High School Facebook Protocol

[piercehawkeye45]

When posting publicly on sites such as Facebook, people ideally should be aware of who might be reading their posts. We act differently around different people in face to face conversations, but on Facebook everyone can read whatever we have to say. For most people, it is their choice whether or not they put themselves in awkward or embarrassing situations but teachers should be held to a different standard because of the position they hold.


Monster, there is a new option on facebook where you can hide certain posts from certain people. If you decide to do something, maybe politely remind this teacher that every single one of his/her facebook friends can see his/her posts, including your daughter (or his/her students). I would guess this teacher just forgot that, many people do, so getting anyone else involved could potentially escalate the situation in ways it doesn't need too.


Although, I do agree that, for High School and below, teachers and coaches should not be fb friends with their students.

[Clodfobble]

Can I ask a strange question? How would you feel if it had been a classmate who posted this picture?

Maybe I was a horribly corrupted youth, but by high school... I had seen far worse than this. I knew kids who had done worse than this in the offstage wings of the theatre. My friends and I would have thought this picture was funny, not shocking or inappropriate.

I'm not saying that the teacher posting the picture is okay, because I do feel there should be a certain line of respect between teenagers and any adult, including their teachers. But I don't think the picture itself is that out of line for a high school student to see, if that makes sense.

[Aliantha]

I agree with you Clod and was thinking the same thing, but what kids share between themselves is one thing. I think it encourages familiarity (at the least) if an adult is showing pictures like this to a child.

[monster]

Originally Posted by Aliantha

Why should they have to censure their own words or actions just because their FB friends might not like it?

I agree with this totally. I don't believe they should. But most teachers/etc I know who FB have two accounts. One for students and their parents, and one for real life. That's all I want to suggest -that they get a second account. Where they don't like links like that.

[monster]

Originally Posted by piercehawkeye45

Monster, there is a new option on facebook where you can hide certain posts from certain people. If you decide to do something, maybe politely remind this teacher that every single one of his/her facebook friends can see his/her posts, including your daughter (or his/her students). I would guess this teacher just forgot that, many people do, so getting anyone else involved could potentially escalate the situation in ways it doesn't need too.


Although, I do agree that, for High School and below, teachers and coaches should not be fb friends with their students.

Thanks, I forgot about that new option, that's a good idea.

The problem with unfriending etc is that that the group uses their (private) FB group as their primary communication tool. And it has been unbelievably successful for that.

[monster]

Originally Posted by Clodfobble

Can I ask a strange question? How would you feel if it had been a classmate who posted this picture?

Maybe I was a horribly corrupted youth, but by high school... I had seen far worse than this. I knew kids who had done worse than this in the offstage wings of the theatre. My friends and I would have thought this picture was funny, not shocking or inappropriate.

I'm not saying that the teacher posting the picture is okay, because I do feel there should be a certain line of respect between teenagers and any adult, including their teachers. But I don't think the picture itself is that out of line for a high school student to see, if that makes sense.

Oh I don't give a shit about the picture per se. I'm a bad parent that way. It's more that this person clearly doesn't have a clue re appropriateness. This group is held to a high level of responsibility. They are supposed to exhibit exemplarary behaviour at all times, even when not representing the school or at school. If they had posted this link, there would have been trouble.

[Rrrraven]

I like a good wiener joke as much as the next person, bonus points if it includes a republican candidate. But, speaking as an educator, of college students even - I would not have ever posted this to share with my students.

"Friending" students has had some pretty bad results for another professor I work with. I think it's a recipe for disaster.

[classicman]

networks like Facebook and MySpace easily blur the student-teacher relationship because of the personal information made available on profiles.

“I think that students and teachers have different personas in the classroom than outside of it, and the two should not necessarily be mixed,” says Heather Steed, a recent graduate of Florida State University in Tallahassee, Fla. As a student herself, Steed never added instructors on a social network until she completed their class.

“There needs to be a certain distance between teachers and students in order to maintain respect,” adds Rabbi Avi Schwartz, an educator at Magen David Yeshiva in Brooklyn, N.Y. “A teacher needs to be a role model, mentor, and advice giver – not a ‘friend.’” When a high school student gains access into a teacher’s network of friends and acquaintances and is able to view their family photos, for instance, the student-teacher dynamic is altered. “Friending students provides more information than you are willing to provide in an educational setting,” says Patrick Sweeney, an adjunct professor of history and government in Houston, Texas.

A new Missouri law is making it illegal for teachers to correspond privately with students via social media. For instance, Facebook chat between a student and their teacher would be considered illegal while a wall post would be fair game. What's Trending Live raised the question: Are private student/teacher interactions online all bad?

In Missouri, lawmakers banned teachers from having private conversations with students over Internet sites after 87 Missouri teachers had lost their licenses between 2001 and 2005 because of sexual misconduct, some of which involved exchanging explicit online messages with students.

Many teachers there are protesting the new restrictions, complaining the law will hurt their ability to keep in touch with students.

But here in Dayton, the teachers’ union president welcomes the district’s updated social media policy.

[ZenGum]

I briefly worked with international students doing a pre-university course. Most were 18 or more, a few were 20 or more, but a few were 17. As such we had a degree of pastoral responsibility for them

I made a blanket rule of not friending students from there. Even though neither I nor the students are still associated with that college, I still don't.

However, one of my colleagues uses FB for class discussions and sharing information. She has on one occasion busted a student who claimed to have missed a test due to stomach illness, when they posted photos of the big steak they had for lunch.

[DanaC]

Originally Posted by monster

I agree with this totally. I don't believe they should. But most teachers/etc I know who FB have two accounts. One for students and their parents, and one for real life. That's all I want to suggest -that they get a second account. Where they don't like links like that.

That's what most teachers and academics I know do as well. Likewise a lot of politicians and others with a professional, public face.

Same on twitter. Right now I just have one Twitter account. But whilst i do teach, I am also a postgrad student. Even so, I am very careful what i do and don't share on Twitter. My supervisor is on my follow list, as are a number of academics I wouldn't want knowing all my business.

Sometimes though, it's easy to forget. Because much of my interaction on there is not connected to my studies or my 'public' persona. Like, at one point I was halfway through composing a tweet about having a whole weekend free, a box set of The Wire and a bottle of Bourbon that I was given as a gift. Then thought better of it, because it could give the impression I am a heavy drinker. I certainly never post anything on there about smoking pot, for example. Which i do here.

[classicman]

Originally Posted by DanaC

I certainly never post anything on there about smoking pot, for example. Which i do here.

Wai ... what? You're telling me your a Pot smokin' commie tart?
Thats taking it to a whole nother level.

[DanaC]

i never said I was a commie...

I have been reading these forums for the past few hours and I have to say I have seen a lot of wonderful posts.

I thought I would register and post my opinions on this matter.

As stated prior, K-12 teachers should definitely be held to a little bit higher social standard than other people. My children are nine, five, five and three. If my kids are going to hear or see any offensive material, I really don't want it coming from someone they look up to as an educator. Our educators are responsible for the future of our society and should be setting pristine examples of maturity and professionalism towards our children. Children and teenagers are extremely easily influenced, not only by their parents and friends but their teachers as well.

- Dana, age 24

[glatt]

Originally Posted by Ironsolid

I thought I would register and post my opinions on this matter.

Hi Dana,
welcome to the Cellar.

[DanaC]

Oooooh! Another Dana!

Hihi. Nice to meetcha, and welcome to the Cellar