Teacher placed on leave for questionable Facebook posting

[Laura+Tom 2]

If that was in the UK the armed police would be on her doorstep lol. In a crackdown on gun crime they are searching all UK facebook/myspace accounts for pictures of people posing with guns.

now that's scary.

... because all the villains in the UK are posting their pics on FB holding a gun. Honestly, I am ashamed of the UK and the stupidity of the police force.

I think it's a good idea. They had very good results with the pilot so are extending it to the whole country. Get them before they do anything stupid.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

If that was in the UK the armed police would be on her doorstep lol. In a crackdown on gun crime they are searching all UK facebook/myspace accounts for pictures of people posing with guns.

now that's scary.

... because all the villains in the UK are posting their pics on FB holding a gun. Honestly, I am ashamed of the UK and the stupidity of the police force.

I think it's a good idea. They had very good results with the pilot so are extending it to the whole country. Get them before they do anything stupid.

Well there are people *that* stupid over there - who would not only own illegal firearms but boast about it on social networking sites. Might as well put on T-Shirts with the slogan "arrest me now!".

I suspect such people are the ones most in need of having their guns taken away from them.

[HAL 9000 96]

Yeah! Total Liberal BS! Yeah!

Liberal or conservative, it doesn't really matter. I still say someone's personal life shouldn't come into play in their professional life. Unless the individual in question is doing something illegal or enforcing their ideas on others, it's a personal issue.

Agreed. Then again, facebook pics are only private when the account holder makes them so.

There's obvious reasons for someone in a position of authority to not make publicly available material that challenges that authority or which undermines respect in their position.

At my school I never knew what my teacher's got up to off campus, I think I would have been pretty shocked if I discovered on the internet that they had this whole other life - involving wild drinking and promiscuity.

Its not hard to imagine what could happen if a schoolkid were to find say... pictures of his Spanish teacher doing bellyshots off a Tijuana hooker and decided to circulate them among his classmates.

Its not difficult to understand why a teacher should be savvy enough to avoid such a situation. After all, Michael Phelps just got hauled over the coals for a picture showing him smoking a bong. It's not much different.

I have no idea what the thinking was behind this particular instance - the gun image is probably somewhat inappropriate in the messages it conveys, but who knows....

I absolutely agree that, teachers need to maintain their them self publicly in such a way to keep the trust of the school. But we are not talking about a lady pole dancing in her off hours we are talking a bout a lady being photo graphed doing what everyone from the Presidents on down do publicly, handle fire arms.

If people are suggesting that the mere display of a firearm with a scope in a public photo is now going to be considered "out of bounds" ...

We really are getting wacky in this "new standard" of what's good and bad, in this country.

Think about it, if this lady was competing in the Olympics on the Shooting team, she would have to keep it a secret from her students.

Context, dear Watson.

But like I said above...

[Ban Hammer 13,659]

If that was in the UK the armed police would be on her doorstep lol. In a crackdown on gun crime they are searching all UK facebook/myspace accounts for pictures of people posing with guns.

now that's scary.

... because all the villains in the UK are posting their pics on FB holding a gun. Honestly, I am ashamed of the UK and the stupidity of the police force.

I think it's a good idea. They had very good results with the pilot so are extending it to the whole country. Get them before they do anything stupid.

yeah, cause everyone knows gun owners are gonna do something stupid eventually.

[john & jean 37]

If that was in the UK the armed police would be on her doorstep lol. In a crackdown on gun crime they are searching all UK facebook/myspace accounts for pictures of people posing with guns.

now that's scary.

... because all the villains in the UK are posting their pics on FB holding a gun. Honestly, I am ashamed of the UK and the stupidity of the police force.

I think it's a good idea. They had very good results with the pilot so are extending it to the whole country. Get them before they do anything stupid.

yeah, cause everyone knows gun owners are gonna do something stupid eventually.

yeah, like shoot the drug crazed ####### that breaks into you're home in the middle of the night!!

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Guns are (with few exceptions) illegal in the UK. The assumption therefore is that someone who owns one is breaking the law, and subject to prosecution.

There's a question of "intent" there too - if guns are illegal, why would you own one? What is the purpose of it?

[Laura+Tom 2]

If that was in the UK the armed police would be on her doorstep lol. In a crackdown on gun crime they are searching all UK facebook/myspace accounts for pictures of people posing with guns.

now that's scary.

