Originally posted by margison
You do realise that it's a lot more common for students to slander their teachers, right? Why is it perfectly acceptable for kids and teenagers to insult people that try to help them, but then it's not allowed for the teacher to express herself?
As far as I'm aware, calling somebody names online isn't illegal, so her actions probably aren't illegal. Yes, they were out of line for her to have made the comments in the first place, but you even said yourself he probably deserved it.
You acknowledge that she isn't being malicious, so why do something that could lead to her losing her job? You can call me a joke all you want, I still think you're a douche.
Oh, and calling yourself Anonymous at the bottom of the word document... Classy :ha!:
Edit:
Oh, and I just re-read through some of the stuff you posted, apart from referring to him as PITA she doesn't seem to say anything bad about him from what I've read.
You are funny. You are trying so hard to hold a good argument. Anyways, my dispute. :lol:
I do realize that this is common for students to be disrespectful to teachers in school, but it is far from acceptable. I am not sure what school you go to, but at my old school if you called a teacher an offensive name your punishment would be much harsher that just a day in detention, or a stern "Don't do that". So, if a student would get in trouble for this, why shouldn't the teacher? If you are up to current events a lot of schools are cracking down on cyber-bulling. Though I would not consider the teachers actions as cyber-bulling, I will tell you that she would have received punishments for her acts. Especially if she was at my school where cyber-bulling rules are very strict.
Here is an example so that you may better understand the schooling system. If a student had said the same things as that teacher, but about one of the student's teachers he would most likely be expelled. Even if he said the names in a manner that this teacher did. Which on another note. You see these comments as "playful", but you should better understand the teachers background. She is an American teacher and knows better than this. She would understand that teachers have been fired many times for what she did. So her name "Sarcasmo" is stab at the native language of Honduras. If you read more closely her tone is more condescending than anything. Through reading other posts this tone is further confirmed.
You are right that people should express themselves. Like how you called me a douche bag. When you typed that it probably made you feel better. It probably made you feel as though it would hurt me some how. I actually find the way people act very interesting. The topic itself isn't so controversial. It's just stubborn people looking to prove something. Maybe you are trying to defend the teacher, because you have been in trouble for "expressing" your feelings about someone in the past. You don't have to respond to this paragraph, but I would like you to think about it. Perhaps consider the idea that your judgement may be swayed.
The problem is that while it's not technically illegal to say something hurtful about someone online, someone can press charges. It's not like there is some internet police going around enforcing the law on defamation. It's a real thing. Go look it up. So to call someone offensive names is not illegal, but it's not legal either. Maybe if she was an anonymous blogger, meaning no student/affiliate of the student could go to the blog and see what she said about him, it would be a different story. I am not entirely sure what the Honduran law about such things is. Though I assume the establishment for which the teacher works will take the appropriate actions, because ignoring it would only reflect the establishment itself.
So why would I do something that could cause her to lose her job? Where did you hear that? The chances are that she won't. Whether she is fit to be a teacher, or not is something of another matter. All I want is to give this student a chance to defend himself. Have you even considered the feelings of the student. In the blog she describes a community in which the education is not at it's best. At one point she describes where a student found a bullet in the playground. The chances are the student doesn't know any better. So how does publicly humiliating him help anything. It would only cause friction between the student and the teacher. This would hinder his education and not help him in any way. Believe it, or not adult leaders have a great impact on children and even teens. Studies show that if an adult says something hurtful to a child it is more likely to cause a greater impact than if they were told something hurtful by another child.
It truly amazes me that you could only consider the feelings of that teacher. What she did made her feel "good". Guess that's all that matters right? The fact that she made the student feel like crap doesn't even register huh? And don't say he didn't care, or she didn't hurt him, because why else would he come here just to find out if she had said those things about him? Then again a computer does some weird things to people like you and that teacher. It gives you the ability to not feel. Your heart is instantly hardened as soon as you touch that mouse. You make fun of me for signing anonymous? Well it looks more formal than "MagicalMonkey". If it's such a big deal "internet tough guy" then why don't you come out from behind your computer monitor? It would probably kill you to do some volunteer work for your real community. Which I have no problem doing.
So whats the point of all of this? That you need to look at both sides of a story. Consider the feelings of both people. There's a bit of wisdom for ya. Do you not think that I didn't look into this before posting? I looked into the idea that the teacher was just being playful and that the student was fine with everything, but after looking into it deeper that is not the case.
You need to examine yourself and realize that your computer monitor doesn't protect you from this very real thing called life. I can only hope that you have learned something here. I hope that you can leave this understanding that I am not here to attack you, that a teacher, or anyone else, but instead I am here to defend the helpless. If this is a debate over freedom of expression, then why can't that student "express" his feelings to an administrator? At least he has the balls to say it in person. Unlike that teacher, but I guess it doesn't matter what you say. As long as you say it from behind a computer monitor.