The digital space continues to change, generating controversy and backlash

Educators discuss the climate on #teachertwitter, with some expressing exhaustion and withdrawal from the community. 

“Me thinking about commenting on #teachertwitter activities but choosing not to.” —Secondary History Teacher in New Jersey

  • “Yeah. I’m out. Like for real. My content is going to mostly football, baseball and slushie recipe content and silly things my son does. I have one remaining teachertwitter thought I’m hanging on to and really considering whether it’s worth the time to actually say it because at this point it’s all screaming into the void.” —Music Teacher in New York
  • “Except at some point one needs to take a stand and decide if they don’t allow various behaviors in your own classes and will call it out why it would be ok to allow it here?” —High School English Teacher in the Pacific Northwest 
  • “What’s happening? I’m a little out of the loop I think.” —High School Math Teacher in the United States
  • “I’m just so lost – I missed it all” —Elementary Teacher in Georgia

In another trend potentially signalling a larger lack of trust around digital education spaces, educators warn of grifting and privacy concerns within the #clearthelist community on X.

  • “There is a reason I have not done a list drop in a long time… People using the #clearthelist hashtag for their own personal gain. It was a great movement with great intentions but such is life. It will never truly disappear as many have come and gone under the umbrella of his movement. Just be true to yourself, true to your students and maybe a donor who wants to improve your classroom or students will see your list. #clearthelist was never a demand but more a wish to possibly make things better and if those wishes went unfulfilled, that’s ok because teachers still do magical things everyday. I appreciate every donor who has helped me transform my classroom since I started teaching 6 years ago and took over a classroom with barely any supplies. …” —Secondary History Teacher in New Jersey
    • “This level of distrust in the #clearthelist community has been building for years. Hell, I’m a teacher who was active in the movement and most of the time I don’t know who can be trusted. I’m slowly extricating myself for a variety of reasons, the main one being that it’s hard to trust when the grifting, greed and all that stuff has taken hold with no accountability in sight.” —Teacher in New York
    • “Please don’t ever post your full name, credentials and/or personal info. We teach our students to be safe, digital citizens, stay safe too. If there’s doubt, look at your timeline and engagements. Your safety and peace of mind is worth more than classroom supplies. … I’ve just been seeing so many post their credentials and “proof” they are teachers on here.” —Elementary Teacher in California
      • “YES! I intentionally make my posts pretty dry and ambiguous because I don’t want anyone to know a)where I live b)where I work c) any other personal info about me. My privacy (even day to day activities) is my business and people should be mindful of what they put out there.” —Secondary English Language Arts Teacher in New York
      • “This! I do not need to see that to give. I will continue to help. A couple of bad apples would never stop me.” —Educator in Texas