Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

SMU Lecturer Takes Heat For Blog

Posted by Hemos on from the who's-rights? dept.

nasta writes "Houston Chronicle article For most of the past two semesters, nobody knew the identity of "The Phantom Professor." The educator's anonymous Web log, set at an unnamed university "in the South," spun tales of spoiled-rich "Ashleys" with their $500 sandals and $1,500 handbags, eating disorders, plagiarism and drug use, legal and illegal. "At this school it seems like every kid is on multiple medications," the professor wrote, describing her charges as "barely literate," prone to emotional problems and "terrified of displeasing Mommy and Daddy.""

2 of 84 comments (clear)

  1. Zero sympathy by Otter · · Score: 3, Interesting
    A point that's made in the article (this happened about a month ago, BTW) but is obscured by the piece the submitter chose to quote is this: she was retelling extremely sensitive stories about easily identifiable students and teachers, including things that students were telling her in private face-to-face meetings.

    Sorry, zero sympathy from me. Beyond the fact that she blatantly despises half her students and sucks up to the other half by badmouthing the "rich girls" (which is unprofessional enough), violating confidentiality the way she did is way over the line. A tenure-track professor should have been bounced for doing what she did, never mind an adjunct.

    Points off to SMU for weaseling about it, though.

    --
    What I'm listening to now on Pandora...
    1. Re:Zero sympathy by DaoudaW · · Score: 3, Interesting

      she was retelling extremely sensitive stories about easily identifiable students and teachers, including things that students were telling her in private face-to-face meetings.

      Did you RTFB? She claims and after reading through some of the blog I would agree that she was very careful to protect students' privacy. As a teacher myself, and former adjunct, her stories sound like the typical mix of frustration and admiration that teachers everywhere have for their students. She certainly makes a better attempt at protecting student anonymity than most faculty lounge conversations. She is not writing vitriolic diatribes, but is simply laughing and crying over human foibles.