This is not meant to teacher bash, but...

[tw1nsmom]

Could all of you wonderful teachers on the DIS talk to your younger colleagues/student teachers about the appropriateness of discussing your student's work in public?

DH and I had a night out without the kids the other night and stopped by the liquor store to pick up a bottle of wine. When we checked out, there was a relatively young woman at one of the registers correcting papers. I don't care that she was moonlighting (goodness know new teachers don't make a fortune), and I wasn't even annoyed that she was correcting her papers at a front register. During her conversations she let it be known that she was teaching a fourth grade creative writing unit.

What did get my blood boiling is what she was saying. She was calling other clerks (and even one customer) over and saying, "You have got to read this! Have you ever seen anything so bad? I, mean, really...it has stupid written all over it!" When the other clerk said,"I don't know, it doesn't seem that bad to me," she said, "Well, it was written by one of my lower functioning student...you know, special ed? (she then made a wierd face), but still..."

DH got me out of the store so fast I didn't have a chance to tell her off. She seemed like a fairly new teacher, but please, I don't think any of the teachers on here are going to think it was appropriate.

So, please talk to your fellow teachers about respecting the privacy of their students. She had no idea if I was the parent, aunt, or neighbor of the child in question. If I had been, she would have no longer been working with that child.

 

[Talking Hands]

She is breaking confidentiality and should be told off and even fired. What the heck. You aren't really supposed to speak about your students except with those who work directly with them, principal and their parents or legal guardian.

 

[dmslush]

Hon, I'd do everything in my power to find out where that woman worked, and then I would contact her principal.

 

[goofy!]

......

 

[froglady]

I volunteered as a parent assistant at my children's school. The first rule was that you couldn't work in your child's grade level. The second rule was that you couldn't discuss what happened in the classroom outside of the classroom. It was stressed that we were NOT to mention a student's class work to anyone other than the teacher, not even in a positive way, nevermind saying anything negative.

 

[tw1nsmom]

Thank you for your responses everyone. I wasn't sure if I was being too sensitive. As many know DS5 has special needs and we've been through a lot lately.

I did decide to take some action. A few minutes ago I called the liquor store and spoke to the manager. I explained what I saw and heard and what night I was there. I asked him to speak to the teachers on staff about confidentiality and potentially offending customers. He was very apologetic and said he knew who I was talking about and would be speaking with her and the owners. It seems that the owners' child is special needs as well and won't be happy to hear what was said. I decided to go this route since it was most likely to get the message to the actual teacher/clerk. I also, don't know where she teaches, and feel that maybe this might give her an opportunity to change the way she talks about students.

There really are an awful lot of good people out there. Thanks for reminding me that we can all do a little to change attitudes/actions.

 

[daisyduck123]

I agree, that was totally inappropriate of the clerk. I would never do something like that.

Was the student's name in view on the paper?
It was very unprofessional of her, but if you could not see the student's name, confidentiality was not broken.

It is only in violation of confidentiality if--- she was showing the student's name that was on the paper. Teachers are allowed to show student work (although she was not doing it professionally) as long as the name is not in view.

Whenever we want to show student work on the overhead (at workshops, meetings, or even in class to other students as an example, although I would never do the latter unless it was a student not in the class) we are fully able, as long as the name is not in view.

 

[Hannathy]

I agree it isn't the nicest thing to do but unless she was showing the name I don't think it is worth getting someone fired over. Think about it this way what if she called someone over and said read this isn't it great and this is a special needs student. Same offense but positive instead of negative would that have mattered? Everyone talks about what happens at work and as long as she wasn't showing names I think she should just be cautioned to be more considerate of others feelings.

 

[lulugirl]

Wow, I think her behavior was inappropiate and well....not classy.

 

[Alicnwondrln]

wow i am shocked that she would be so stupid but she is young as you said and hopfully she will learn from this

 

[agnes!]

