Teacher Loses Job After Commenting About Students, Parents on Facebook

[RamboLiberal]

Facebook users take note: If you want to keep your job, you're better off doing your job-related griping offline.

Massachusetts high school teacher June Talvitie-Siple learned the hard way that a Facebook wall is probably not the best place to spout off about the students and parents in her community.

Talvitie-Siple, a supervisor of the high school math and science program in Cohasset, Mass., was forced to resign this week after parents spotted Facebook comments she wrote describing students as "germ bags" and parents as "snobby" and "arrogant."

Two parents in the community alerted the school superintendent after noticing the posts on her Facebook wall, Talvitie-Siple said. The superintendent, who was on vacation overseas, sent an e-mailing asking her to resign.

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/facebook-firing-teacher-loses-job-commenting-students-parents/story?id=11437248

[Sanity Claws]

1. That teacher needed to be taught some sense

Someone that obtuse and indifferent about her students' feelings does not belong in the classroom.

[Catshrink]

3. She should be fired for being stupid enough to post such comments under her own name.

[DailyGrind51]

25. I hope her students learn the dangers of posting defamatory info under your own name!

Too many young people post embarrassing photos or other negative info, not realizing that parents, school administrators, and prospective employers look at these things.

[proud2BlibKansan]

33. Agreed

[CoffeeCat]

2. It's heartbreaking to see a teacher lose a job...

...over something like this.

She wasn't thinking. Especially if her Facebook "wall" was visible to everyone.

This is heartbreaking, but I guess this is a lesson learned.

[greyl]

21. I'm sure there's a more sensible teacher who needs that job. nt

[DailyGrind51]

26. EVERYONE needs to be careful about where they post and how candid they want to be!

With competition for jobs being brutal, all a prospective employer needs is one questionable Facebook page to exclude you from consideration.

[pipoman]

30. Heartbreaking?

It's heartbreaking to see a teacher lose a job..

Are you this torn up over anyone who loses their job, or just teachers?

[DailyGrind51]

35. You're right, people are losing their jobs everyday with, "Your services are no longer needed".

[CoffeeCat]

38. Ugh...

This thread is about teachers. My comments were about teachers.

That's the most fucked up, ridiculous question I've ever been asked.

:eyes:

[pipoman]

43. Doesn't surprise me

from someone who is all heartbroken over a grown adult doing something completely stupid and having to pay the consequences..

[CoffeeCat]

49. That's not what I said...

I think this IS a heartbreaking situation, but I totally believe that this teacher should have
been fired. I'm not "heartbroken" because this teacher had to pay the consequences, as you
said.

I'm heartbroken in general, because this teacher did something really, really stupid and she
will have lost so much--due to stupidity. I assume that most teachers go into the field because
they love teaching and the love students--they want to make a difference. When a teacher is fired,
it devastates the children. They don't understand. They just know their teacher is gone. So yes, it is
heartbreaking.

It's also heartbreaking--that someone would put so much into their training and career and throw it
all away over a Facebook post.

I know a lot of teachers. I'm very involved at my children's' elementary school, and I adore
their teachers. I hold a special place in my heart for teachers, as does nearly everyone. I
know how hard all of them work and how much they endure from the principal, the parents and and
the kids too.

I could see this happening to a few of the teachers at our school. There are some fresh-out-of-college teachers at my
children's' school--and when I read about this incident, I imagined something like this happening
to one of them. Yes, they would deserve to be fired.

And the entire situation be a tragedy and a loss.

Gee, DU really is growing into a tough place to be. You make a comment that isn't mean spirited
and you are attacked. I guess everyone has an opinion and some are more caustic than others. Oh well.

[proud2BlibKansan]

34. I don't find it heartbreaking at all.

I am appalled by this teacher's stupidity.

[CakeGrrl]

4. It's one thing not to be tech-savvy, but

If you're on Facebook and can't figure out that the POINT is to be seen and heard from by others, well, you get what you get. Dumb.

[Catshrink]

6. Yep.

I refuse to friend anyone at school, teacher or student, on facebook. It's only for family and very close friends. I probably should be using an alias for that even though I "hide" everything I can and am pretty tame there.

[nadinbrzezinski]

5. There are issues here

that apparently are missed by most. SO I guess we all could be fired for whatever we post here, there or everywhere.

Nice going... if you accept this.... don't feel too bad.

[Sanity Claws]

7. What about the students?

The education system is supposed to exist for the students. She called students germ bags and made remarks about their parents. Students should not be required to put up with that.

[nadinbrzezinski]

10. Are you sure she treated her students badly

because she called the kids germ factories? I call my nephews germ factories, and so does their father... it is an OLD joke.

[RamboLiberal]

13. After teaching kids for karate for about 10 years I can testify

they are germ factories with snotty noses. I loved teaching them, but I also paid for it in colds as did many of the other instructors.

Once I "retired" I rarely have a cold.

[nadinbrzezinski]

15. I try to avoid the nephews when they get a cold

for that reason alone.

[Catshrink]

8. No one I currently work with knows my DU name

so I feel "safe" but am cautious most of the time realizing that anything I post could end up in the news - maybe. Cautious that is about posting specific information about my school or comments that would identify private citizens.

[nadinbrzezinski]

12. There are ways to identify you

if somebody is motivated enough to do it. And truth be told, most of them take less than five seconds to anybody with the technical skills.

