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Wednesday, May 2, 2012

NYC Educator: Not My Job, Man

NYC Educator: Not My Job, Man:


Not My Job, Man

That's essentially the DOE policy on Facebook and social networking. They recommend you not friend your students. No, wait, they STRONGLY recommend you not do so. I recommend the same, to tell you the truth. But my motivations are quite different.

I think it's a bad idea because it's entirely possible your Facebook comments could be printed out and sitting on the principal's desk the next time you get called in for a friendly chat. Do you really want to explain why you chose that particular string of obscenities? Did you mean to imply something about the principal? Your students? It doesn't matter all that much because you can't grieve the letter in your file until you're at a 3020a proceeding and they're trying to take your job. My advice? If you don't want your principal, your class, and your grandmother to see it, don't write it.

DOE has a different perspective. Go ahead, they say. Do