Plainview-Old Bethpage Central School District Requests the Community’s Input on Superintendent Search
The District welcomes your thoughts by responding to the survey link at http://tinyurl.com/POB-Supt-
http://tinyurl.com/POB-Supt-
The District welcomes your thoughts by responding to the survey link at http://tinyurl.com/POB-Supt-
http://tinyurl.com/POB-Supt-
Posts
I read with interest the posting on this blog about teacher facebook accounts. I was also recently made aware of the elementary teacher whose daughter posted pictures of herself and her mom at a Playboy mansion party, pictures that are not locked as private. I agree with the poster who said the teacher is entitled to a private life.
ReplyDeleteWhatever she is doing with other adults, her daughter included, during non-working hours, no matter how incestuous or perverted we might think it is, unless she's convicted of an actual crime, there's nothing the school can do about it. It is disturbing that such pictures would not be made private on facebook.
One cannot help but wonder how this teacher raised her daughter if she'd go to a place like that with her and then allow provocative pictures to both be taken and shared publicly on the Internet. The fact that she teaches a class that's half full of little girls, sickening!!!!!
I can see where nobody would be comfortable raising this issue with the school out of fear of reprisal from this educator with an obviously deviant lifestyle. Maybe Mr. Rosenfeld can make a general statement to all the elementary teachers about Internet photos.
Why just 'elementary teachers'? Why not making a statement to all teachers and for that matter all parents. Do you think anyone wants to see 'deviant lifestyle' photos on your pages?
ReplyDeleteI agree. We are trying to convey to our students that drinking and drugs are unacceptable, so why is OK for a middle school teacher in our district to post pictures of herself partying and drinking margaritas. Just as parents are told to lead by example, so should our educators. It has nothing to do with a private life. Once those pictures are posted it becomes public for her students to see.
ReplyDeleteJust as in business, internet pictures of teachers should be private or not posted at all. It should be policy.
You're absolutely right. The reason I said elementary teachers is because that's what this particular teacher is.
ReplyDeleteIs it true that there's a third grade teacher at Stratford who has a facebook page for the class where she posts pictures of the students? Does the district/board approve of this?
ReplyDeleteThe officers of the PCT have repeatedly warned our members of the need for care when posting on Facebook and other social media. We have told them to think about whether they would want the parents of their students or their own mothers to see their post before they click the button. If someone has an idea for what else we can do, I'd be happy to hear it.
ReplyDeleteI just saw the Playboy mansion photos. Supposedly all kinds of parties go on there including charity benefits. It may not have been as perverted as one might think. What's publicized is the fact that she went into what many would consider a house of ill repute. Her huge smiles in the pictures indicate a support for pornography. Any way you slice it, this is information people do not need to know about their children's teacher.
ReplyDeleteTeachers have the right to post what ever they want on face book as long as it is legal. What some people are missing is COMMON SENSE. Not only for teachers but for anybody who is employed, have parents , and children. Your facebook should only be open to people who are on your friends list if your going to post any questionable pictures or photos
ReplyDeleteThis post was an invitation for members of the community to give their input on the3 hiring of a new superintendant, yet the members of the public who responded spoke about teachers facebook pages! what does that have to do with the search for the next leader of the district?
ReplyDeleteMr. Rosenfeld, I don't think the teachers' union is at fault here. The teacher probably has no idea these pictures are on the Internet. Also, her daughter probably doesn't even realize it's posted as public content. What's happened is that she has now become the brunt of jokes among some of her former students. Word gets out, older kids tell the younger kids. Parents talk. People speculate. Unless someone is willing to identify this teacher by name and risk whatever repercussions that could have, there's nothing anyone can do about it.
ReplyDeleteTo 12/13 @2:31PM,
ReplyDeleteSomehow the threads must have gotten crossed here. I noticed that too. If it makes you feel any better, I followed the link and filled out the survey. I hope others did as well. Thanks for posting the link.
The beauty of the internet is the freedom to choose to view the content. It is the parent's responsibility to teach their child moral responsibility, not your child's teacher. Perhaps you should spend more time educating your childeren and less time stalking your child's teacher's children. And if you don't like the content you find through your excessive stalking, you have every right to hit the "close" button in your web browswer.
ReplyDeleteThe circumstances under which public photos are posted on the Internet are varied, many of which can be totally innocent. To suggest someone is stalking is just as unfair as suggesting this teacher supports incest. What's public is public.
ReplyDeleteIt was recently discussed that anyone on this blog is free to disagree with any posting they want but being polite is really the only way for anyone's thoughts to be taken seriously. It's a shame not everyone ascribes to this idea.
I took at look at the photos in question and I have a few question for those of you who are so quick to judge this teacher. Do you know the context surrounding these photos? It is my understanding that the Playboy Mansion hosts several charity events each year. How do you know that the teacher in question wasn't there supporting a worthy cause?
ReplyDeleteAdditionally, the photos seem to present two, of-age, adult women attending an event on their own time. There's absolutely no nudity in the photos. There's not even alcohol visible in the photos!
