As an educator and as a frequent blogger I went crazy today after reading Robert MacMillian's article in the Washington Post about a journalism teacher's blogging gaffe. I went crazy (sort of) because this teacher's actions undermine blogging's potential as a tool for learning and discourse.
The nutshell is this:
Boston University hired former Boston Herald sports writer Michael Gee to teach part-time. Shortly after beginning his teaching at BU, Gee posted a note on his blog about an "incredibly hot" student in class. Ultimately, Gee was fired from his teaching job after the incident. Now, Gee is both a former journalist and a former teacher.
Gee's comments damage journalism and journalism education in many ways.
I believe, this sort of thing feeds the fears of college administrators who have been and continue to be extremely suspicious of educators who blog.
Many in the closed ranks of university administration appear fearful of blogging because there is the potential of doing exactly what Mr. Gee has done-- discredit the insitution, the profession and himself. Administrators fear blogging because they cannot control the message, which may impact the university's image. When you have a zillion teacher/bloggers out there institutions cannot police what is being said about them. In this instance, the institution has a repsonsibility to protect students from the sexual advances of its teachers. Blogging about a student's "hot bod" drives administrators insane.
In academic writing, there is a peer review process which helps to guarantee that what is being discussed has some credibility. On the web, however, there is no peer review until you write something that smacks of total stupidity.
First and foremost, Mr. Gee is NO educator. He's a journalist pretending to be a teacher. In my opinion, the university , and this could be any university not just BU, teachers are brought on because they possess professional skills that students demand to find work after graduation.
Adjunct professors play an incredibly important role in journalism education because they bring real world and real time experience with them. Unfortunately, Mr. Gee's behavior serves the educational needs of his students very poorly and it is clear that the institution may have made a mistake hiring an individual who clearly demonstrates poor taste and very little respect for the institution of higher learning.
Mr. Gee is not a teacher. I say this with the conviction, because the statements he made violate several of the most basic tenets of education.
1. Treat all people, especially students with respect and dignity.
2. Never, ever single out a student in class or otherwise.
3. Teaching is an empathic process, not a place to pursue unfulfilled sexual fantasies.
If Mr. Gee were a trained educator he would know these things. If Mr. Gee was really interesting in using his blog to teach rather than taunt and tease he would know:
1. Using a blog in education should be considered an extension of the classroom.
2. Educators who blog know that even if students may be physically present in class they may not always understand all that is discussed.
3. An educator's blog is a resource and reference for student, not a place to hang out dirty laundry.
Shame on Mr. Gee for giving all of us in academe, especially those of us in journalism education, a black eye. I am upset with Mr. Gee not because of his poor judgment in fantasizing about a student, but because he threatens something I so strongly believe in -- blogging as a transformative learning experience.
Mr. Gee threatens and undermines the potential of blogging as a creative way of reaching out to students. Blogging, for me, represents the future of a constructive and empowering discourse with my students. What Mr. Gee did smacks of self-interest and is pure nonsense.
I believe teaching is a noble and very difficult profession to master. I wish others understood this better. I wish Mr. Gee's indiscretions were kept were they belonged -- to himself.
[Michael Gee] [Blogging and Education] [Journalism] [Journalism and Education]