http://budtheteacher.com/blog/2005/02/06/anonymity-really/ Inquiry & Reflection for Better Learning Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:04:08 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 http://budtheteacher.com/blog/2005/02/06/anonymity-really/comment-page-1/#comment-1605 Kristy Thu, 08 May 2008 00:01:17 +0000 http://budtheteacher.com/blog/?p=30#comment-1605 I would consider blogging anonymously because I currently think I am not very good at my job. I am a new teacher, but not completely new, and I don't always handle things in the way I wish I had. I sometimes get as much as a full month behind on grading and do my lesson planning on the way into work that day. My classroom is often chaotic and noisy. I've used curse words in front of students when something has gone wrong. I kicked a student who was smashing my fingers in his grasp. I'm pretty sure that I have students who failed my class because I didn't do a good enough job teaching. These are things of which I am ashamed, but that I would like to handle better next time. In the meantime, I would rather my colleagues not know about the things I do that I do not consider to be professional. I don't want my honest requests for help or ideas to be able to be used as ammunition against me later. I would consider blogging anonymously because I currently think I am not very good at my job. I am a new teacher, but not completely new, and I don’t always handle things in the way I wish I had.
I sometimes get as much as a full month behind on grading and do my lesson planning on the way into work that day. My classroom is often chaotic and noisy. I’ve used curse words in front of students when something has gone wrong. I kicked a student who was smashing my fingers in his grasp. I’m pretty sure that I have students who failed my class because I didn’t do a good enough job teaching.
These are things of which I am ashamed, but that I would like to handle better next time. In the meantime, I would rather my colleagues not know about the things I do that I do not consider to be professional. I don’t want my honest requests for help or ideas to be able to be used as ammunition against me later.

]]> http://budtheteacher.com/blog/2005/02/06/anonymity-really/comment-page-1/#comment-1105 Amy Sun, 14 Oct 2007 06:19:28 +0000 http://budtheteacher.com/blog/?p=30#comment-1105 I just began a teaching blog recently. It's on a site with my name attached. I was not worried about this at all, but suddenly as I've been mentioning to people that I started a blog, I'm hearing a lot of cautionary words about going anonymous to protect myself and my job. I too am not much for anonymity; I feel like I have a lot to say about the teaching profession and the reality that we face on a daily basis. If I choose to blog under a fictional name, who is to say that the information shared is not fictional as well? Anonymity places a veil between the reader and the blogger and leaves a lot of unanswered questions in its wake. And yet... I love teaching and certainly do not wish to sacrifice my future in the classroom over a blogging issue. Do I not have the right to share my experiences with others, simply because I am a teacher? Have I sacrificed the freedom of speech that everyone else takes for granted simply by virtue of the profession I have chosen to embrace? I just began a teaching blog recently. It’s on a site with my name attached. I was not worried about this at all, but suddenly as I’ve been mentioning to people that I started a blog, I’m hearing a lot of cautionary words about going anonymous to protect myself and my job. I too am not much for anonymity; I feel like I have a lot to say about the teaching profession and the reality that we face on a daily basis. If I choose to blog under a fictional name, who is to say that the information shared is not fictional as well? Anonymity places a veil between the reader and the blogger and leaves a lot of unanswered questions in its wake. And yet… I love teaching and certainly do not wish to sacrifice my future in the classroom over a blogging issue. Do I not have the right to share my experiences with others, simply because I am a teacher? Have I sacrificed the freedom of speech that everyone else takes for granted simply by virtue of the profession I have chosen to embrace?

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