So a few days ago, I posted on how school children were using YouTube to harass teachers in the UK. Well, it seems like the same thing is happening in Canada. In Quebec (which, as of this writing, is still part of Canada) a veteran teacher has been staying at home since an unfortunate incident was caught on a cell phone camera and uploaded to YouTube.
What is now being debated, however, is how to deal with the incident, as it seems like the teacher may have been baited into the incident (which involved yelling) so that it could be captured on camera. Quebec’s school teacher’s union is now trying to get cell phones banned throughout the province as a result, in an attempt to get school teacher’s feeling safe about their own privacy within the classroom.
While its good that YouTube was compliant in taking down the video once asked, the banning of cell phone cameras also raises the issue of accountability as well. While the move may try and establish teachers as the “master” of the classroom, one hopes a banning won’t result in swinging the pendulum the other way — that complaints by students will still be taken seriously.
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The teachers could, of course, film the kids and post those videos. Much more horrific, I would have thought, and lastingly humiliating.
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Interesting debate. I think too many young kids have cell phones to begin with so I feel conflicted about the situation. On the one hand I don’t think banning cell phones will even fix it.