Sunday, May 18, 2008

Private Life Really?














I read this article today from www.stuff.co.nz.


This is a very interesting article with some equally intriguing comments.

Are teachers allowed to have private lives? Are we bad teachers if we do? Are we a special class of people? Are we solely responsible for the country's future as some believe we are?

3 comments:

MrWoody said...

WoW! this is a serious business - i will leave the profession if a rule like that comes in. it is out of order - what we do in our private lives, if legal, is irrelevant to what we do as teachers, surely.
the moral police drive me nuts at times.
what do others think?

Simon said...

"any conduct that brings, or is likely to bring, discredit to the profession"

The 'is likely to bring..' portion of this statement causes me consern. It immediately throws up the question: "Says who?"

Let's take belching as an example. If I were to do that at my dinner table or the dinner table of any of my 'Western' European friends that it would have been percieved as extremely bad mannered. However, there ARE cultures and societies on this planet who find it deeply offensive if you DON'T, after eating their meal that they have worked so hard at.

So to my original point. Says who?

efreeman said...

I agree Simon. It is an interesting question. What is an acceptable act to some may not be to others. There are not just cultural, religious or gender differences but I dare say there are major generational variations.

And Mr Woody I agree that if we are within the realm of the law then whose business is it. We are human beings after all with the same ups and downs as anyone else.

Thank you for your views