Dear Prospective Future Employers

Dear Prospective Future Employers,

You may have heard of a man named Chez Pazienza. He’s a blogger from New York City who used to work for CNN. I say used to because he was fired. For blogging. Apparently, CNN had a problem with him expressing his opinion.

Or, you may have heard of Avery Doninger, a student in Connecticut who was forced off the student council after calling administrators “douche bags,” in a blog she wrote outside of school that wasn’t hosted on school servers. I can only hope that the irony of that isn’t lost on anyone. For the record, she won re-election from write in ballots, but was not allowed to serve.

I’m also reminded of a blog post following this past year’s NCTE conference where a school district heavily suggested that its employees don’t post or create blogs so that they can’t get into trouble with conduct unbecoming charges.

Recently, I was placed in a high school where there could be a high likelihood of me running into a student that I see fairly often in my own private life. When this student discovered that my practicum placement was at his school, he told me not to talk to him or embarrass him. I gave him a hard time about it outside of the school, but he had nothing to worry about. Even if I had ever seen him, I would have more than likely not acknowledged him unless I was acknowledged first. When I am in a school environment, I act professionally.

What do all of these things have to do with each other? This is an important point, so I am going to make it obvious:

Once I walk out the door, I am no longer yoked to you. Once I walk out that door, I am no longer Mike Edinger, Employee; I am Mike Edinger, Private Person.

I’m going to show up on time. In fact, I’m certain that I will quite often show up early and even stay late. I’m going to show up clean-shaven with professional clothes. I’m going to do my job to the best of my ability. I’m going to take criticism and lessons in order to be able to become better at my job.

But my time is exactly that: my time. And what I do with it is of absolutely no fucking concern of yours.

So here’s how it’s going to work. For those one hundred twenty-eight hours a week I am not working, you have no control over my life whatsoever. I’m going to express whatever opinions I have in whatever manner I see fit. I’m going to enjoy my hobbies and interests without fear of how I am perceived because it’s taking place in a completely different sphere of my life. I’m going to hang out with my friends; pictures are going to be taken. Some of those pictures might even end up on Facebook or MySpace. In some of them, I might even be holding an alcoholic beverage. That’s perfectly fine. You know why? Because I’m twenty one fucking years old, and so are my friends. It’s legal. I’m not going to be punished for doing something that isn’t illegal.

In exchange, I’m willing to be one of the smartest, hardest working people you’ll ever hire.

However, if you’ve got a problem with any of this, well, I assure you, the loss is much bigger for you than it is for me.

Sincerely,

Mike Edinger, Free Person

Once again, major props to xkcd.com, and of course the above mentioned (and numerous, nameless others), who've inspired me.