They're Our Kids
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Member Directory
  • Membership
    • Membership Sign-Up
    • Member Sign-In
  • Youth Fair
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Sponsors
    • Donate

The Village

The Perils of Expressing Anger on Social Media

1/28/2014

7 Comments

 
Picture
We have had some uncommonly brutal winter weather here in central Indiana this month, resulting in countless school delays and closings. School corporations utilize a variety of different methods to notify parents of changes to the school schedule, including through social media (and I try to keep up with them, too, on the They're Our Kids Facebook page).

Normally, all six public school corporations within Hendricks County are on the same page when it comes to delays and cancellations, but last night, we had the rare instance of three corporations canceling school due to today's brutal cold, while three others opted instead to go with a two-hour delay.

Within two of the school corporations who announced a two-hour delay on Facebook, many parents unleashed their fury through comments on the corporations' social media sites. Most of the comments were less than constructive in nature.

We have gotten so used to social media that it's easy to forget just how far our comments travel and who they impact, so I have a few reminders for us all:
  • Social media spreads like wildfire. Social media is built to share. Facebook posts get "liked," commented on and shared, and other Facebook users are notified in a variety of ways about posts and comments -- especially those that are trending. Tweets get retweeted on Twitter. Every method of social media is easily shared. We may think we're blasting one particular person or entity on social media, but that blast quickly spreads everywhere. For instance, the comments posted last night by parents in those two school corporations have already been discovered by a blogger in another state and are being used as an example in a presentation to a youth group of how not to use social media. Congratulations, angry parents:  you're on your way to becoming famous. Or infamous.
  • Social media posts and comments are public and forever. Facebook pages, Twitter feeds, and other forms of social media are public. Everyone can see what you posted. Everything that goes on the internet is there forever, even if you think your privacy settings prevent it. Social media posts are easy to capture in digital form and recirculate, even if you retract your post. What was likely a brief flash of anger now becomes a lasting monument of poor behavior.
  • Social media is read by nearly everyone. Adults aren't the only ones who use social media. Our kids use it, too, and/or read over our shoulders while we look at it. And even if you're the most careful user of social media and only look at it when you're locked in a dark closet by yourself, remember the first two points:  social media spreads like wildfire, and posts are public and forever. Kids will find them.

Picture
This winter has been crazy, and we're all tired of being cold, cooped up in the house, and having our work schedules perpetually disrupted by school closings and delays. Trust me, I'm right there in that boat.

But bashing school corporations -- or anyone else -- on Facebook, Twitter or any other social media is nothing but negative and mean-spirited. 

Let's all try to remember the Golden Rule:  treat others as we would like them to treat us.

We wouldn't like it if school personnel got on our social media site and publicly bashed us for how badly we're doing our jobs. Our first response would be that they have no idea what they're talking about because they don't do our jobs. 

The same applies to us. We don't know all the factors that go into a decision on delays or closures, so let's not pretend that we're on to some secret motivation behind the school corporation's decision or that the administration has a collective IQ lower than that of a rock. There is no big conspiracy, and these are well-educated, well-trained people who are making these decisions. Understand that this is not a typical winter in Indiana. The schools are doing the best they can in unfamiliar territory.

Don't forget that our children model our behavior, so when they see, hear or read us making angry comments about school officials, they in turn think it's okay to treat their teachers -- or their fellow students -- the same way. We're a society that is sensitive to bullying, and yet we're teaching our kids by example how to bully.

Picture
We have a couple of much more constructive or productive options on how to handle decisions that upset or anger us.

First, there's the old adage that if we don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all.

But if we're so upset or angered by a decision that we feel the need to let someone know, let's try a personal letter or email to a school administrator, rather than a public tongue-lashing on social media. (Click here to find your school corporation's website and contact information.) Our chances of getting a response or orchestrating meaningful change increase a thousand-fold when we treat others the way we'd want to be treated.

To understand more about the inner workings of our school corporations, let's get more active with parent-teacher organizations, attend school board meetings, and communicate more frequently with teachers and school administrators -- and not just when things aren't going our way.

And let's just keep the kids out of it entirely. We'll avoid poisoning our kids' minds about school, and we'll also keep ourselves out of presentations made around the world on how not to use social media.

Don't worry. Spring will be here soon.

7 Comments
Judy Gregory
1/28/2014 07:54:56 am

Very well said!

