Veterans of A to Z, by which I mean people who joined A to Z before the transition last year from the old vBulletin form software to the new-and-mostly-very-much-improved regime, will recall that A to Z had a strict rule prohibiting politically adversarial threads and posts. I have just confirmed with Amanda, the A to Z site owner, that she intends this prohibition on politically adversarial threads to be obeyed and enforced. (Not that I had reason to think she would say otherwise. The summer of 2008, which precipitated this rule, was a memorably rotten time to be a moderator.) Be aware, then, that posts and threads will be moderated or deleted if, in the judgment of any moderator, some or all of their contents endorse one party or its candidates or positions, disparage one party or its candidates or positions, or are otherwise politically adversarial to the detriment of the A to Z Forums community. Members who persist in posting such threads or posts may lose the privilege of posting on A to Z either temporarily or permanently, depending on how thoroughly they vex the moderators and through them Amanda. Members who see a thread, post, private message, or comment that they believe to be politically adversarial are requested to report the comment for moderation by clicking on the "Report" link in the post that contains it. Please resist the temptation to respond: not only does this fan the flames, it vastly complicates the cleanup that moderators must do. Members who persist in replying to such threads may lose their own A to Z privileges. Members who disagree with this rule and/or with the judgment exercised by the moderators are advised to express their disapproval to the site owner by using the Contact Us link at the bottom right of this page. Complaints registered by other means may result in the same disciplinary measures as I've already noted.
Let me bump this thread on forum policy, since the issue has arisen at least twice this week, and let me be quicker and blunter. 1. If you're thinking of launching a thread with political content or implications on A to Z, think again. Better yet, don't launch it. Similarly, if you're thinking of making a political post on a thread, don't post it. 2. If you see a thread or a post with questionable content, please DO report it, using the "Report" link at the bottom of the post (it's in the same line as the user's name on the left and the "Reply" link on the right). If you don't see that "Report" link, you're a relatively new member and you're absolved from reporting. 3. Whether or not you report the problematic post or thread, please do not reply to it. In order not to give further airing to questionable content, replies to such content may need to be deleted - which means a moderator has to work through the thread and make the necessary judgments. Worse, one person's oblique reference or little joke is another person's red flag, and it's shocking in how few posts a thread can explode.
On that note, THANK YOU to those who have abided by this rule. I'm a very new moderator and was dreading having to slap fingers during this season. Instead, we've been very on-topic, with the few threads about the election being specifically how to handle things in the classroom. Fantastic!
I want to express my appreciation for the busy moderators who keep the trolls at bay. However, I would hope that you would not suppress discussion on educational policy issues that strongly affect educators and our students. Is it your policy that an issue like "using money pulled from local public schools and given as vouchers to private, for profit or religious schools" should be explored from an educational policy viewpoint, but not from "this (or that) political party sticks" standpoint? In the past, I've seen that such issues have been allowed to be discussed as long as the discourse is civil and doesn't not stray deep into the political weeds.
We can discuss issues here until the cows come home, and I love doing that as much as anyone else. It's when we start saying things like, "It's those people who voted Purple Party who ruined education" or "President Whomever is going to make things great (or awful)" that we have problems. For example, in another thread, we are having an interesting discussion on some teachers having guns on school grounds. We can talk about that issue in terms of student safety and state law without issue. It's when we delve into the politics of the issue that it stops being constructive and start being divisive. Does that make sense?
It makes sense to a degree. If the purple party had as it's principle educational policy agenda to defund public schools and give the money to for-profit charters and voucher schools, the purple party should be identified so readers of this board can understand some of the forces buffeting education. I think all posts should be respectful. We should be able to simultaneously be passionate and professional.
Yup. I can't imagine the site owner agreeing to any relaxation of the no-political-discussions policy.
I wanted to thank and PRAISE the members of this forum for being so professional and civil. As I say to my own students, "I don't discuss religion, politics, or UFOs." It seems to work for them, if only because they wonder why I brought up that third thing. Thank you all for maintaining our professional tabula rasa.
Mine is always “religion, politics, and YouTube “science”” with the air quotes. But yes, no politics is a good thing.
Ok, I won't say anything else about the dangers of teaching or even living in Indiana. Move here at your own risk.
Smart move, if you intend to contribute on this forum. Some people love to see if they can sneak in posts on subjects that are not permitted here. The moderators are usually right on top of the situation, and many/most members are happy with the policies in place - I know I am. You are still new here - see if you can't find some subjects to participate on that don't cross the lines - you may like it here.
