost their job because of something about them on the Internet. Being young as I am, it’s not unusual that I have had a Facebook page for all of my college years and used to have a MySpace page during high school. In earlier years I even had a LiveJournal account that got me into some trouble because of what I had posted there. Being selective about how I am represented online is nothing new to me. I have had to “clean up” certain aspects of my online life to make sure false impressions of me are not held by potential job interviewers and bosses. I personally feel the standards to which teachers are often held by society are unfair and impossible to meet. There can, however, be little done about that. All anyone can do is be proactive regarding what about them is out there and defensive about keeping particular information and media private.
Here are the initial steps I took upon graduating from college to protect my privacy. I would suggest any professional, especially teacher do the same.
-Make your Facebook profile as private and secure as possible. You can customize what content from your profile is viewable and by whom.
-Untag or remove photos of yourself on any social networking sites that may not show you in a particularly favorable or professional light.
-Make sure you have a professional e-mail address and voicemail message.
-Google yourself to see if your information and profiles are easy for anyone to find.
Even if you do take all of these precautions, particularly those related to social networking, your reputation still may not be safe. This article by CBS journalist Erin Moriarty explains the dangers in assuming you have complete control over your own privacy. It also illustrates perfectly my previous reference to teachers losing their jobs over materials posted online. Reading about Ashley Payne's situation really makes you think, doesn't it? Gone are the days when one could simply deny public drinking or any other "unteacherly" behavior. Now principals can just pull up a close-up, color photo and interpret it however they like. Don't let something like this happen to you.
Downplaying or hiding your private life isn’t all you should do to work on your rep. Be proactive and take advantage of online tools and profiles that can highlight those things about you that you want people in your profession to see. This week I created a Google Profile which serves as my online “About Me” page. I can use this profile to introduce and promote myself as a teacher and also show off my websites such as this very blog. Once I begin teaching, I could provide links to pages for students and parents, to podcasts, and any other useful and relevant material. For helpful tips on creating my profile, I found some of the tips in this blog posting to be quite helpful. If you are a business person, you should find it of particular interest.
Ultimately it is up to you to be in control of what information about you goes on the Internet. If you want to take the chance of posting pictures on Facebook that could have an adverse effect on your career, it’s a decision entirely left up to you. It would be incredibly difficult to prevent anyone else from posting pictures, videos, and personal info about you online. In my opinion, it’s a crazy world we live in where you have to try. I’m of the mind that what you do in your personal time, assuming it is legal, should have no effect on your job status. Sadly, that is not the way things work anymore. Today you can be fired for holding a beverage in your hand and having the audacity to post it to your private social profile. Whether you agree with me or not, just be aware of what your online actions could mean for your future – good and bad.
Moriarty, E. (2011, February 6). Did the Internet kill privacy? CBS: Sunday Morning Retrieved from http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/02/06/sunday/main7323148.shtml (2011, February 24).
Haydon, J. 2009, August, 11). 27 ways to breathe life into your blog’s “about” page .Retrieved from http://www.johnhaydon.com/2009/08/writing-blog-about-page/ (2011, February 24).
Jhall, you stated that being a teacher, the way that you present yourself and the information about you that is accessible is extremely important.
ReplyDeleteYou are so right! The information you share and the way you present yourself to others is of the upmost importance. I was watching the news and they did a segment on what employers look for and where they look. There was a young lady that was extremly qualified for the position she applied for but the employer looked on facebook and saw pictures of her not on her profile but a friend of a freind at a party and for that reason she didn't get the job. She never thought it would be an issue but those pictures came back to haunt her. So basically we canb control what we put but we can't control what others put about us.