... because all the villains in the UK are posting their pics on FB holding a gun. Honestly, I am ashamed of the UK and the stupidity of the police force.

I think it's a good idea. They had very good results with the pilot so are extending it to the whole country. Get them before they do anything stupid.

yeah, cause everyone knows gun owners are gonna do something stupid eventually.

Of course I was specifically talking about the UK, where nearly all types of guns are banned. So posing with an illegal weapon is kinda stupid.

Edited February 9, 2009 by Laura+Tom

[HAL 9000 96]

If that was in the UK the armed police would be on her doorstep lol. In a crackdown on gun crime they are searching all UK facebook/myspace accounts for pictures of people posing with guns.

now that's scary.

... because all the villains in the UK are posting their pics on FB holding a gun. Honestly, I am ashamed of the UK and the stupidity of the police force.

I think it's a good idea. They had very good results with the pilot so are extending it to the whole country. Get them before they do anything stupid.

yeah, cause everyone knows gun owners are gonna do something stupid eventually.

Of course I was specifically talking about the UK, where nearly all types of guns are banned. So posing with an illegal weapon is kinda stupid.

Like making a public posting of oneself (a public figure) smoking a bong?

[almaty 19]

and being from a town called beaver dam

[HAL 9000 96]

and being from a town called beaver dam

hmmmm...

[Danno 1,228]

As I said I have no idea what the reasoning behind this case was, if the teacher did nothing wrong surely she'll be back at work. I suspect though that this article doesn't convey the full story.

But obviously there's a need for teachers to be aware of what information they put in the public domain.

I notice on "THESE" type stories... you always dismiss the story because "we just don't know all the details".

This one seems pretty cut-N-dry: This type of thing has the effect of "pressuring" teachers (and others) of hiding or concealing something as normal, legal and Constitutionally protected as, being associated with fire arms.

As I said before it is the evolution of the new Puritan Rules.

Before, a teacher was called into question for Living with someone unmarried.

Now You are questionable if you smoke, or handle firearms. (smoking is outright banned).

[justashooter 430]

Danno doesn't object because of the privacy/vursus public argument, but because a picture of someone pointing a gun = someone holding a kitten.

she should have been pointing the rifle AT the kitten.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

As I said I have no idea what the reasoning behind this case was, if the teacher did nothing wrong surely she'll be back at work. I suspect though that this article doesn't convey the full story.

But obviously there's a need for teachers to be aware of what information they put in the public domain.

I notice on "THESE" type stories... you always dismiss the story because "we just don't know all the details".

This one seems pretty cut-N-dry: This type of thing has the effect of "pressuring" teachers (and others) of hiding or concealing something as normal, legal and Constitutionally protected as, being associated with fire arms.

As I said before it is the evolution of the new Puritan Rules.

Before, a teacher was called into question for Living with someone unmarried.

Now You are questionable if you smoke, or handle firearms. (smoking is outright banned).

No Danno - that's your assumption. Big difference. Doubtless you've heard some cack on TV or Talk Radio that's got you raving over "New Puritanism" - as just yet another one of those examples of evil liberal-ness infecting this country and somehow targetting "innocent" law-abiding Americans.

Never mind that this is an isolated incident made by individuals, and not part of some co-ordinated agenda to silence "dissenting voices".

You want to make an issue out of a story without knowing all the facts - fair enough. Seems kinda pointless to me. All I'm saying is that we don't know what the thinking was that got the teacher put on leave - personally I would be surprised if that Facebook picture was the only reason that the school took that action. Even if it is - so what? People make stupid decisions everyday. It doesn't amount to some grand overarching conspiracy.

Edited February 9, 2009 by Paul Daniels

[justashooter 430]

Unless this teacher was abusing her position and teaching "Firearms 101", this isn't an issue for school administrators or parents to get upset over.

the teacher's position was inappropriate. she was pointing a gun at the person holding the camera. irresponsible gun handling.

[natty bumppo 297]

Unless this teacher was abusing her position and teaching "Firearms 101", this isn't an issue for school administrators or parents to get upset over.

the teacher's position was inappropriate. she was pointing a gun at the person holding the camera. irresponsible gun handling.

the camera could have had a timer set ... for a self portrait