Teachers encouraged to text

Teachers text-messaging pupils and parents is being officially encouraged, despite concerns about abusive exchanges and inappropriate relationships.

A Ministry of Education team is touring the country addressing parents and senior school staff about online risks and benefits.

The team gave seminars in Christchurch last week and told parents how electronic systems could help manage the attendance of children at school, including by text-message alerts for truancy.

There was also advice about classroom blogs and social-networking sites in education.

Secondary Principals' Association president Peter Gall said schools were embracing text-messaging.

Teachers would text pupils to remind them about assignments or to ask them why they were not at a sports practice.

Many Christchurch schools encourage parents to text notification of absences.

The Press revealed in June that teachers with "little understanding of professional boundaries" had got themselves in trouble starting inappropriate relationships with pupils via text messages.

A 24-year-old drama teacher was deregistered after his professional texts to a pupil became personal, spilling over into a sexual relationship.

Another teacher allegedly sent text messages to a pupil talking about a date, a relationship and a strip dance.

Some parents have also responded negatively to messages advising them their children are not at school, replying with abuse.

Gall said teachers had to apply ethical judgment and stay away from conduct unbecoming of a teacher.

"It's just about making sure that you cover that ground on a regular basis with people and remind them of their responsibilities."

Text-messaging had created anxiety for some teachers.

"I believe we need to embrace those new technologies and look on them as tools that can enhance the learning for students," Gall said.

Hamilton's Vardon School has set up a text-messaging service to update parents on pupil behaviour.

Waikato University professor Ted Glynn, who helped set up the scheme, said the blurring of professional boundaries was "a real concern" for schools.

Parents should be told before a teacher started to text a pupil.

"A lot of things have gone wrong because parents have not wanted to communicate with the school because they fear what they are going to hear."

The scheme at Vardon School had been successful because parents were given positive feedback about their children.

"What we've known all along is that things work better if the school and home are on the same page and work together," Glynn said.

"Kids who get in trouble a lot very seldom get positive information about when they are doing things right. The power of being positive is really surprisingly strong because these parents typically hear nothing but gripes."

The Ministry of Education did not respond to a request for comment.

- © Fairfax NZ News