One aspect to teaching that I feel
can sometimes scare people a lot is how much of a public figure you become as a
teacher. Everyone will want to know
everything they can about you and within rights I agree. I want to know as much about my kids teachers
as I can, especially when someone new joins the staff. After all this is a pretty big responsibility
they have, working with the children and future of our planet. This plays into so many aspects of the
classes we have been taking but I honestly feel there has not really been any
concrete informed information about the idea of digital citizenship presented
to us. Some profs will tell you to
change everything about you on the internet so people can’t find you on there
while some more level headed ideas prevail with a pretty simple but striking
line – think about what you post and who really needs to see it.
I love some advice I got while just
getting started in the College
of Education - while many
of my peers were changing their names on their facebooks and hiding themselves
online a friend and established teacher and school administrator said to me,
"Why try and hide who you are in any parts of your life? It seems like a rather dishonest action for
someone who is in charge of teaching the future of our world. If it is not something to share with everyone
why share with anyone to begin with."
Yes the internet and all that entails can be a fun place to be connected
with friends from everywhere but at the same time this is just another
extension of who you are and is who you really are something that needs to be
hidden away? If so is this really the
profession you should be trusted to be in?
So to you, my readers, I ask…who are you?
Who I am
I am
Who I am
and
Who I am
I
am
I’ll never tell you
sorry
for being who I am
because
that is who I am
nothing less
always more
Just as you are
who you are
and they are
who they are
We are all the same,
as different as the
colours of the rainbow
