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When Young Teachers Go Wild on the Web

washingtonpost.com — It's almost like Googling someone: Log on to Facebook. Join the Washington, D.C., network. Search the Web site for your favorite school system. And then watch the public profiles of 20-something teachers unfurl like gift wrap on the screen, revealing a sense of humor that can be overtly sarcastic or unintentionally unprofessional -- or both.

Who dugg this? Made popular Apr 28, 2008

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  • ClipSet, on 04/28/2008, -4/+331Title is very misleading. I was expecting young hot teachers topless. I'm disappointed.
  • BagginsBoy, on 04/28/2008, -2/+110I found a picture of my (female) graduate-student teacher on Facebook making out with another chick at a party, and it was awesome.
  • miranda622, on 04/28/2008, -3/+101People do need to be careful what they put on the web - nothing is private. But I do wonder why the reporter felt the need to "out" the teachers who didn't realize their profiles were publicly available, and removed them as soon as they were contacted for interviews, especially when they could very well lose their jobs over it.
  • jamesov89, on 04/28/2008, -10/+96titsorgtfo
  • chinolofus, on 04/28/2008, -6/+87pics?
  • inactive, on 04/28/2008, -3/+82Um...so? They are people in the twenties doing what they normally do. I think most of them can differentiate work behavior from recreational behavior.
  • OfNumbers, on 04/28/2008, -0/+71"Just to be clear, these are not teenagers, the typical Internet scofflaws and sources of ceaseless discussion about cyber-bullying, sexual predators and so on. These are adults, many in their 20s, who are behaving, for the most part, like young adults."

    Just to be clear, these adults were teens only a fraction of a lifetime ago. Obviously the author was shocked that they could grow up and somehow retain old habits.
  • ControlcChris, on 04/28/2008, -3/+68Where were all these sexed up teachers when i was in school?
  • voodoochild461, on 04/28/2008, -2/+59Teachers have a right to a life too, I learned this when one of them asked my friend to bring in lots of pancakes to school on April 20th.
  • dannyboy3020, on 04/28/2008, -0/+56For some reason, teachers are not allowed to have lives.
  • inactive, on 04/28/2008, -3/+57You mean teachers are actually human beings? They have faults? Unbelievable.
  • mali1, on 04/28/2008, -2/+50Pics or it didnt happen.
  • AronT, on 04/28/2008, -3/+38It is stupid that people are rated professionally based on how they conduct themselves outside of work. If two students have the same degree, same GPA, same qualifications and one is over-looked because they live a lifestyle the interviewer doesn't agree with - that is just plain wrong.

    In all honesty, it makes me want to link my Facebook profile on my resume - if I don't get hired because of what I'm like outside of work then I don't really want to work there.
  • JointheArmy, on 04/28/2008, -7/+41Lose your job over your facebook? I know this ***** happens all the time, but who the ***** cares what they do in their private life. As long as nothing illegal is going on, who cares? It seems like the schools actually troll Facebook and that's a scary thought.
  • mofw, on 04/28/2008, -0/+33messing around with other students
  • grahag, on 04/28/2008, -3/+31I think people need to realize that outside of work, their life is their life. If they're unprofessional at work, then by all means, focus attention on them, but EVERYONE needs to blow off some steam. Cut 'em some slack.
  • cvxdes1, on 04/28/2008, -0/+25Stop complaining about what makes it to the front ***** page.
  • jimmiss, on 04/28/2008, -0/+24This is a generational problem, not an age related problem. Although I can see how the two could be confused. If you are 50+ it's very possible for you to not understand the nature or modern electronic communication.
  • mille716, on 04/29/2008, -0/+23I'm a 28 year old teacher. My district says we can have a profile but just to use common sense with it since obviously students are going to look at it. It really would affect my classroom management if the students were looking at pictures of me when I was really, really drunk last weekend. Most teachers I know just put theirs on private and it's never a problem.
  • AtomicPC, on 04/28/2008, -2/+25HOLY CRAP!! Young adults acting like young adults! Pulitzer prize winning journalism! Or just jizm. What's next people eating turkey at Thanksgiving or buying presents at Christmas?
  • inactive, on 04/28/2008, -1/+23Since when were teachers considered to not be human? O.o
  • cowcowmoomoo1, on 04/28/2008, -6/+27People are so touchy today. Why do their private lives have to be so intertwined with their professions? The two, in the case of teachers, have nothing to do with one another.
  • Puisapres, on 04/28/2008, -0/+20This article couldn't have come at a better time - the other night I googled my professor and found his flickr page, which contained numerous pics of him dressed as Harry Potter and wearing the Gryffindor colors.
  • relic120, on 04/28/2008, -1/+21This is stupid and that reporter is an idiot. Find some real ***** story to write, ass hat.
  • stavrogin2, on 04/29/2008, -0/+18"In Prince William, Rich Davila, a real estate company director and the father of a 6-year-old first-grader, said that when he found a substitute teacher's risque MySpace page recently, he complained to school officials and the teacher was eventually removed. School officials said they cannot comment on the teacher's case, citing personnel rules."
    "The teacher's page includes a painting of a young woman lifting up her dress, exposing her lingerie, and another showing her bare chest. "I felt sick to my stomach when I saw the page," Davila said."

