friending teachers on fb

[perkinsrose]

Not sure where you got that statistic, but you might want to check again. Social Media use is up almost 10% for 2016.

As for teachers/parents on FB I don't think it's a good idea unless you're actually friends. But then again, I don't friend people from work except under very special circumstances so it's the same idea to me.

I can't respond to lumping all social media together and that statistic, but I do know that twitter use is down quite a bit and their stock suffered.

 

[SC Minnie]

The only time I friended or accepted a friend request from one of DD's teachers is if I knew them outside of school. A couple of her teachers went to our church so I was friends with them before she was ever in their class.

 

[declansdad]

I can't respond to lumping all social media together and that statistic, but I do know that twitter use is down quite a bit and their stock suffered.

Overall statistics from Brandwatch

Social media statistics

• For context, as of July 2015, total worldwide population is 7.3 billion
• The internet has 3.17 billion users
• There are 2.3 billion active social media users
• 91% of retail brands use 2 or more social media channels
• Internet users have an average of 5.54 social media accounts
• Social media users have risen by 176 million in the last year
• 1 million new active mobile social users are added every day. That’s 12 each second
• There are 1.65 billion active mobile social accounts globally

 

[brooke789]

I am friends with my kids teachers from daycare to now (just finished Kindergarten). I love having them on. When the kids were in daycare we'd get tagged in pictures of special (or cute) things the kids were doing. In 4-K, I don't remember the teachers sharing much via facebook but I do remember the teachers liking or commenting on a lot of my kid stuff. This past year when the kids were in Kindergarten there are lots of pictures that the teachers took that I would have never seen if I wasn't connected with the teachers on facebook! I have wondered if I should remove the teachers once my kids have moved on, but they haven't taken me off and I'm just not sure what to do!

My Mom teaches 6th grade. It is much different. I'm sure she doesn't want to be friends with the parents at that age and she is not allowed to be friends with the students until they're out of her classroom. Personally, if I were her I wouldn't be friends with any of the kids just b/c it seems like it could be inappropriate.

 

[CdnCarrie]

I have no desire to be friends with the kids' teachers. I only see them couple times a year at Parent-Teacher things so I'm not their friend.
Seems like that would be like friending my dentist or the nurse the doctor's office. Just weird thing to do.

I can see in a small town if you know them outside the school relationship or I guess if you're super involved in your kids school with volunteering and developed a close bond to a teacher.
Besides that no.

 

[mnrose]

No policy. But, the only teachers I have as FB "friends" are two that my children had from 3rd through 8th grade. Same two teachers the entire time. They are no longer employed by the district where my children attend (one retired, and the other moved to another district). We became "friends" after my children were no longer taught by them.

 

[CdnCarrie]

I am friends with my kids teachers from daycare to now (just finished Kindergarten). I love having them on. When the kids were in daycare we'd get tagged in pictures of special (or cute) things the kids were doing. In 4-K, I don't remember the teachers sharing much via facebook but I do remember the teachers liking or commenting on a lot of my kid stuff. This past year when the kids were in Kindergarten there are lots of pictures that the teachers took that I would have never seen if I wasn't connected with the teachers on facebook! I have wondered if I should remove the teachers once my kids have moved on, but they haven't taken me off and I'm just not sure what to do!

My Mom teaches 6th grade. It is much different. I'm sure she doesn't want to be friends with the parents at that age and she is not allowed to be friends with the students until they're out of her classroom. Personally, if I were her I wouldn't be friends with any of the kids just b/c it seems like it could be inappropriate.

Is that a private FB page just for the classroom? I would be livid if my kids' teacher was putting pictures of her class on her personal FB page. It's against school policy for even parents to post anything from a school function on social media.

 

[brooke789]

Is that a private FB page just for the classroom? I would be livid if my kids' teacher was putting pictures of her class on her personal FB page. It's against school policy for even parents to post anything from a school function on social media.

Nope, their own facebook pages. I had two Kindergartners this year in separate classrooms. Both teachers posted pics of school time and would tag as many parents as they had (seemed like most). There are no rules against parents posting either. I went to a few different activities (in either classroom) this year and any other volunteers were taking pics and I'd see them on FB shortly after.

Personally, I don't have a problem with it but a facebook group would be nice.

 

[thejewellfamily]

Just curious if your school has a policy on parents "friending" teachers on Facebook. Is it strange to be fb friends with your child's teacher? I honestly don't know how I feel about it. On one hand I think "why not" on the other hand, does it cross a line?

