The Glade 4.0

Anyway, anything that need be kept private is more than likely inappropriate.

Bare assertion fallacy. This is hardly the case.

This covers all electronic communication, not just web site. That's email, text, phone, basically all the methods today's kids use to communicate.

And when I was a kid, we never got our parents permission. I told my parents what I was doing and that was about it. They never worried 'cause I never gave them cause.

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In time, this too shall pass.

Fine. Again, what must be private?

It's a bare assertion that I agree with a particular sentiment? No, that's called "my opinion."

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“The duty of a patriot is to protect his country from its government.” - Thomas Paine

When I was a student, basically everything. I'd not have communicated with my teacher if I thought they wouldn't have a choice about keeping what I told them to themselves.

A female student might tell her teacher she's pregnant.

A male student may express some fascination for another boy.

The possibilities are limitless, the opportunities are now totally limited. The teacher cannot be a students confidant anymore. Kids often feel they can't trust an adult, now, if there MIGHT have been someone they could have talked to, that's been eliminated.

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In time, this too shall pass.

Certainly not appropriate for a public employee to give private advice on this.



See above.



Where there's a problem, the teacher should report it and/or refer the child to someone qualified to assist them. Sorry, man - I get what you are saying, but your teachers weren't qualified to deal with these issues. They are, just as you say, simply an adult with a bit more experience in the world than the child. Now, that can be helpful, sure, but there are way too many idiots out there to encourage them, as a matter of policy, to give unqualified advice.

Additionally, a good mentor would talk to the kid and let them know they needed to speak with a qualified person and then work to get that kid in front of that qualified person.

"Qualified person" ...

What constitutes a "qualified person"?

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I suspect that varies by state and individual school district. One assumes that it's someone with formal training/education on the various subject matter.

It should be noted that the teacher may be that qualified person, but also may not.

I find this assumption rather laughable. Why must someone be "qualified" to deal with issues of human folly or behavior? What formal training or education is required to give sound advice or an ear to children who might do things a children do?

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Then, no, I don't think you do get what I'm saying. Kids need confidants. Other kids do that for them, but an adult would be better for confiding in for adult issues, and the relationship would already there to allow that to happen. If the teacher thought getting someone else involved would be appropriate, then by all means, I'd agree, but in that case, the teacher can leverage the relationship with the student to facilitate that.

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In time, this too shall pass.

Scenario 1:

a teacher; under this new rule, could be forced to tell someone and not allow the kid to approach another at their own pace.

A student confides in a teacher and tells them they have an attraction to another boy (or girl).
The teacher tells the student "Hey look, this is something you may want to talk to a more qualified person about."
Teacher says nothing about it again, the student (in their own time) does tell a qualified person and everything is happy.

Now:
Teacher is approached by someone who saw a teacher and student speaking with no one else around and uses this rule to force information out of the teacher.
The person who confronted the teacher now calls and talks to the student's parents.
Students parents confront student.
Student is confused and hurt that they were betrayed when their confidant "turned them in".

Aren't there enough ways to **** over kids who are just trying to find someone to talk to? And the school district is adding more.

Scenario 2:

Some of you seem to be missing this point


Domestic Violence. Someone has an abusive spouse. Child is never hit, but parent is regularly beaten up (man or woman). A Teacher sees something amiss and approaches the parent. The parent tells the teacher of the situation; and the teacher provides some resources for abused spouses. This exchange is seen by another person.

Under the new rule the teacher is compelled to state what they did and can not choose to use discretion as to whether or not they should withhold information. Under the old rule, it was up to the individual.

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Darksiege
Traveller, Calé, Whisperer
Lead me not into temptation; for I know a shortcut

Well it depends on the issue, doesn't it. I certainly am not trying to suggest that a teacher needs to defer to some "qualified" person for everything that comes up, but the examples that Taskiss gave were fairly extreme examples that while a teacher certainly could possibly give sound advice, should be brought to the attention of someone with formal training on handling those types of issues. Especially the pregnancy one.

Why? What's "extreme" about teenage pregnancy? Or, homosexuality?

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Darksiege,

I'm not sure your interpretation is correct.

The wording given reads very much like the privacy clauses with most every public company these days with regard to email and phone use at the company.

In short, there is nothing that specifically compells an employee to tell anyone. What it does is let the employee know that any communication may be supeoned or extracted and the employee can't claim any privacy rights.

Additionally, if a teacher needed to have a truly private conversation with a student, I don't see anything posted thus far which would prevent them from having that conversation in person.

A student telling a teacher she thinks she may be pregnant is an "extreme example"?

You're out of touch, Aizle. I know of several girls in the early 70's who did so, and the incidence of teen pregnancy is much greater these days, is my guess.

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In time, this too shall pass.

Seriously? You don't think that teen pregnancy or coming out is an extremely emotional and stressful event for someone?

Depending on what it is... there may really be nothing worth reporting.



Say a student has somehow slipped through the cracks and gotten through several years of schooling and never learned how to read. They finally decide to go confide in a teacher and tell them that they cannot read. But really need help learning. They have said nothing for all of this time because they are so embarrassed by this.

Isn't the teacher qualified in this function? Why the crap should the teacher need to disclose that to someone who asked? Should the teacher not be able to use their discretion on how to deal with that situation? If the teacher wants to not embarrass the student and help them learn to read... Let the kid stay for an extra hour a day. Some teachers would even go out of their way to purchase something to help a student with their own money, knowing it could help other students in the future.

Instead now, the student is given nowhere to turn. Talk about a way to make the few good teachers out there lose the last bits of hope that keep them going.

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Darksiege
Traveller, Calé, Whisperer
Lead me not into temptation; for I know a shortcut

I'm not out of touch at all. By extreme I don't mean to say that it's amazingly rare, but that it's an extremely stressful and life altering event for the student.

And actually the rate has been going down according to this:

http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/USTPtrends.pdf

I think you have missed the point here DS in your example about reading, as that is a prime example of when the teacher should be in contact with the student and student's parents and helping to formulate a corrective plan, to include allowing extra time after school (which probably requires Admin approval anyway) to tutor.

This isn't forcing the teacher to disclose the inability to read to the rest of the classroom, but making sure its ok with the parents and/or other teachers... perhaps the best plan is using another class period (study hall?) rather than time after school, or assigning additional, "private" homework for which the parents are aware (their involvement will likely be necessary to correct this) to help.

I don't see anything in what I've posted that would prevent a teacher from doing exactly what you suggest here. I would certainly hope that any teacher today would be qualified to assist a student with learning how to read.

You really want to talk about random scenarios that could happen? I think you'll lose in that regard on this subject.

Well, hell, if it ain't no thang, then it doesn't need to be hushed up....

I see no reason either merits the intervention of someone "properly trained" and "formally educated". At what point did being human require people with degrees to tell us how to deal with being human?

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