We know a white hat... a friend of my hubby... let's just say we are far more aware of how easy it is to uncover online personnas.

This is just another signal that we are in completely new territory and applauding this is not a good thing for that reason alone.

[RamboLiberal]

9. Glad Facebook wasn't around when I was teaching kid's karate

After having my 2nd strep throat in a month and spending most of the year bouncing from one cold to another I might have posted the little snot noses were germ bags. And being pissed parents brought them sick to class.

And no I didn't hate the kids - heck I was teaching them for no pay. I enjoyed the little rug rats most of the time.

Lesson in this though. Anything posted online can come back to bite you in the butt.

[nadinbrzezinski]

14. Lesson in this though. Anything posted online can come back to bite you in the butt.

BINGO!

[texastoast]

16. Point

And the social networking sites are going to haunt many for many years to come, sort of like having taken some regrettable photos and have them surface at very inopportune times.

It will be interesting to see how much social network postings will affect posters' opportunities. This particular instance is the canary singing loud and clear for all who will listen.

[nadinbrzezinski]

18. Exactly and they already are

this is just the leading wave.

[msanthrope]

19. She disparaged her employer, and the parents of the kids. I'd fire her, too.

"After writing on Facebook "I'm so not looking forward to another year at Cohasset Schools," she added that the community was "arrogant" and "snobby.""

[nadinbrzezinski]

20. So you'd be fine if she did it in private conversation

at the local Denny's? But not if this was on FB.

Be careful what you wish for.

[msanthrope]

23. One doesn't have 'private' public conversations.

If one is in a Dennys, and is being loud enough to be overheard, one doesn't have a reasonable expectation of privacy.

I might fire her for sheer stupidity alone.

[nadinbrzezinski]

36. I recommend you take your browser to the ACLU

and read what they have to say about shit like this.

[Mariana]

24. I wouldn't be fine if she took out an ad in the newspaper

saying those things. Would you? How is this different?

[nadinbrzezinski]

37. Again I recommend you point your browser to the ACLU

website for clarification.

I think they do a wonderful job of perhaps explaining this.

And yes it is different... or at least it should.

Careful what you wish for. You may think you are hard to track, but if a company is determined they can find reasons to fire you from what YOU POST here on DU... oh but my handle is not my real name... anybody with the skills can track your real ID in ten minutes flat if they need to.(Yes I am taking into account net burps)

[WinkyDink]

45. Public-school teachers work under a rubric perhaps other employees don't. I know I could not have

bad-mouthed the Board of School Directors, Superintendent, or school policies without some type of reprimand or worse.

[OhioChick]

11. Classless actions on her part. n/t

[SoCalDem]

17. Posting online is like writing a postcard..

No privacy is assured..

[flvegan]

22. Never say out loud, nor publish anything online you don't want read back to you in court.

Some of the best advice I ever got was from John Gotti. I added the "publish online" part to reflect today's day and age. He'd agree with me.

[Dorian Gray]

27. Well....

duh.

I'm sorry, but it takes an IDIOT to publicly complain about a job on facebook.

[uncommon]

28. This community is really close to where I live --

honestly, people should be able to complain about work when they are not at work all they want. I find this pretty creepy and fascist.

[Kat45]

39. And I wouldn't be surprised if they are snooty in Cohasset.

I'm not as close as you are, but I know it's quite upscale.

[mbee]

29. Unfortunately many are leaving the teaching profession

and that includes the very young just starting out. A few young teachers I've heard about lately have left already because they could see how they have no say so in what goes on.

[proud2BlibKansan]

31. Stupid teacher

Bookmarking to use whenever anyone claims teachers don't get fired.

[LiberalAndProud]

41. In the interest of furthering this discussion ...

Is "forced to retire" different from firing?

I'm thinking her future would have been less than comfortable at her job, given that her disdain (perhaps warranted) for the parents she would be greeting at the PTCs was made so public.

I'd like it if this teacher would exercise the options available to her to try to retain her job. It would be an interesting case study for a myriad of issues. Do you agree?

[proud2BlibKansan]

44. Kinda sorta

If a teacher isn't eligible for retirement you can't force it.

What options would allow her to keep her job? Certainly not in that same school.

[LiberalAndProud]

47. Not tendering the asked-for resignation would be the first step.

It seems to me she didn't demand due process. I don't blame her, it would be hell to try to stick it out in the school, but still ... I wish she'd give it a go.

[rucky]

32. Gee, it's just so hard to fire a teacher.

Yet fired teachers seem to make daily news - sometimes in wholesale.

Can we bust that myth about the teacher's unions, now?

[Joe Fields]

40. She should have been disciplined, but should not have lost her job.

The teacher should have been coached by her superiors, but other than that, no serious action should have been taken.

If she really feels that way, then she is definitely in the wrong profession.

[REACTIVATED IN CT]

42. We had a Superintendant here in CT that got into trouble

for the same sort of thing - posted job related info on FB. Personnel matters, no less.
http://www.wfsb.com/education/24538424/detail.html

[TheKentuckian]

46. Facebook is a trap. Go vanilla or don't go at all.

[Wilber_Stool]

48. I was a substitute teacher for two years.

I once told my kids that teaching them was more fun than being hit in the face with a board full of nails. But not much.
They didn't fire me.