Mocking Teachers Online: A Student's Right?

**RosesrReder, BSN, MSN, RN** · Jun 23, 2011

Wow, those brats deserve to be punished and learn how to respect others. It is ridiculous that the suspension was lifted. Where is the accountability on their actions.

I feel so sorry for those who have been victims of this.

Whispera, MSN, RN · Jun 23, 2011

While I'd have some sympathy since the people doing the postings are kids, and would hope their parents would do something, it's still libel. I don't know if there could be legal consequences for a kid being libel-ous or not. I don't know what it would accomplish other than to make the teacher/principal a bigger target. I kind of think the faculty person is in a no-win situation if things are overlooked, and ultimately, so is the child.

I was stalked online, by a teenager, once, on a "bulletin board." Remember those? I ignored him and then he started calling my home. I don't know how he figured out who I am. Anyway, I got the owner of the bulletin board involved, he called the child's parent and the parent took appropriate action. Thank heavens he did! It's creepy.

It's also creepy to have someone say things about you online. It's such a violation of self. I bet that someday soon there will be laws developed about it that aren't out-there now. I hope it will happen sooner rather than later.

concernedMD · Jun 26, 2011

It's neither libel nor slander if not presented as fact and if it does not result in monetary loss. You ladies should know better.

VickyRN, MSN, DNP, RN · Jun 26, 2011

It's neither libel nor slander if not presented as fact and if it does not result in monetary loss. You ladies should know better.

"Ladies" and "should know better"?? ???? :eek: :uhoh3: This is a condescending way to address the professionals who frequent this forum. Also, if we "should know better" why is this topic being hotly debated across many educator forums at the moment? :twocents:

Freedom42 · Jun 26, 2011

It's neither libel nor slander if not presented as fact and if it does not result in monetary loss. You ladies should know better.

Monetary loss has nothing to do with whether a statement is deemed libelous or slanderous. It is legally possible to defame someone with statements that are not false but are misleading, i.e., holding the subject in a false light.

jmqphd · Jul 3, 2011

There is another side to how social media influences education. Very few faculty members these days are tenured. (College/University tenure systems are like a medieval guild.) There is actually a glut of PhD's that have worked for years as postdocs, and they finally end up as lecturers, doing the teaching while the full profs... do whatever full profs do.

Life as a lecturer/non-tenured asst. prof, is tenuous. Promotion and the next year's contract is heavily weighted upon student evaluations. Get slammed by the students, get replaced. In addition, there is a growth in websites dedicated to rating professors... Enlightening posts like "Dr. Jones, Faber College, Biochemistry: Makes us read the chapters in the book and gives us essays to write. Puts crimp in college life" (or similar).

As a result of these pressures, of which Social Media is a part, courses are getting hugely watered down. University students are showing on standardized tests that they are... hardly getting educated at all. It is part of what is being called the "Higher Education Bubble".

I don't think this is what the OP was interested in, but to me, it is a bigger threat to education than the occasional creepy kid determined to slime their teachers. As far as the action of the courts goes... needless to say, law suits are crap shots and who knows what a judge will say or do.