    How the ***** do you father a kid in the first place if you get sick to your stomach seeing a nude painting of a woman?
  • Goya, on 04/29/2008, -0/+18Want to recruit better teachers? Make the pay comparable to other top professions and these slackers will get nudged out. Teaching is similar to being a doctor, you must diagnose the student (learning styles, behaviors), figure out a plan of action and get the desired results. Except teachers deal with 30-40 patients at the same time in one room each with different problems where many do not even want to be there.
    And the summers off argument does not fly, my last paycheck is in may and my next one is in september. Teachers can spread their pay out 12 mos, but they arent getting paid for time off.
  • Kratos76, on 04/29/2008, -1/+18uh, Link please!
  • nickdngr, on 04/28/2008, -1/+17These damn reporters are ruining it for everybody, teachers across the country are going to start privatizing their pages, ruining all the fun for everyone who ever wanted to sleep with a sluttish teacher...
  • DiggzDE, on 04/29/2008, -3/+18I buried this because of it's ridiculous nature. These people are educators but they are also human beings. They have personal interests and such and should be expected to be able to hold a social life outside of their classroom. Expecting teachers to retain some sort of professionalism through all aspects of their life is completely unreasonable.

    I agree that what people (everywhere) put on the web these days is rather idiotic at times (especially if they put up embarrassing information) but almost every example that the author of this article used is just a sensationalist one. These teachers, as long as they don't direct or friend their own students on their profiles, don't seem to be doing anything wrong. They should be allowed to live their own lives as long as they remain professional in their own workplace.
  • handsomeramin, on 04/28/2008, -1/+15You know, I see how it might be a little unprofessional for teachers to make an account on social networks, but who really ***** cares? It is like they track people down, they're still people, and they have the right to the interweb...
  • Lionhart, on 04/29/2008, -0/+13This kind of idiotic reporting is what makes this country a really dumb place to live. People have fun in their free time. Grow up.
  • Ebeach, on 04/29/2008, -4/+17why do I always need to remind people that if It's on the Internet, it's not in your private life.
    And speaking as a public school employee, yes school systems do troll the many networking sites. Oh sure, they don't discriminate on the basis of creed color age or sex, but if you're a young professional with a social life who happens to blog about your Friday night parties, they will find it and use it against you. I've seen it happen many times =(
  • BuzzFriendly, on 04/29/2008, -0/+13The teachers need to retaliate by posting when "Young reporters go wild on the web"
  • vondrak, on 04/29/2008, -1/+13Actually some schools (not just private) have morality clauses that allow for a teacher to be terminated for things done outside of work.
    And teachers aren't the only ones who have that. Look at the NFL, just ask Adam Jones, Michael Vick, etc, etc.
  • OfNumbers, on 04/28/2008, -0/+12Thereby making the rest of us pioneers. Scary *****.
  • PhantomRogue, on 04/29/2008, -2/+14Umm... Who cares what people did or do in their personal time? If they go to swinger clubs, what business is it of mine? As long as they dont start banging their students, who gives a rats ass what they do in their personal time?
  • crazyhorse13, on 04/28/2008, -0/+12The teacher's lounge.
  • Olfster, on 04/29/2008, -1/+13Now did you pay someone to do this for your organization or did you do this investigation yourself? If you paid someone to undertake this investigation the people have a right to know that you used this information as part of the hiring decision and you must inform them of such no matter what state you reside in. My advice, even though not asked for, is that you understand your state and federal law (FCRA) so that the people whose information is used in the hiring have an understanding that this information is available and being used in your hiring decision. If your in California and did not inform them you are breaking the law, whether you undertook the investigation yourself or hired someone. :)
  • Ikulus, on 04/29/2008, -0/+11The implication is that 20-somethings no longer behave like teenagers, which, as we all know in this generation is not true.

