Survival under surveillance

"Do you mind if I record our meeting?"

My student pulled out her smartphone and awaited my reply. This student is sincerely struggling with a difficult assignment and wanted some specific guidance on how to proceed, and she thought it would be helpful to review my comments later on in case she ran into trouble. She asked nicely and clearly wasn't interested in making a secret "Gotcha" video, so I said yes.  

Knowing I was being recorded for posterity made me weigh my words a little more carefully than usual, but let's face it: when the topic is literary research methods, I'm not likely to say anything worthy of submission in the latest "Catch a Professor Acting Liberal" contest. When teaching a student how to refine search terms in the MLA International Bibliography becomes a controversial act, I'm outta here.

But what about students who don't ask permission? Last year a student surreptitiously recorded a colleague in an unguarded moment, which led to sleepless nights and serious repercussions. Even harmless comments can create controversies when taken out of context--I would hate to think, for instance, what would happen if my promises about the Comma Fairy got loose online and out of context. I would look mighty silly!

But then again, I'm accustomed to looking silly. By writing about embarrassing moments here, I defuse their power and limit their potential to cause harm.

I hope.