'The boundary between an educator's professional and personal life can be blurry. Because they are role models, educators are held to a higher standard for actions that they may take in their private lives, including their social media presence. But what are those lines? What does the law say about where that line is drawn? What are the policies that we should pursue to strike an appropriate balance? Those are just some of the important questions that this well-researched and well-written book helps answer.'

Mark Paige, University of Massachusetts, USA

'Questions about whether, how and to what extent the private activities of teachers should be subject to scrutiny are longstanding in countries around the world. In this book, DeMitchell and Fossey provide an historical analysis of these questions in the American socio-political context, tracing the emergence of the legal concepts of 'exemplar' and 'nexus' to examine shifting perceptions of teachers' right to personal autonomy versus the community's values and expectations for their behaviour. This book provides a fascinating and much-needed examination of how the teacher's position within the community is, should be, and could be understood, and will be essential reading for all scholars interested in these enduring tensions at a time of widespread professional turmoil for teachers around the globe.'

Meghan Stacey, UNSW Sydney, Australia