Dive Brief:
- U.S. District Judge Cynthia Rufe rejected the case of a Philadelphia area teacher fired by Central Buck School District two years ago because she blogged that her students were "disengaged, lazy whiners."
- The teacher, Natalie Munroe, argued that the suburban district violated her right to freedom of speech by "harassing and retaliating against her."
- In her dismissal, Rufe said the district has the right to maintain an "efficient" school environment.
Dive Insight:
Let this be a lesson to teachers: While you may believe what you do outside of school is your business, at the end of the day, teaching encompasses more than just what happens in the classroom and you are ultimately ambassadors to your school. What's unfortunate about Munroe's blog post is that it doesn't sound like she is being particularly cruel or pointed about a certain student, but rather just showing general frustrations that many teachers might express to each other privately without getting fired. That said, the school also has the right to want to employee teachers who feel more positively about their students' capabilities. If a teacher is going to school every day believing their class is lazy and unmotivated, it's highly unlikely the learning environment is a positive one.