Except for the presence of a few girls dressed in what most call "iconic" costumes (they even made a prime time TV show about it!), these photos could have been taken at ANY mansion in any town in any state and no one would know the difference!
Whatever you may think of the Playboy brand and what it stands for (and you are all entitled to your opinions), there is absolutely nothing going on in these photos that this teacher needs to be embarrassed about. If it's true that her daughter works at Playboy, then in my opinion, it's nice to see a mother supporting her daughter's work. I would hope you would all do the same for your children in whatever career path they choose.
The last point I'd like to add is that Facebook has a notorious history of changing it's privacy settings and either not alerting or not being clear with it's users about the changes. Did anyone stop to think that these photos not being private was either an oversight or mistake on the part of the daughter?
There seems to be a lot of judging and finger-pointing on this blog. It would be prudent for everyone to take a moment and ask the relevant questions before jumping to negative conclusions.
What I find most upsetting about this is how off base this all is - it's clear that the first Anonymous poster wanted to start something since they elected to take the whole thread off topic. While it is unclear what axe they have to grind, clearly they have one. However, what is also clear they knows about how social media works, as I can mark my pictures private and only share with my friends but if one of those friends takes a screen shot and shares them there is not much I can do about it. I suggest as a parent you quickly make yourself much more aware of how social media works. And while it may not be stalking, the fact that anyone feels the need to call out a teacher or her family because they saw tasteful photos taken at an conic venue is absurd. I find it rather nice that her daughter has a good enough relationship to share something that looked like fun to me with her mom and was also willing to share with her friends the photos. Seems this teacher/mom has a pretty great relationship with her child - which, for me, is a huge positive in a teacher.
ReplyDeleteWhy are comments being posted selectively here? I posted last night at 10PM and my comment does not appear in this thread. Is it because I'm challenging some of the comments here?
ReplyDeleteed's note:
ReplyDeleteI am sorry that your comment was not posted immediately. Running this blog is not a paying job, and because I have a life away from the computer, I do not always post comments in a consistent manner. There is only one comment that I can remember that was not posted in the last 3 years, of which I considered to be libelous. Almost all the comments that come in challenge someone, your comment was not unusual. I suggest you have a martini and kick your legs up for a while, and have a great weekend.
I heard about this whole thing from overhearing kids talking about it. No, I'm not the one who started the thread. I agree we shouldn't be so quick to judge but I also feel that when children find out about this sort of thing, they talk to each other, rumors get out of control and it's just not what needs to be buzzing around the community. When elementary school kids come home and ask what a Playboy bunny is because they hear rumors about their teacher at a bunny party (the very discussion I overheard), it's disappointing to find out that a simple privacy setting could have prevented the whole thing. As for me, I don't allow my younger ones to go on facebook or any social media site for that matter.
ReplyDeleteWhile we're on the subject, no judging, no pointing fingers, just something we all should perhaps remember to tell our daughters, no matter how old. There are all kinds of crazy people in this world. If a deranged person sees or stalks someone on facebook and comes upon such photos, no matter how decent the pictures may be, real danger could G-d forbid ensue. Bottom line, we all should be careful.
Accusations of stalking, incest, perversion, rumors about where this whole scandal got started - Suzala, I totally support free speech. This blog is starting to get out of hand. The teacher, the kids or adults who first brought the subject up, whether online, on the phone or in person, the teacher's daughter or the children in her class could all be subject to backlash from all of this. The teacher's career and/or her relationship with her daughter could be ruined. The teacher could catch wind of all this and take it out on whatever students she thinks started this (or their parents). Who knows? The wrong individuals could be blamed for this whole thing and who knows what could happen? Remember, there are children involved here.
ReplyDeleteLet's move onto a different topic. Here's one. You might recognize it from the start of this thread.
When I filled out the superintendent survey, I checked off that the long range finances of the district need to be a top priority. I also checked that the new superintendent needs to be visible throughout the district. I suggested we consider what other districts have done to find, hire and retain quality superintendents and see if we can follow suit.
What did others on this blog suggest? What does everyone think the board should be looking for when searching for a new superintendent? We stand on the brink of major change for our district in hiring a new leader. Please, let's everyone share your thoughts.
The unintended power of Facebook is very worthwhile to discuss. It's unfortunate that this debate is centering around judging a teacher but it could very well be about anyone posting a photograph that gets misinterpreted. The NY Times ran an article about people who won't be part of Facebook or who have used it and left because it reveals too much information about people they don't even know. I'm glad this discussion has been civil. I am sorry for whoever is under this intense scrutiny. It's not a crime to be at the Playboy mansion. Maybe not everyone needs to know this much information but it doesn't make someone a lesser professional. Teachers have lives outside of school. I didn't think that our society has become so puritanical. Our kids are exposed to far worse every night on prime time TV.
