“Teachers should be celebrated for the wonderful work they do
Teachers should be praised for all the children they inspire, motivate and support
Teachers should be commemorated for all the passion they ignite
Teacher’s should be rewarded simply because they are kind of a big deal.”
A poem by Hafsa Ahmad
Blog no. 1
I found the PGCE Group A computing lecture on Friday on Online Safety fascinating, informative and controversial! I thoroughly enjoyed the class debate that ensued! And loved hearing Yasemin’s personal stories and lived experiences first hand. It got me thinking about professional boundaries and specifically with regards to social media. I recall when I was 17 (a decade ago!) there was a social media site called Bebo (I think!) and I remember half way in to the academic year my newly qualified AS level History teacher somehow found me on the site and sent me a friend request. He was a young chap from Australia, about 23/24 years old. I was surprised to see a request from him so I browsed his profile for a moment and found it very odd to say the least to see his personal life and somewhat intimate pictures on his profile . I rejected his friend request and blocked him from finding me on the site. For the first couple of weeks it was very odd and frankly quite awkward seeing him during my History lessons but as time went on the awkwardness as it were eased. I suppose he may have thought that as there was only a 5/6 year age gap, and I was no longer in compulsory education that it would be okay to be “friends” outside of school. Perhaps the teacher/student culture and practice in Australia is culpable. Nevertheless, even in hindsight I think his actions were wrong, it really does not matter how blurred the boundaries may seem because of age or any other factors; teachers must remember they are in a very privileged position of trust and they must adhere to professional guidelines and standards at all times. At a time when society’s use of social media and technological advances are at an all time high, we as NQT’s need to ensure we are well-read in our understanding of Online Safety so that we can protect both the children we teach and ourselves.