First. None of us know what kind of a teacher she is; she may be awesome
with reaching out to her kids on their level as well as teaching them
what they need to know, or she may be freakin' terrible at the subject
matter, baked out of her gourd during class, and incapable of being
patient with her students. But we don't know. So let's try not to make
any speculative judgments beyond what we do know.
Second. What
we do know is still very limited. This article and the images within
give us only a small insight into this woman's personality, her
lifestyle, and her habits. More than that, this doesn't even seem to be a
full report and even has conflicting statements with what has actually
been said to occur. What I can discern from the limited information at
hand is she's a young, beautiful woman who isn't ashamed of her body,
(in fact she seems to quite enjoy
showing it off), and who partakes in smoking marijuana in her free time,
which, quite frankly, is a rather subjective pastime as far as I'm
concerned with regards to the ethical question of whether or not it's
"right" or "appropriate". If you exchanged the joint for a cigarette or
perhaps a beer, would your perception of this woman and her
responsibility towards being a role model change? I mean, cigarettes and
alcohol are both legal, and kids don't remain kids forever--eventually
they'll have access, and quite possibly partake in these "vices". Would
it be wrong, then, for her to post pictures of herself smoking or
drinking as she is won't to do in her own free time? And consider this:
should we hold this woman accountable for an ethical standard many of us
don't follow, (including, quite possibly, many of her student's
parents), merely because she is responsible for our children *some* of
the time? That doesn't exactly seem fair. And here's another thing to
consider: if she were a male teacher and posted half-naked photos, would
it still be as controversial? Hm? Or is it maybe because we've
objectified and sexualized female beauty more than male beauty that it's
"unacceptable" behavior? Quite frankly, the posting of nude pictures
online should not be grounds for job termination. Everyone has a body.
Everyone gets naked sometimes. Human anatomy is not something to be
ashamed nor afraid of.
Furthermore, am I the only one here made
uneasy by the fact that employers today seem to have so much leverage
with which to pass judgement on their employees due to the public nature
of the internet? Consider: if the internet is a public place, would it
not be unlike your employer seeing you at a professional football game
or a bar? If you're intoxicated in such places, though not necessarily
making a complete ass of yourself, but you are clearly intoxicated and
perhaps having trouble being coherent or being completely level--would
it be fair for your employer to put you on unpaid leave, suspend you, or
even fire you merely because you were intoxicated on your own time in
public? Does that seem right to you? I mean, we already have laws and
the police to govern our actions--do we *really* need our livelihood to
come under fire just because some people like to let off steam with a
bunch of other people outside their home with the use of "drugs" (in
this case, alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana)?
I will agree
that we live in a profoundly narcissistic age as well as a time in which
over-sharing is starting to become an issue in regards to
boundaries--but consider that this is in response to society's shift
from being a repressive, closed doors type of environment where no one
said what they actually meant, (and in fact if they did, they were
considered eccentric or shameful or just plain strange and "unseemly"),
to one where speaking one's mind and being open and honest with how one
feels is not only encouraged but cherished. Do we need more discretion
in our words and actions with regards to how we interact with one
another? It's debatable. You take the good with the bad and everyone
gets dirty sometimes when they don't want to, but that's life. It's a
growing process.
Do I think this woman deserves to be
suspended? No. Observed, maybe. Put on academic probation, perhaps. But
not suspended or fired or what have you. Do I think she is not a good
role model? No, because I don't know her well enough to make that
assessment. All I know is that she seems to be acting as almost any
other attractive 23 year-old female of this generation might as she
adheres to the modern morality of this day and age instead of some of
the more traditional values that some people still hold and that were
more commonplace in America in bygone days. Is she a bad person or a bad
teacher? Who can say except for the people she teaches. The rest of us
are merely bystanders with opinions, and who can say for sure which of
us are truly right? Not me. And probably not you, either.