Reply
Jaymz
1/28/2014 08:40:24 am

Great post, all good tips. Do you have a link to that out-of-state blog that you alluded to above? Thanks

Reply
Eric Ivie link
1/28/2014 08:48:38 am

Yes, Jaymz. The blogger's website is: http://travelwithsara.com/. My understanding is that she's using some of the comments in a presentation she's putting together for a youth group in her area, not necessarily as a blog post. You'll see that her site is travel-oriented. My point is that it's an illustration of how quickly and how far social media comments travel. If she has already seen the comments, who else has seen them, too?

Reply
Sara Broers link
1/28/2014 10:57:50 am

Great post! A good reminder for everyone. Your readers can also find me at All In An Iowa Mom's Day.

Reply
Mary
1/28/2014 10:25:14 am

Fantastic comments! You are so correct -- I wouldn't want my job performance to be evaluated in such a manner as our Superintendent's. He's doing the best he can.

Reply
Michelle link
1/28/2014 10:21:24 pm

I'm a perent of students who attend one of the three Hendricks County schools who had a 2 hour delay. Personally I'm pleased with the decision of our superintendent. Yes it was very cold (-5º) when my kids got on their bus but at least they won't have to make up a school day at the end of the year.

Reply
Rita Burke
1/29/2014 01:59:20 am

Excellent advice. I'd add that when things go right and the superintendent does a great job or a teacher goes beyond what is expected to help one of our kids, thank them. Too often we hit the complain button and don't stop to acknowledge the hundreds of things done well.

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    Don't Miss a Thing! Become a Villager by subscribing!

    Archives

    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    June 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    September 2013

    Categories

    All
    Accountability Grades
    Activities
    Alabama
    Alabama Gulf Coast
    Alcohol
    ALS
    #alsicebucketchallenge
    Amo
    Apparel
    Art
    Avon
    Baseball
    Beth Crawford
    Bethesda Christian School
    Blogging
    BMX
    Boy Scouts
    Brownsburg
    Buses
    Cheap Activities
    Christmas
    Clayton
    Coatesville
    College
    Cookies
    Daddy/Daughter Dance
    Danville
    Dining
    Discounts
    Disney
    Dr. Seuss
    Drugs
    Easter Egg Hunts
    Education
    Facebook
    Family Promise Of Hendricks County
    Fatherhood
    Fireworks
    Flag Football
    Fort Morgan
    Four Star Schools
    Fourth Of July
    Free Activities
    Girl Scouts
    Giveaways
    Gulf Shores
    Halloween
    Hendricks College Network
    Hendricks County Community Youth Fair
    Hendricks County Home
    Here We Grow Again
    Heroin
    Hoax
    Hobson's Fun Farm
    Homelessness
    Humor
    Independence Day
    Indiana Department Of Education
    Indiana Pacers
    Indianapolis
    Indoor Activities
    ISTEP
    Kidecals
    Kindergarten
    Kingsway Christian School
    Kiwanis
    LEGO KidsFest
    Libraries
    Lizton
    Logo
    LuLu's At Homeport
    Macaroni Kid Hendricks
    Marijuana
    Mayberry In The Midwest
    Media
    Meghan Stritar
    Membership
    Mill Creek
    Mother's Day
    Movies
    Music
    North Carolina
    North Salem
    North West Hendricks
    OBX
    Ohio
    Opiates
    Opioids
    Optimists
    Orange Beach
    Outdoor Activities
    Outer Banks
    Parenting
    Parent Teacher Organization
    Parks
    Pittsboro
    Plainfield
    Police
    Poll
    Praise
    Private Schools
    Product Review
    Public Schools
    Rob Kendall
    Rockville
    Royal Theater
    Running
    SAHD
    Santa
    Scholarship
    Schools
    Scouting
    Service Clubs
    Sheltering Wings
    Shopping
    Skateboarding
    Soccer
    Social Media
    Softball
    Special Needs
    Sponsorships
    Sports
    Stay-at-home Dad
    Stilesville
    St. Malachy School
    St. Susanna School
    Teaching
    Terrorism
    Theater
    The Biz
    Track And Field
    Transportation
    Travel
    Trick Or Treat
    Vacation
    Valentine's Day
    Virginia
    Washington Township Parks & Rec
    West Virginia
    Wheels Up Youth Center
    WYRZ 98.9 FM
    Zootopia

    RSS Feed

Picture
They're Our Kids is a fund of the Hendricks County Community Foundation.
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Member Directory
  • Membership
    • Membership Sign-Up
    • Member Sign-In
  • Youth Fair
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Sponsors
    • Donate