Dear Google Images,
I write to you with mixed feelings. I've been a fan of yours for some time now. You have made my life easier in many ways. Whether it be searching for the perfect picture of artist, Claude Monet, or photo stalking rediculously good-looking hockey players engaged to Carrie Underwood, you have not disappointed me.
Yesterday, however, as my precious, and may I add innocent, second graders were illustrating their ABC Books, I was exposed to something very upsetting. You see, when a student of mine is curious how to draw a goose, for example, I simply peruse the pictures offered on Google Images until one is found that suit's the seven-year old's eye. Now imagine my surprise when I typed in the oh so innocent word, "fox". That's right, Google. Fox. As in "any of several carnivores of the dog family". The images I was presented with were anything but carnivores of the dog family. If anything, they seemed to stem from the cat family. Does the word "cougar" mean anything to you? Not only did I very nearly suffer from heart failure as my heart jump-roped in my chest, but I also pulled a number of muscles in my lower back as I lunged, and I do mean lunged, at my computer screen to cover the PG-13 content being ingrained into the eyes of Goldilocks beside me.
Perhaps some of this was my own fault. Perhaps I should have seen this coming. After all, there was that time I typed in "leopard", and was given a SLEW of picture selections that were anything but the four-legged leopard I had in mind.
A lesson has been learned here. The teacher has become the student. I will need to be more careful from now on. Lucky for me, the letter "C" has already been covered, and no student will need to ask for a picture of a cougar, though I'm sure I would be offered a plethora of options thanks to your nondiscrimatory picture policy. I will count my ABC blessings. And you should count how many pictures under the label "fox" are pictures of an actual four-legged carnivore of the dog family.
Love,
Emily
Preach it, Sister!!!
ReplyDeleteis there NOT parental filters on computers at LC??? that's scary when i think that my 5th grader has full access to the internet there. seriously, that's creepy!
ReplyDeletehow was your first week back??
Trac-
ReplyDeleteYes, LC does have filters, however, there must not be a filter on bikini-clad, Megan Fox, on Google Images. Don't worry about the boys...I don't think Mrs. Huleatt is letting them peruse Google. :-)
Week #1 back went well. It's Friday though, and teacher is tired.
Coffee or pedicures soon???
OY, that's SO frustrating! FYI - you can change your settings on Google search to be SUPER safe and have a filter.
ReplyDeleteOn the main google page on the top righthand corner it says: Settings, with a little down arrow. Click on the arrow and then click "Search Settings". On the page that loads scroll down and click the "SafeSearch Strict filtering" box.
I no longer get half dressed women or scuzzy sites when doing innocent searches. :)