    Does this mean previous generations of 20-somethings behaved like "adults"? Or is the internet only shedding light on what always existed?
  • liah, on 04/29/2008, -3/+13Why the hell does it matter what they're doing in their private life as long as they're doing well in their job? Unless they're a pedophile or a murderer, it shouldn't be anyone's business but theirs.

    People have been doing things like this for years. Just because you didn't see it then doesn't mean it was never there. It didn't affect employers then, what right have they got to suddenly start judging people on it now?
  • mcnasby, on 04/29/2008, -3/+13For serious! They couldn't even say the word MILF. Instead they said: "The page features multiple "bumper stickers," including one that uses a crude acronym for attractive mothers"

    A MILF, is by no means crude. Obviously someone doesn't have a true appreciation for American Pie.
  • Pyehole, on 04/28/2008, -7/+17As somebody who is doing much of the hiring in my office I have eliminated more than 1 candidate from consideration based on what I've discovered by looking through either google searches or quick searches on various social networking websites such as myspace and facebook. This has made me very conscious of what I reveal to the world about myself because at some point I'll be moving on and sending out résumés myself...
  • proghead, on 04/29/2008, -0/+10THIS IS LAME.
  • consoneo, on 04/29/2008, -2/+12Welcome to the real world big boy. You're completely wrong. Especially in a "Right to work" state.
  • Senturion, on 04/28/2008, -15/+24No segment of society is immune to stupidity.
    In my opinion, and this is backed up by having a girlfriend who is a teacher, teachers are largely adults who never wanted to leave high school.
  • brettmurf, on 04/29/2008, -0/+9You failed for not knowing what an acronym is anyhow. Sarcasm cannot help you with that one.
  • liuite, on 04/29/2008, -0/+9i clicked on it thinking i was going to find "Young teachers gone wild"
  • brettmurf, on 04/29/2008, -0/+8This applies to people of any age. People of age 50+ will go out and make fools of themselves. The biggest difference is that they usually stay at home instead. Younger people go out and have fun. They also tend to do some more foolish things. We now have our e-profiles to share that with other people.
    We just feel the need to pretend that people are better than they are and uphold them to unrealistic standards. If someone is a great teacher, who cares what their facebook profile says. If it isn't overtly racist or hateful, it does no harm to anyone.
  • mcnasby, on 04/29/2008, -0/+8The interesting thing about this whole scenario is that in the past, teachers, and "adults" alike are painted as these staunch, unyielding and overtly serious creatures. Seemingly on a pedestal - a step above "immature" teenagers. But the internet is changing that perception.

    In a way, it shows how lazy one's personality is if he/she doesn't protect his/her own privacy online. But in another way -- these social networks are revealing how human these people really are. Everyone has a sense of humor, everyone wants to have fun and enjoy themselves. These social networks are just unveiling the true personalities of adults. Surprise, surprise - they like to have fun and joke around. Personally, if I was in high school and found my teacher's Facebook profile and saw that maybe he was a bit of a goof outside of the classroom, and hey, maybe even liked some of the same music -- I'd probably appreciate and respect him that much more. Sometimes I think our society is too uptight and serious for its own good.
  • inactive, on 04/29/2008, -0/+8I wish I wasn't American. Every other country on Earth is better than us. I learned this by reading Digg.
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