This is the letter that I sent to Jennifer Radcliffe, who wrote this interesting story. You can find her (group) blog here, and this is a piece that she wrote in response to her story on blogging teachers. She’s seeking comments — and I applaud her for using her blog to support her reporting. Perhaps you would have a comment or two to share with her?
Begin letter:
Ms. Radcliffe:
I read your article on anonymously blogging
teachers in yesterday’s online version of your paper. I was quite
surprised to find the name of my blog mentioned in the article,
especially since you labeled me as a "chatty, often frustrated,
teacher." The implication, too, of my inclusion is that "Bud the
Teacher" is a screen name and that I blog anonymously.
My hunch is that you were in a hurry and simple Googled
"teacher blog" to see what you could come up with. If you had done a
little more reading, you would have discovered my full name, as well as
information on where I work. Had you continued to read, you would have
found writing I’ve done on how problematic I find anonymous blogging,
particularly from teachers.
Alas, you were probably under a tight deadline and didn’t have
time to do so. An otherwise useful article became tainted by that
oversight.
I do not and have never blogged anonymously, and I do not appreciate
the implication that I have. Teachers should be openly writing about
their practice in order to learn and to educate the public on their
work. To hide behind a pseudonym is usually license for taking
liberties with the truth, and I will never do so. I don’t care for the
suggestion. I do not know if it warrants a correction, but if it does,
would you please forward the necessary information to your editor?
Thank you.
I look forward to your response. Please note that I have also
posted this open letter to you as a blog entry. If you would prefer,
please share your response in the comments section there.Sincerely,
Bud Hunt
http://www.budtheteacher.com
You know… I’m thrilled you wrote this, because I was going to write a blog post slamming that article for much the same reason. (But Theo has been a lousy sleeper this week which has made blog time difficult.)
Obviously someone didn’t do their homework before writing this article. I don’t know about Hip Teacher, but I do read your blog Bud, and I know Vicki (a.k.a. Cool Cat) is quite proud of her blogging and neither of you have ever been in any way secretive about who you are.
Makes me laugh when I hear about all the inaccuracies within Wikipedia.
A friend sent me the link to the article, and I was surprised that — of all the teacher/bloggers out there — she would have picked you and Vicki as examples of anonymous bloggers!!!!
Great letter, by the way. I hope they do issue a correction.
I do not see anything wrong with blogging anonymously. On the contrary, I think it frees teachers to speak openly about their experiences without being concerned with getting in trouble for free speach. I see your point of view, but please see this one too.
Bud, thanks much for writing about this topic … and for pointing me toward your earlier thoughts on the issues of teacher-blogging in the open.
I’ve recently been challenged around this question, so your thoughts are particularly helpful as I continue to sort things out for myself. Hang in here.
Tom
I thought the same thing, Bud. I was thinking … since when have these particular teacher blogs been anonymous? Thanks for writing this Bud, you chatty, frustrated blogger.
Hi Bud
I read the comments on the blog link u include in your article and was shocked to hear how intimidating some of these school systems are & u all from ‘the land of the free’? I hope this is the exception & not the norm… I must admit laughing when i listened to Steve Dembo quite awhile ago say in his podcast “Be careful what you say or for that matter what u write in your blogs – your employer might not like it!” I guess maybe I don’t tackle the contentious issues in my blog and must admit to sometimes exercising self-censorship (out of kindness usually)
I contacted her and she stated that she things perhaps I was a bad example to use. I’m debating on whether I post her responses to mine — I’ve been increasingly cited in articles either incorrectly or just plain wrong. The reporter said that our blog names “had a ring to them” — well that is fine, however, it still doesn’t excuse putting inaccurate information out there!
As one of the other bloggers mentioned in the article, I’m glad to find out that your blog (and Vicki’s) aren’t anonymous. I wrestled with the question of putting my name out on my blog long ago, but once I made the decision, there was never any good reason to change it. I stand by what I say and who I am, even when it requires apologies or other work to fix mistakes.
And glad to find this blog – another to add to my list of must-reads. Finally, also glad to see that Jennifer updated the Chron.com blog about the story!
Keep blogging! 🙂
How Honest Can You be While Blogging?
A while ago, my friend and blogging idol, Bud Hunt, recently wrote about an experience in which someone wrote an article about teachers blogging. In the article, which was poorly researched, the author thought that Bud was blogging anonymously, assum…