There are some words that could be used to describe this teacher...
Thoughtless, immature, reckless, cruel, classless, tacky...just what I wouldn't want teaching my child. If this is how she behaves in public, I wonder how she acts in the classroom without other adults around?
To the OP...you were only there long enough to pick out a bottle of wine. Who knows what other snarky comments about her students she let fly in public.
Thinking about the confidentiality - If she was calling members of the public over to see the papers and showing her students' work to them there is no way that these outsiders *didn't* see a name or two. To me the tone of her comments is immaterial. I would be furious if one of my DD's teachers revealed her work & her identity to *anyone* other than the school administration without our express permission.

agnes!

 

[laurie31]

I agree it isn't the nicest thing to do but unless she was showing the name I don't think it is worth getting someone fired over. Think about it this way what if she called someone over and said read this isn't it great and this is a special needs student. Same offense but positive instead of negative would that have mattered? Everyone talks about what happens at work and as long as she wasn't showing names I think she should just be cautioned to be more considerate of others feelings.

Aside from what's already been said about how inappropriate it is, and how the OP could have been that child's mom for all the cashier knew, what really bothers me is that this is how she FEELS! Would you want someone working with your children who privately felt that their papers "had stupid written all over them?" A good teacher would see areas in which the child need to improve, not a stupid child.

In other words, not only was the breach of confidentiality a problem, but the underlying attitude. There is a difference between talking about work and believing your students are stupid. I doubt any of the teachers who appropriately display anonomyous student works say, "Check this one out - this kid must be really stupid!"

Laurie

 

[DWDreams]

Aside from what's already been said about how inappropriate it is, and how the OP could have been that child's mom for all the cashier knew, what really bothers me is that this is how she FEELS! Would you want someone working with your children who privately felt that their papers "had stupid written all over them?" A good teacher would see areas in which the child need to improve, not a stupid child.

In other words, not only was the breach of confidentiality a problem, but the underlying attitude. There is a difference between talking about work and believing your students are stupid. I doubt any of the teachers who appropriately display anonomyous student works say, "Check this one out - this kid must be really stupid!"

Laurie

This is how I see it too. Confidentiality is a big enough issue, but the namecalling and attitude toward the kids is unacceptable. Although I'm not sure I'd have handled it any differently because what more can be done, I hate the fact that this girl probably feels badly about having been caught, but not about how she feels. She'll continue it I'm sure, just maybe not in public.

 

[lbgraves]

I feel sorry for the children she is responsible for in school. She has put up a huge barrier for them with her terrible attitude. Every child deserves a teacher who is actually willing to help them & believes in them.

 

[California Girl]

Around here, the school districts would probably frown at a teacher working at a liquor store. They couldn't take any action, but some might question whether or not that would send a mixed message...

 

[Crazy4mandms]

What did get my blood boiling is what she was saying. She was calling other clerks (and even one customer) over and saying, "You have got to read this! Have you ever seen anything so bad? I, mean, really...it has stupid written all over it!"

Maybe she should have questioned herself instead, asking herself if SHE is failing that child somehow...not teaching him appropriately. I'm not saying that she actually was to blame, there are kids of all different abilities and some who never can learn specific concepts, however; as a teacher myself, when a child does poorly in my class whether they are so-called 'low-end' or 'gifted' for that matter, I always take a look at myself first. What could I have done differently? How can I get through to this child? What can I do so that his/her next paper DOESN'T have 'stupid written all over it"?

I would never in a million years talk about a student that way, even if it were to my fellow teachers! There might be a bright spot in this! To be a teacher I believe you must absolutely love what you do and love the kids with all your being to survive in the job......her attitude tells me she'll be burnt out very quickly and she wont' be around to demean little kids anymore!

 

[DisneyCP2002]

I agree with others that it is not an acceptable behavior. When I'm outside of the classroom I feel like the parents are watching me enough as is. You never know where a parent or family memeber or close friend might be and you espically if it's a small community.