Hi Jessica,
ReplyDeleteYou wrote, "Gone are the days when one could simply deny public drinking or any other "unteacherly" behavior. Now principals can just pull up a close-up, color photo and interpret it however they like. Don't let something like this happen to you." Please don't take this as criticism - I am not criticizing - but VERY curious.... after reading your blog, why didn't you change your profile picture? I understand that you are not teaching at the moment, but don't you think that a potential employer might think twice about you just because of that picture? I don't think that is fair, IN ANY WAY, but that is the way things are going in this technology age, and I am afraid that you may fall victim to the same fate. You, yourself wrote, "Ultimately it is up to you to be in control of what information about you goes on the Internet. If you want to take the chance of posting pictures on Facebook that could have an adverse effect on your career, it’s a decision entirely left up to you." Of course, what you have as your profile picture is your choice, but after reading what you wrote, it certainly makes me curious. "Today you can be fired for holding a beverage in your hand and having the audacity to post it to your private social profile."
You mentioned "I personally feel the standards to which teachers are often held by society are unfair and impossible to meet." Yes, I agree that it is unfair - but we chose this profession and all that comes with it. The best we can do is protect ourselves and put our most positive self out on the Internet.
Thanks for sharing.
Christi S
Christi,
ReplyDeleteThe drink I am holding is the butterbeer beverage sold at Universal Studios. It is non-alcoholic, and that fact is easy to prove. But thanks for your concern! It is a valid point.
Great post. One reason i decided to comment was because you are speaking from the perspective of a young person, a "digital native" perhaps, that has "had a Facebook page for all of my college years and used to have a MySpace page during high school." I sometimes question the way teachers' personal lives can be scrutinized unnecessarily. I am waiting for the time when school administrators, and even school board members, are digital natives and all of this is not such a big deal. They will have grown up with an online presence and there will be a much broader understanding of social technology.
ReplyDeleteI firmly believe that one should take an active role in their online identity. In other posts I have stressed the importance of teaching digital responsibility to my students, and the consequences of not doing so. The best way I can do that is by practicing what I preach.
You mentioned that you have had an online presence for years through Live Journal, MySpace, and then Facebook, but then cleaned these up. Did you find it difficult to eliminate the aspects of your life that you wanted to keep hidden or was it all relatively simple to remove? It is sad that we as teachers must remove things such as this because someone may not like what is posted.
ReplyDeleteI like that you suggested that people should be proactive rather than sit back and not do anything about their online identity. Obviously eliminating embarrassing stuff is important, but the suggestion of creating a Google profile to later use with your classroom is a great way to create a positive online presence. Also, I know you recently opened a Twitter account. Would you ever consider listing that on your Google profile or would that fall into the category of private life?
Anyway, thanks for the interesting perspective!
Great post! Every time I have been required to take an ethics course or even in my orientation for OCPS, I also left feeling terrified to be a teacher. Feeling as though I would have to live like a munk if I was going to keep my job. I do feel that it is unfair pedastool that we have been put on, but at the same time (as a mom) I feel that teachers don't just teach in the classroom, they are life teachers. We are held to this higher standard because our students don't just take from us grammar, addition and history lessons; they are learning how to communicate, manners, rules, body language, respect and so many things that we don't even realize. I noticed that at the beginning of every day, after students have been working on their morning work that I say, "let's get this party started!" I didn't realize I said it all the time until my students started saying it just before I did! And when parents call and say that their child threw a fit with homework because "that's not the way Mrs. Harrar does it" (which by the way I tell them to do it the way that gets them the right answer). My point, we teach students more than you could ever realize. Even in the social light when students are not really there to SEE you, the know. They know exactly who you are and if they are older, they will surely try to find out more than you want them to know. It's about keeping the boundaries in place so that respect is always given.
ReplyDeleteWith that I do agree that it is unfair that we can't just simply enjoy all the pleasures of life without having to double check over our shoulders. I remember going to my sister's bachlorette party and having to tell all of my friend not to post pictures of me. This of course meant that I would be excluded from many pictures and of an event that was special.
Your advice is spot on. I have googled myself many times just to see what I would find. I keep my facebook private, and I surely watch was I say. I can't say that I live like a munk, but I try my best to give the most professional impression, with a little personality.