ReplyDeleteLying on a bed in a provocative pose looking up at a mirrored ceiling, two young women in tiny string bikinis explicitly kissing in the pool with a man beside them with a camera (presumably a photo shoot), the pictures labeled as "party at the Playboy Mansion," you are entitled to a private life. Maybe it was a charity benefit, yes, some of the pictures could have been taken at any mansion in the country and nobody would think twice but nothing was labeled as such so there is no way to decipher what the whole thing was all about and yes, everyone is entitled to their own opinions about what Playboy stands for including people who view it as morally reprehensible. You cannot blame parents for the discovery of such a thing to cause them to question your judgement and morality. It can be interpreted in many ways, not all of which are going to make parents comfortable with you being their child's teacher. It's not about judgement, it's about what's appropriate for children to learn about through the examples set by their teacher.
ReplyDeleteWhen something gets put on the Internet, you can never be sure it will remain private so if you teach young children and you don't want them or your former students or their parents or your employer to find out about it and risk whatever will become of your reputation for it, no matter how "tasteful" you think it was, don't allow it to be posted on the Internet, private or not. Do whatever you want on your own time. Just don't publicly post such things that little kids could come upon.
"Little kids" shouldn't be on Facebook so they shouldn't "come upon" these sorts of things. Concerned parents need to watch what their kids are doing more closely when they are online. There's a lot of stuff more worse than people in tiny string bikinis to see on the internet. Or in newspapers, magazines or on the radio. The world is provocative, from Victoria Secret ads to almost every popular song lyric. It's a tough tim to keep any kid naive. Maybe it's worse to recognize a face associated with what could be considered by some to be a suggestive photo but these images are all around us. One more really won't make a difference.
ReplyDeleteAgreed that little kids shouldn't be on facebook. The problem is that bigger kids do go on facebook and although I can oversee my own children, I can't oversee everyone's. When something gets out and kids start talking, there's only so much a parent can do. It is for that very reason that we all should follow one simple rule. If there's something you don't want the whole world to know about, no matter how innocent, tasteful or positive it might be, if it's something an employer or potential employer might look upon disfavorably, don't allow it to be posted on the Internet. You never know who's going to come upon something, how they will interpret it and who they will tell.
ReplyDeleteLet's call a spade a spade. No 'little child' stumbled across a the facebook page of a teacher's daughter. It was a person with an ax to grind who was searching. Where does it stop? Should parents rifle through teacher's garbage? Maybe teachers should interrogate students on everything that happens at home? I think when you put ANYONES life under a microscope you can find something. Let's leave teachers alone and let's leave parents alone.
ReplyDeleteTo be clear, the TEACHER did not post anything. The teacher doesn't even seem to have a Facebook page! She did not put anything out on the internet for your children or their friends to find - someone went looking... To echo the above commenter, where does it end? Surely no one on this site lives a life so pure that if we did a little digging, we couldn't find something to scrutinize and judge.
ReplyDeleteAs far as shielding your children goes, what do you do about billboards, catalogs and stores in the mall? Are you telling me your children haven't walked past (or into) a Victoria's Secret or an Abercrombie & Fitch store? I find their ads and the half-naked greeters at the door far more objectionable than a mother and daughter laying on a bed with a mirrored ceiling. And really - a provocative pose? They are a MOTHER AND DAUGHTER LYING ON A BED. Get over your judgmental self! It sounds like YOU are trying to instigate something... Find another hobby.
It's just as unfair to call the person who came upon the photos someone with an "ax to grind" as it is to suggest this this teacher is incestuous. In fact, it was former students, older middle school kids, who at the least were perpetuating the "rumor" if not also the ones who made the discovery in the first place. I agree it's possible someone was searching for "dirt" but it's also possible that the discovery was made through only the best on intentions. There's a rumor this teacher is retiring at the end of this year. How do we know a parent wasn't looking for her daughter, who this woman talks about ALL the time (nothing wrong with that), to begin a dialgogue about making her last year in the classroom extra special? Maybe a friend of the daughter's sent the link to a mutual acquaintance. Maybe it was an older kid with a younger brother or sister currently in this teacher's classroom with an ax to grind.
ReplyDeleteWhat I'm trying to say is that we just don't know how and why this got started any more than we know what the teacher was doing that's in question in the first place.
What I think the previous poster is trying to get across is that we shouldn't be too quick to judge either the teacher or the parent. On that I am in complete agreement but I also can see where such a thing would get parents nervous about the well being of their children so I don't fault anyone who's flag went up because of all this.
Why do I have this strange feeling that the teacher in question is posting on this thread?
ReplyDeleteMaybe it's possible there are different standards of morality. When it's children you are responsible for, you cannot blame parents for being concerned. It's not about instigating something. It's about protecting children.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter was in this teacher's class a few years ago. She heard the rumors in school. I told her it sounded like terrible gossip.
ReplyDeleteFrom what I remember this teacher had an arrogance about her. At times, my daughter was frightened by things she did. There was no discussing it. This woman could never be wrong. All that aside, she never did or said anything that would make anyone worry that she could be a pediphile, an exhibitionist or partake in any other behaviors that would harm or badly influence the children. An unreasonable disciplinarian, yes, a child molester, not a chance.
I love reading new postings on this blog. Let's all agree to disagree and move on.
Ed's note: I readily agree with the previous commenter that I think it's time to move on from this one. Instead, I wonder if as many of you posted on this thread, have filled out the questionnaire for the district.
ReplyDelete