why the epidemic of false accusations? UK 2009

If you you google this subject, you find that the UK is mired in this mess- maybe more so than her former colony.

When my principal used to call me into his office to let me know the latest allegation, he'd say "Why do you think they are doing this?"  It took awhile before I replied "Because they CAN."  It's a control issue.  When they see their buddies doing it, they can't wait to join the feeding frenzy.  Shame on the administration for using it to drive a teacher out rather than doing a real investigation.

why the epidemic?

vast majority of these allegations are considered false

Teacher Complaints Site allows students a place to vent

How many of these complaints are legitimate?  Who garners such complaints?  I truly wish school was not compulsory so that the students who cared enough and wanted to be there could do so of their own volition.  The ones who don't care could go somewhere where they didn't ruin it for everyone else.

teacher complaints

Do people who have less empathy make false accusations?

Gen Me and empathy
The last year I taught reminded me of the line from the yeat's poem "the worst are full of passionate intensity while the best lack all conviction."  It is normal for teens to test social boundaries and it is up to adults to discriminate between legitimate accusations and those that are attempts to see what happens when they "light the fire crackers."  How do these administrators hold two opposing viewpoints at the same time?

Kids lie-"They are kids and kids will lie...and obfuscate."

Kids are truthful- "Oh.  There's a complaint ...let's meet with the teacher and see what they did to provoke this."

NEA

How to prevent false accusations

http://www.nea.org/home/16921.htm

video in the classroom

Read the letter on the teacher who is now in hot water despite not being informed that there was school policy against filming.

http://www.expertlaw.com/forums/showthread.php?t=123399

Are we justifying cheating?

I bought Jean Twenge's book, "The Narcissism Epidemic," a few years back as I couldn't help but notice that more of my students seemed self absorbed, shallow and entitled.  It started to feel like I was no longer in my own country.  The following article posits the question of whether illegal acts such as cheating on SATs for money reflects on current changes in our values in light of the fact that many of those viewing from the sidelines seem to believe such behavior is tolerable. 






http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-narcissism-epidemic/201111/are-we-justifying-cheating

Student inventor projects

Students had over 2 days to research an assigned inventor for an end of the year presentation.  I decided to film their presentations and when many were not ready on time, I decided to begin filming, believing that it might prompt some of the laggards to get it together.  This was the last full day I ever worked.

As class ended, the same girl who had accused me of calling a kid "fat," the year before, made a beeline for the door.  The principal called down to tell me I was not supposed to be filming kids without permission.  I had never thought twice about it, and had been using the camera for years. The girl and her mother came by with the principal after school and that was the first inkling I got that I was being accused of filming chests.  These were kids who were not perceptive enough to know that the confederacy wore gray after studying the Civil War for a month, BUT they had no problem discerning that their aging, unmarried teacher was some sort of sexual predator and was filming their "training bra" chests. 

The next day, I was given a list of parents to call and managed to reach one.

By lunch that day I asked by my principal to give up my keys and would be placed on administrative leave.  The director of HR waited the entire Summer break before letting me know that there were 5 complaints.  The student(s) claimed I 1. Did not stop filming them even though I was told by them that I did not have permission 2. That I did not tell them why I was filming them but, instead, just pulled the camera out and began to film 3. That I was trying to film their chests.  He concluded by saying I had done the "exact opposite" of my stated purpose as a teacher.  Furthermore, I had a number of parents who, now, did not want their children in my class for the upcoming year.  Interesting how the gossip gets around. (see below).

I was told the students felt "uncomfortable."  Really?  Some of them felt comfortable enough to sit there and lie and obfuscate right in front of the camera.  One of them felt comfortable enough to bring up her grade and then not even attend to the "hardly started" poster she'd had days to work on.  Then she felt "comfortable" enough to go to the back and chat rather than getting the book as I asked.

http://teacherhunt.blogspot.com/2011/11/blog-post.html

 She even felt "comfortable" enough to have her irresponsible mother threaten me with the police.

 http://teacherhunt.blogspot.com/2012/01/do-false-accusations-stem-from-lack-of.html

 This was the same mother who kept her kid out of school for a week during the May Fair so she could groom her horse.  Then I was the bad guy for trying to get this uncooperative, entitled child caught up on her return.

Not surprisingly, 3 years later, a 15 minute search of some twitter accounts turned up this:

http://teacherhunt.blogspot.com/2012/05/students-twitter-about-getting-teacher.html

student inventor projects 2

I was placed on administrative leave the following day for doing this.  There were 5 parent complaints.  My union appointed lawyer was little help.  The word of the students (guess which ones?) were taken at face value while my defense was ignored. Some parents were so rabid about this video that the district went to the local police.   Typical of the district kangaroo courts where admin plays judge and jury and often have a vested interest in a teacher leaving.