Privacy

4 Pages 1032 Words

Privacy in the Classroom



Privacy is the voluntary and temporary withdrawal of a person from the general society through physical or psychological means, either in a state of solitude or small-group intimacy or, when among larger groups, in a condition of anonymity or reserve. The question is privacy being invaded in the classroom or are critics on privacy being too critical? I believe that there is an issue of privacy in the classroom that teacher and parents along with students are unaware of.
Philip, a little boy with a learning disability, was placed in a special education class two days out of the week and the other three days he was placed in a “mainstream” fifth grade class so he could be around children that he should be on the same level as. One day the teacher asked the class to switch quizzes and grade them. Philip, being in a special education class, hadn’t grasped the subject as the other children had and he received a failing grade. The teacher called out student’s names so the grader of the student’s paper would announce the score in front of the class. Philip was devastated. He was the only student in the class with a low grade. In this example peer grading is unacceptable and a violation of student privacy. The teacher knew what kind of students he/she had in the classroom and could have saved Phillips embarrassment of publicizing his failure.
In a middle school English class a teacher ask the students to pull out their journals and write about topics such as; draw a picture of your house and family occupants and write what each one is saying; who has the last word in your family; reveal who in your family brings you the greatest sadness and why, who brings you the greatest joy and why. Journal questions like this invade a kid’s privacy. Children wouldn’t know the difference if they were asked a general question or a question to know what’s going on their household. Thus, selected...