Not Even on The 9th "O" in Google

Not finding myself on Google.com makes me feel a little like Jason Bourne. I’m untraceable but without the badass fighting skills. There is a strange comfort in not appearing in a google.com search of my name. I have to give credit to my parents, first and foremost, for giving me two last names. I’m sure my doppelganger is named Peter Tom or John Frank and probably gets a butt load of results when they google themselves (that sounds naughty). Even with a Facebook account and credit cards, I cannot be found on Google. Using Pipl.com is no different as it lists everyone with a Facebook account with either my first or last name and I wasn’t on the list. I guess I selected the right options when I signed up for various sites to keep my info private. And I most certainly wont complain about it.
Although a quick Google search came up empty, I know my Facebook page needs some cleaning and I need to do a better job monitoring what gets posted with me in it. I think being a student with little free time and less money has kept me from inappropriate behavior and therefore Internet posts that show me exhibiting behavior that is “unbecoming of a teacher”. In addition to my Facebook account, any future blogs or social networking sites that I join I will need to be careful of what I post and watchful for questionable posts by others that include me.
This brings up the point that, why on a social networking site, do we need to be worried that showing our personal interests will keep us from a job or get us fired? I definitely understand the argument that we, as teachers, have the same rights to free speech as the rest of society and should be able to express ourselves individually. At the same time, online pictures of us misbehaving will only serve as a promotion for students to do the same things, but at a much more immature age. I wont choose between full censoring or none but I think a little is necessary. When the images and ideas are available to so many I think we, as teachers need to acknowledge that and keep our public content appropriate for the age of our students.
I think the article by Heather Carter, Teresa Foulger, and Ann Dutton Ewbank entitled presented some shocking instances of teachers being denied a license or having one revoked. I found it inappropriate that a middle school teacher in Maryland was investigated for criticizing her administrators and the student’s parents (Carter, Foulger, Ewbank. 2008) . Having a teaching certificate denied for a single MySpace picture labeled “drunken pirate”, is a ridiculous and potentially illegal (I’m no lawyer) excuse by the campus administration to deny a license (Carter, Foulger, Ewbank. 2008).
My theory is that as long as the ideas expressed by teachers are not directly hurting children then they are free to express themselves any way they see fit. I’m not above any one else so I don’t feel it my part to tell people how to act or report behavior that occurs outside of the classroom, because teachers need a social life as much as any one else.

Resources
Carter, H., Foulger, T., & Ewbank , A. (2008, May). Have You Googled Your Teacher Lately? Teachers’ Use of Social Networking Sites. Phi Delta Kappan.