Posted on 07/29/2008 8:25:24 PM PDT by Reform Canada
Pros
Parents can monitor their children at school Teachers are less likely to pursue a hidden agenda Greater control of bullying Incompetent teachers can be identified Overall classroom behavior likely to improve
Cons
I don't see any
I think you are being a little paranoid.
From a teacher’s perspective, I welcome the use of cameras in the classroom. In fact, I would beg for them if it would help to get them in the classroom. There would be no need for the annual formal “evaluations”, the principal could monitor the classroom at anytime. Students would be on their best behavior; it would cut down on the incidents of threats and violence by students in my middle and high school classes. In the event the students get used to the cameras and begin acting out, the parents can see for themselves how their little darlings really act in school.
And what about observing pedophiles who are the teachers. Might get an early warning sign about teachers who have more than an educational interest in youngsters.
Password protect it.
There is no academic freedom in public schools. Maybe parents would see how bad they are and do something.
I like this idea.
Terrible idea. Part of growing up is not being supervised by mommy and daddy every second of the day and learning to fend for yourself.
Very creepy and Orwellian. Even creepier are some of the responses on this thread thinking this is a good idea. Is this still Free Republic or did this site get taken over by Communists while I was sleeping?
i did not say what you sed i sed!
who am i to deny a union teacher a drink?
!!!
if they become alcoholics, hey! go get it!
maybe while they’re inebriated they’ll forget to vote! praise the ford.
That's why doing this would be illegal in my district.
I like this idea. I doubt that many, if any, parents would spend the entire day watching their kids and teacher on camera, but a teacher and classroom knowing that at any particular time it is possible that they may observed might keep students and teachers a little more in line. I know that when I was teaching I was a little more careful and more professional when I was being observed (in person, whether by the headmaster, a parent or other teachers) than I might have been otherwise. As a student I might have behaved a little better knowing that I my parents (or someone else’s) might be watching me at any particular time.
Pedophiles could get no greater information by viewing these cameras (assuming that they would have access) than they could get by simply sitting in their cars outside the school and watching the kids. I think that concern is overblown.
There have been some comments about academic freedom being somehow infringed by the presence of cameras. I don’t get that one. Teachers and students are no more or less free to express themselves if cameras are present, unless the point is to be able to express oneself without others knowing about it. What might one want to express in a classroom that one wouldn’t want anyone else to know about? Couldn’t the teacher or others in the class tell anyone they wanted to outside of the class? Or is the concern that what goes on in the classroom might be ACCURATELY communicated to others, so that deniability is eliminated?
These cameras might provide some comfort to some parents as to what is going on in class. They might serve as an obstacle to some of the outrageous actions by teachers and students we hear about in class. Finally, the presence of the cameras might provide for evidence of wrongful actions in the classroom that might otherwise go unpunished because a teacher could not see what happened and students afraid to tell on others.
I could be persuaded otherwise by sound arguments, however.
I agree. And...don’t forget the setups!
Mom is mad/jealous/looking for cash, and so she preps little Johnny on how to incite an incident.
Little Johnny performs, unsuspecting teacher reacts, and the incident is used to embarass/condemn/sue teacher....
Public schools have alot of problems, but there are also alot of manipulative, coddling parents out there, too.
Communists.
You don't know much about the public school system in this country, do you? Parents being made to pay fines? Yeah, right!
Personally, I think you'd be happiest doing it the old-fashioned way: hire a tutor for your kids.
Ditto
I agree. I used to think differently, but I have seen parents go to extreme lengths to coddle and cover up for their children, and I have seen manipulative parents handicap their own children by doing so.
I keep hoping they are a minority, but anybody who’s awake knows that anything can be twisted into something it wasn’t.
Next thing you know, you’ve got professional protestors on your doorstep.
Who would ever teach under those circumstances?
We only had one alcoholic.
And three cokeheads.
That doesn’t include the teacher arrested for selling pot to the kids after I left either.
Ah...high school.
Another excellent reason for being against this "big brother" approach in our schools. What good teacher would subject themselves to being spyed on, and risk losing their job and pension on a contrived grievance? I would expect an exodus of good teachers, leaving only the most poor performing ones left to teach our children. It is easy to see where, in many inner city schools, students who don't want to be held academically accountable would trump up a scene to get a high performing teacher in hot water and hopefully get rid of them. Then they can have the poor performing teachers who spend most of their time showing students videos as opposed to teaching.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.