TARGET TEACHER
Students film teacher and post clips on YouTube. Has her privacy been breached?
May 03, 2007
THESE days, anyone can shoot a video, thanks to the advent of the camera-phone.
And anyone can be the subject.
The filming goes on around the clock in MRT trains, shopping centres, void decks and so on.
So what's wrong with filming in a classroom in school?
That is the question educators and students are increasingly grappling with as technology invades the classroom.
What used to be a private space shared by a teacher and her wards is now being treated as a public one by those who use camera-phones and computers.
Take the example of what happened in a secondary school here last month.
CAUGHT ON CAMERA
On 5 Mar, a humanities teacher was filmed giving her lessons in class by a camera-phone.
The student then posted the 36-second clip on the popular video-sharing website YouTube.
On 29 Mar, the student posted a new clip of the same teacher looking frustrated and raising her voice at the class for their poor behaviour.
Less than two weeks later, another two videos of the day's lessons were uploaded.
The videos attracted 864 views and some snide comments.
One of them remarked: 'Hahah, who's next?' and then asked if it would be the head of the English department at the school.
One video was sarcastically entitled I Love Flapping Arms During Lessons, presumably because the teacher could be seen gesticulating with her arms in the footage.
The New Paper found the clips last Monday and contacted the school the next day for comments.
The vice-principal said: 'We believe the students posted the YouTube video out of mischief, with no malicious intentions towards the teacher.
'Nonetheless, it is an inappropriate act, as it shows disrespect to the teacher and the class. The school rule of not using handphones in school had also been broken.'
The vice-principal also said that the school will investigate the matter and follow up accordingly.
Two days later on Thursday, the videos were removed from the website by the same person who posted them.
So how much of what goes on in the classroom is private?
Or is it a case of disrespect, of not asking for permission before the act?
Most teachers and principals The New Paper spoke to believe that what goes on in the classroom should stay within it.
Mr Low Eng Kee, principal of Orchid Park Secondary School, said: 'Students do not have the right to film teachers in class using their handphones unless prior permission is obtained'.
He said Orchid Park Secondary does not allow students to take their handphones to school.
Mr Lim Ghee Soon, 45, a university lecturer, said: 'It is disrespectful on the student's part to videotape their teacher without her permission.'
He said that sometimes, certain things that the teacher says in class are used purely to help students explore different perspectives of an issue.
OUT OF CONTEXT
'Once it is put on the Net, it might be taken out of context and misunderstood by the public,' Mr Lim said.
A former discipline master, who asked not to be named, said 'it is definitely wrong' if the purpose of the video was simply to demean or make fun of someone else.
A few students that The New Paper spoke to shared the same views. Miss Eunice Kow, a 19-year-old polytechnic student, said: 'I guess it's funny from a student's point of view, but the teachers will probably feel that the students are airing dirty laundry.'
Student Ang Minshin, 19, said this sort of behaviour is disrespectful towards teachers and invades their privacy.
'The way she behaves and what she says in class is meant solely for the students in the classroom and not meant to be broadcasted,' she said.
However, 19-year-old student Tok Jia Jie suggested that the classroom is 'definitely public to a large extent' when it has 30 people.
'Teachers have to be responsible for what they say in the classroom, but on the other hand, a teacher-student relationship can also be close.
'Sometimes, teachers say things like, 'Okay, I'm going to tell you all something, but you cannot go out and say, okay?'
Polytechnic student Elaine Wee, 19, is of the view that a classroom is a public place because 'it has so many people and you can't choose who you want to be with'.
But she said any unhappiness between a teacher and his or her students should be resolved between both parties.
'Why take videos of them, unless they are do something really wrong, like sexually abusing the kids,' Miss Wee asked.
So should video technology be allowed to step in when there is blatant abuse?
Who draws the line on that?
SHAMED
In July 2003, a Raffles Junior College student had his worksheets torn by his teacher in front of his classmates.
The teacher also berated him, saying his work was 'outdated and irrelevant' and called him a 'sly, crafty, old rat'.
Both the teacher and the student who filmed the exchange received counselling later.
However, the clip continues to be circulated in cyberspace.
Madam Judy Chia, 52, a mother of two, believes such clips can be useful.
'It serves as a warning for teachers to keep their behaviour in check and not to abuse their authority,' the administrative assistant said.
Mrs Lena Tan, 33, a former discipline teacher, said the debate is centred on two issues - professionalism and personal rights.
'Professionally, the teacher should not be afraid of being filmed, especially since she is not doing anything wrong,' she said.
'But on the issue of personal rights, everyone should be consulted before being filmed.'
