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ADELAIDE schools have written to the Attorney-General asking him to ban a new website which encourages students to cyber-bully their teachers. Several schools in South Australia already have banned their students from accessing the website, while angry teachers are threatening legal action against students for defamation. The SA Police electronic crime unit confirmed yesterday it was aware of the site and was monitoring it, but there were no current investigations. The website - ratemy teachers.com - allows pupils from any school to anonymously grade teachers and attack or praise them. The U.S.-based website, launched in Australia in May, is rapidly gaining popularity among Adelaide schoolchildren as it becomes more widely known through chat on internet instant messaging networks and blogs on personal web pages. On Monday, a special Advertiser report detailed how such forums were the basis for widespread cyber-bullying of Adelaide schoolchildren. Principals yesterday said the cyber-bullying had now extended to include teachers. Comments on the website about teachers at one southern suburbs government high school included: "Bad, boring and useless"; "He made me sit outside in freezing weather...u should fire him!!!!!" and "He puts other students down". A posting on a teacher at an Adelaide private school said: "Respect Respect Respect, well he hasn't got any." Teachers are rated out of five on easiness, helpfulness, popularity and clarity, with users also able to make comments about teaching style and personal characteristics. An overall score is displayed with a smiling, indifferent or sad face for each teacher. Teachers' names also can be added to a Wall of Shame or Wall of Fame. SA teachers targeted the most on the site are from St Michael's College, an R-12 Catholic school with campuses at Beverley and Henley Beach. Principal Steve Byrne yesterday told The Advertiser he had written to Attorney-General Michael Atkinson asking for help after distressed staff felt they had been defamed. As of yesterday afternoon, the St Michael's page on the website had received more than 3350 hits, with 19 teachers rated by 37 students. St Michael's has blocked the site from its computers, but is powerless to prevent student access outside of school hours. "Children once used to graffiti or write on desks or books about teachers, now they throw it on the internet for the whole world to see," Mr Byrne said. "Younger adolescents need to understand the full implications of key words. "If they link an innocent teacher with certain issues, such as pedophilia, it's just so inappropriate and damaging and I'm convinced most of the kids don't fully appreciate that." Mr Byrne said that in a letter sent last month to Mr Atkinson, he had expressed concern about the site on behalf of his teachers. "I am asking the Attorney-General to work with us to ensure teachers are not defamed," he said. "We want to know if there's anything the State Government can do to block the site or take school names off it." SA Primary Principals Association president Glyn O'Brien said the website was "dangerous". "But banning it also is dangerous, because that then makes it very attractive to young people," Ms O'Brien said. "It is a twist on cyber-bullying, where teachers are now the target." Australian Education Union state president Andrew Gohl criticised the postings on the website as "libellous" and "without credibility". "There is no doubt this website has the potential to wreck careers," he said. "It is appropriate for schools to ban it. Anyone posting comments about teachers may find themselves subject to a defamation action." Association of Independent Schools of SA executive director Gary Le Duff encouraged private schools to block student access. "There are other avenues by which young people can provide feedback on their teachers, not through websites where a person's professional and personal reputation can be damaged," he said. A spokesman for the Attorney-General said Mr Atkinson was powerless to act. "There is no way to police the internet, although there is some limited action we can take if it is an internet service provider based in Australia, which this is not," the spokesman said. "It comes down to parental responsibility - parents need to police the use of the computers they have in their homes." Education Department chief executive Chris Robinson said: "Students would not be permitted to access a site such as this at school." The operators of the California-based website could not be contacted for comment yesterday. The website includes a statement of defence that says RateMyTeachers was started by "ordinary people with a vision for a better way of doing something" and is maintained on a daily basis by thousands of student volunteers. AAP (7-12-2006) Michael Owen |
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A WEBSITE where students can grade their teachers has been described as a disgrace. The website invites pupils and parents to anonymously "rate" teachers and already has thousands of comments on Victorian staff. Comments on teachers – who are named – include "b----", "clueless" and a "stupid feminazi who should stick to bra-burning". Others were described as "senile" and "an extremely horrible man" who "makes the lives of his students a misery". Teachers have also been praised on the site, described as "legends" and "inspirational". There are more than 1000 comments about teachers at Scotch College, both positive and negative. One teacher attracted 110 entries. "She should be locked up in Guantanamo Bay for child abuse," it says. "She is hated by everyone and is taking it out on students. She is a disgrace to the school. Why don't you quit before you get sacked?" Presbyterian Ladies' College, Mentone Grammar, Xavier College, Brentwood Secondary College and Haileybury were among the scores of schools receiving feedback on the website. Users make comments and rate teachers by giving a score out of five on easiness, helpfulness, popularity and clarity. An overall score is displayed with a smiling, indifferent or sad face for each teacher. The site also has a wall of shame and fame. The US-based website, launched in Australia in May, claims its mission is to help students take responsibility for their education. "As the consumers of education, it is your right (and the responsible thing to do) to hold your educators responsible," the website reads. But teacher groups have slammed the site and many schools have blocked student access to it. Victorian Independent Education Union general secretary Deb James said the website was a disgrace. "It is pathetic and no one should take it seriously," she said. "It has the potential to be very harmful." Ms James said it was impossible to authenticate whether users were real students. Australian Education Union Victorian branch president Mary Bluett labelled the site appalling. "It is mischievous and should be avoided," she said. "It allows for personal vendettas." Ms Bluett said the site should not be trusted because it was based on anonymous comments for which people did not have to take responsibility. Scotch College principal Dr Gordon Donaldson said he was aware of the site but paid no attention to it. "It is informal, with non-attributable comments, making it open to abuse or mischief," he said. "The site does not deserve any serious consideration nor any credibility." Brentwood Secondary School principal Vicki Forbes said the school had blocked student access. "For teachers, it can be quite devastating," she said. Herald Sun (5-12-2006) Milanda Rout |
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