Teachers cry foul over rule change

Teachers rock!

They do a very difficult task that most of us couldn't do! Why are we making it harder for them?

As for this 'censorship of Teacher's private lives'... where does it stop? If Teachers private lives are being scrutinized... then shouldn't we also observe our Nurses', Judges', Reporters', Police Officers', Doctors' and Politicians' private lives too?!

Not likely!

welcome to the real world. lawyers have existed with this rule for years.

What is 'inappropriate sexual conduct,' anyway? Promiscuity? Bisexuality? Homosexuality? If you want your children taught by celibates you'll have to find a religious school run by a teaching order. The 'nothing to hide' argument is so frequently used to attack people who simply want some privacy to relax and be themselves, to vent the aspects of their personality that they know are not appropriate for the workplace. I'm a teacher. Do I swear in the classroom? Of course not, and I don't condone it from my students either. Might I swear in my own time? Well, yes. Do I wear sexy outfits to school and act flirty? No, that would look unprofessional and blur boundaries of appropriate teacher-student interaction. Do I have the right to wear a sexy outfit and act flirty at a party? I jolly well hope so. And my fitness as a teacher should not be judged on that basis.

As a teacher myself I would like to ask this question... We have students in our care for approximately 7 hours a day. Who has them for the rest of that time? Their parents. Do we screen prospective parents to make sure that they are of the highest moral fiber? As previously stated, teachers are always under the scrutiny of someone or another. Whether it is from parents, fellow teachers, senior management, ERO, the government and lets not forget the little darlings themselves. As much as this is my chosen profession and I enjoy it, how many people are willing to compromise their personal lives for their job. I find it frustrating that so many un-trained people are ready to criticize the work of professionals. How many of you questions what your Lawyer or Doctor tells you, compared to analyzing what and how your son or daughter was taught. Children are getting positive and negative messages from every corner of society, so why is it teachers seem to wear the brunt of it. Just as an aside, maybe parents could take anything negative that teachers do as a "teachable moment" to explain to their children that even their teachers are human and make mistakes too.

I disagree entirely with John's comment. It's all in the definition of "something to hide". A few party photos on a Facebook profile construed the wrong way by a board of trustees or similar would be all that's necessary to destroy teacher's career. Then who wins? Not the teacher, and not the student's who lose the services of a perfectly good (if not exceptional) teacher.

Good point Lorri. If the teachers are going to be especially scrutinized and monitored, then so should every social worker, religious priest/minister, police officer , polotition and.... parent for that matter. Although we would dearly love to live in a perfect world we all know that we don't. We also know that most abuse of children happens in their own home through acts committed by parents or relatives. Hey! here's an idea..... why doesn't the Teachers Council simply buy all the teachers a one-way ticket overseas and get it over with. Presuming that at least some members of the Teachers Council have , at some stage, been teachers themselves, then I suggest at least a one year refresher course to enable a more accurate assement of the situation.

It's pretty annoying that you never see articles about how the government has come up with a new reward scheme for teachers who teach in low decile schools or for teachers who have bigger classes, or for teachers who don't leave at 3pm or something. Come on, stop coming up with ways to punish them. I don't know about anyone else, but I would want my kids to be taught by HAPPY teachers, who are well rewarded for the work they do, and aren't threatened with disciplinary action at work for things that go on at home. There's a line of course, illegal activity or perhaps having a dodgy night job should be considered, but going out on the piss on the weekend shouldn't come into question. Your banker does it, your doctor does it, your grandmother's home health care nurse does it!

I agree with Kate's comments and like the case in Australia about the teacher and the photo shots of her and her husband in the magazine. They were private shots which has nothing to do with how they teach. Her students have been told not to sign a petition to get her back or they will be suspended. No wonder we are short of good teachers.

Oh drop the moral high ground John - "if teachers have nothing to hide".. you're taking the article completely out of context. The point is the question of the rights of privacy we, as teachers, expect just as you would expect your rights to privacy upheld. This kind of censoring is ridiculous. Teachers should not be expected to hide away in their houses outside of work for fear of being negatively scrutinised by the public, or to analyise every descion we make for fear of someone 'talking exception.' And as for the "people in a position of trust who are predators" comment - this just highlights the extent of your ignorance. The majority of teachers work hard in their jobs, doing the best they can in increasingly demanding jobs with declining support and recognition. And yet you decide that we are all out to harm your children. Get real yourself. Our kids don't need to be protected from teachers - They need all the support from teachers they can get. Next you'll be wanting to wrap your children in cotton wool, sew up their eyes, plug up their ears and cut out their tounges in keeping with the "see no evil, hear no evil" mentality. Teachers have rights too, it would do you well to remember that when more teachers leave to work overseas where they are treated with more respect.

I too am a quality teacher who loves my job and the rewards of teaching children, and I feel just the same as Kate. We are paid too little and have a huge workload, and to think that now, perhaps, how I spend my weekend and holidays could cost me my job is sick. 'things' are open to interpretation, and who will do the interpretation? We live in a society that treats teachers like pariahs and expects so much for so little. Everytime the govt has a social issue like obesity or fitness levels or even manners, teachers are expected to pull the slack. we are slowly taking the place of parents, rather than being solely educators. if you are going to judge teachers by strict standards fair enough, just keep it in the classroom and schools. If you are going to move outside of these times than lets do the same to parents as well. -Annoyed (lets hope posting a comment on a message board doesnt cost me my job, eh?)