I've got a bone to pick... and I'm gonna pick it here...
Recently, in the news, there was a bunch of hoopla about a teacher (Natalie Monroe) writing about her opinions, observations and experiences in her teaching career. She said a bunch of stuff that was true to her, and to a lot of people in the teaching profession, as well as non teachers. It also struck quite a nerve with her Superiors, her students and with her students parents.
I gotta say this... WE LIVE IN A FREE COUNTRY... and she can write about whatever she wants to write about... ESPECIALLY SINCE SHE DIDN'T MENTION ANY NAMES... It's really no different than someone writing a novel online on a blog... just because someone sees similarities in their lives and the novel, doesn't mean the novel is about them.. ya know?
Having been accused, recently, very recently, of writing about "things I shouldn't be" writing about, like, my experiences in life, my kids, my life, my cooking, my extended family, my being Italian and loving it (I know, I know... sooooo stupid to be called out on writing ABOUT MY LIFE!!! Oh, shudder the thought!!!) I can totally understand the blogging teacher's feelings, on a much smaller scale, of course... I won't pretend to understand what it feels like to be under the nation's scrutiny. It's RIDICULOUS to call her out on her words if she didn't mention names or pictures... because really, for all we know... she could have been making it up too...writing stories... maybe thinking out loud on possible manuscripts... WHO KNOWS... WHO CARES!!!
Have you ever been to the movies and seen the little blurb at either the beginning or the end of the movie that says something like... "Any similarities in the characters lives and your life in completely coincidental" or something like that... THERE IS A REASON FOR THAT!!!!! PEOPLE ARE CRAZY and REALLY believe if a movie character has blonde hair and her name is Daphne, and drives a red car and lives in a house with a red door, THE WRITER OF THE MOVIE STOLE HER LIFE and put it up on the screen!!!
If this teacher's experience at school was with lazy kids, kids that cussed, talked about sex all the time, talked about drug use all the time and were rude, "entitled" and disrespectful... WHY IS SHE WRONG TO SAY SO???? Did she say... "Sally Saucy is a rude, entitled hag, whose parents don't give a darn about her"???? NO... she was using GENERAL TERMS... no different than a newspaper columnist writing about the state of our public schools.
Get off that poor Natalie Monroe's back!!! I, for one, feel for her! Would I write about my students? No, unless I am bragging about how fantastic they are... because they really are... but any problems I have with any students aren't going to be broadcast on a blog... but if that other teacher wants to... SHE TOTALLY CAN!!! Sally Saucy's Mama is gonna have to deal with it... and parent her daughter better, if she "see's" herself in the blog post...
