Monday, January 9, 2023

Blabbermouth

 I'm a pretty open book. I am comfortable sharing things about myself. Even in my professional practice, I aim to be transparent in how, what, and why I teach so I can be accountable to myself, my students, and my school community. Sharing ideas and thoughts is part of how I process information, and reflection makes me a better educator. This is part of the reason why I blog.

There are times and topics where I can't be as free with what I know, see, or hear. I've written about this related to private life vs public life (a 2017 blog entry titled "I Won't Post That") but I want to approach this same topic from a different angle - that is, when other individuals or organizations insist on or enforce confidentiality.



The above image, "Confidential" icon by Eucalyp from The Noun Project https://thenounproject.com/icon/confidential-3719025/, is used under a Creative Commons license (CCBY3.0) - this attribution requirement is posted as per the terms of use agreement.

Obeying external restrictions on sharing information is not a new concept to me. In the past, I've been on several committees, such as the CCBC Best Books for Kids/Teens Committee and the OLA Silver Birch Selection Committee. I'm also on another team right now and confidentiality is so prioritized, I'm not sure if I'm even able to reveal that I am part of this group! When participating in projects such as these, we are often required, as part of our contracts or participation guidelines, to follow some confidentiality rules that resemble non-disclosure agreements. 

There are good reasons why these privacy arrangements are necessary. According to the Law Depot website,

Confidentiality Agreement protects confidential information during discussions, proposals, reviews, analysis and negotiations. The agreement allows the disclosing party to share valuable confidential information while retaining control over how the information is used by the receiving party. This type of agreement is useful when disclosing information to a potential purchaser, having an invention evaluated or when an employee will have access to or create confidential information during their employment.

Deliberations and decisions need to happen without external influences interfering. Information shared may be sensitive in nature. Having details "leak out" before it is finalized or official may lead to a lack of confidence or trust in the organization and/or final product, especially if aspects of the project change. A lot of information I've read about non-disclosure agreements, such as this one from Investopedia, focus on business reasons for keeping quiet - preserving intellectual property, protecting ideas from the competition, etc. Sometimes I chafe at these restrictions, because it's contrary to my interpersonal ways of learning and being. However, I need to remind myself that there are many times in the world of education where we have to zip our lips.

Some of the reasons why we might not be allowed or encouraged to broadcast our experiences as educators in schools include:

  • information and the decision-making process need to happen without others getting involved because they can also be misinterpreted (e.g. awards for graduates)
  • information related to families might tarnish their reputation in the community, especially if further investigations exonerate or explain situations in different ways (e.g. calls to the Children's Aid Society)
  • information may jeopardize student well-being or cause embarrassment (e.g. sharing personal information related to sexual orientation, personal interests, etc.) - this does not include if a student is being abused because teachers have a Duty to Report 
  • information about a colleague's personal life or job performance can become gossip fodder; if you have concerns about a fellow teacher, union rules around Duties of a Member to Fellow Members stipulates you must address them with the member directly (e.g. if you see a teacher doing something with his/her class and you disapprove)
  • information shared too widely can undermine the trust parents have in the teacher if they choose to reveal facts they consider private and just for use by the teacher (e.g. if a child has bed-wetting issues or if the family is undergoing turmoil)
  • information can be misinterpreted by other parties who have particular agendas or don't understand the context (e.g. deselecting / weeding books from the library can be seen as "wasting taxpayer money" and "throwing away perfectly good books")
What other reasons for confidentiality for educators have I forgotten? Please leave comments on Facebook or Blogger and I'll add them in.

This list will make me feel a bit better as I maintain silence on certain areas I'm dying to talk about.


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