Under Surveiilance: Teaching Shaped by Cameras

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My classrooms in Macao and Hong Kong had CCTVs. As a new, foreign teacher in these places, the cameras made me feel uncomfortable within the four walls. While we were assured that the cameras were there to manage students' behavior, the idea of "being constantly watched" created a sense that every behavior in the classroom may be viewed and interpreted by someone else. But over time, I started to see this experience through the lens of power and surveillance. 

In her post entitled, The Danger of Facial Recognition in Our Children’s Classrooms, Nila Bala discusses that schools often operate within clear power imbalances. Similar to my experience in Macao and Hong Kong, teachers have little influence over institutional policies, including decisions about surveillance. As a classroom teacher, I had little or no voice in whether cameras should be present in my classroom. Reporting to school always left me fearing possible situations, like if I snapped or acted in a way that might raise questions or trigger an inquiry about my classroom conduct. Fortunately, I never experienced such a situation. Still, the constant awareness of being watched created a lingering sense of caution. 

I got used to CCTVs over time, but the experience changed my understanding of my teaching environment, making me more aware of how authority and surveillance shape everyday classroom practice. We teachers often work in systems where rules and policies are made without our input, but we still have to deal with the consequences in our daily work. 

Surveillance in the classroom does not only come with the installation of CCTVs in classrooms. In his post entitled Are Teachers Under Increasing Surveillance, Ross Morrison McGill summarizes the three types of teacher surveillance that Damian Page explored in his paper Conceptualizing The Surveillance of Teachers: vertical surveillance, horizontal surveillance, and interpersonal surveillance. These surveys reflect the consumerism and neoliberalism ideologies and portrayal of teachers as commodities who represent themselves as products that can be evaluated and compared, as well as entrepreneurial individuals who continually improve themselves to stay competitive and employable. 

But the most concerning aspect of this surveillance is that many teachers may not fully recognize these forms of surveillance. Without this knowledge, teachers may feel pressure to keep an eye on their work, gather evidence of their efficacy, and establish their value as professionals. Over time, this can normalize a culture in which teaching becomes performative, with an emphasis on proving productivity and accountability rather than providing meaningful learning opportunities. 

Recognizing these dynamics is important. When teachers are aware of them, they can think more critically about the systems they work in and reflect on how surveillance influences not only their professional identity but also the learning environment they create for their students.