I am a teacher and do have parents of former/current students on FB. Some parents I knew and were "friends" with already, because my kids go to the school where I teach. Other parents have friended me after their student left my classroom to keep in touch. I honestly don't mind being friend with parents on FB because I would never post anything that I don't want the entire world to see anyway. Most of it is just family stuff!

 

[Vijoge]

My DGD is a junior in high school. I am not fb friends with any of her teachers. I have two younger DGD's (who don't live with me) and I'n not fb friends with any of their teachers but I am fb friends with the school secretary.

 

[CdnCarrie]

I am friends with my kids teachers from daycare to now (just finished Kindergarten). I love having them on. When the kids were in daycare we'd get tagged in pictures of special (or cute) things the kids were doing. In 4-K, I don't remember the teachers sharing much via facebook but I do remember the teachers liking or commenting on a lot of my kid stuff. This past year when the kids were in Kindergarten there are lots of pictures that the teachers took that I would have never seen if I wasn't connected with the teachers on facebook! I have wondered if I should remove the teachers once my kids have moved on, but they haven't taken me off and I'm just not sure what to do!

My Mom teaches 6th grade. It is much different. I'm sure she doesn't want to be friends with the parents at that age and she is not allowed to be friends with the students until they're out of her classroom. Personally, if I were her I wouldn't be friends with any of the kids just b/c it seems like it could be inappropriate.

Nope, their own facebook pages. I had two Kindergartners this year in separate classrooms. Both teachers posted pics of school time and would tag as many parents as they had (seemed like most). There are no rules against parents posting either. I went to a few different activities (in either classroom) this year and any other volunteers were taking pics and I'd see them on FB shortly after.

Personally, I don't have a problem with it but a facebook group would be nice.

That would so go against our school division social media policies. I would not be happy with that set up in the least.

 

[Bianca and Bernard]

I teach high school. I will accept most friend requests after a student has graduated. NEVER do I accept parents while the student is still in school.

I'm FB friends with DD#2's former band teacher. She had him for 2 years, and he resigned because the school district said they were cutting the music program.

DD#2 is FB with him and two other teachers. She is meeting one tomorrow, with SoIL#2 (who also knows the teacher, and is FB with) for lunch, so he can meet their son!

ETA: no FB friendship until after DD#2 graduated. Except with the band teacher, and that was after he left. He didn't FB DD until after she turned 18. Smart guy.

 

[NCDisneyMom]

In our district, teachers are highly discouraged from being friends with students until after graduation.

As far as me (parent) being friends with teachers, I am friends with almost all of my kids teachers through 6th grade. At those ages, I did a great deal of volunteering in the classrooms and on the PTO, so got to know the teachers quite well. Except for a few that I know outside of the school (we do live in a small town), they all friended me. I never want to put them in an awkward position of having to decide whether to accept my friend request or not.

Now that my kids are in middle and high school, I still do PTO work, but the interaction with teachers is much more limited, so I am only friends with the ones I know outside of school.

 

[pumpkinmomma]

I teach in a small town, so I do have a few parents as facebook friends but I know them and am friends with them outside of school. I will not accept friend requests from parents if we were not friends before the school year began. I do not accept friend requests from students until they are out of school.

I am friend with a couple of my kids' teachers, but we were friends well before they taught my kids and have know each other for years.

We don't have a specific district policy.

 

[perkinsrose]

A few people were commenting on posts of school/classroom, just FYI, often when you sign a clearance for media or to have your child photographed or videotaped, this usually would cover internet too. I have thought about this because I don't want my own children to have a digital history (youtube, twitter, etc) with their likeness, real name, video, etc too soon.

It is such a challenging age to be a parent. I still remember the day my dad brought a VCR home and can remember when there were only a few channels on our TV, can remember our little black & white TV, corded phones at home, I could go on... how technology has changed in my short life so far.

 

[Aliceacc]

I teach high school. I see absolutely no reason to friend any student or parent who is not already a family friend. It blurs the lines.

I see no upside

 

[tvguy]

Not sure where you got that statistic, but you might want to check again. Social Media use is up almost 10% for 2016.

As for teachers/parents on FB I don't think it's a good idea unless you're actually friends. But then again, I don't friend people from work except under very special circumstances so it's the same idea to me.

Nope. Down 23.7%.
Way way down. Well except among those over age 65!
Working for a company working to step up our social media platforms it is very alarming.
http://www.cnbc.com/2016/06/06/peop...ss-time-on-social-media-apps-said-report.html
http://www.breitbart.com/tech/2016/06/07/social-media-bubble-bursting-usage-declines-across-board/
https://insights.newscred.com/where-will-social-media-users-go-in-2016-infographic/
https://www.rt.com/usa/345744-social-media-use-decrease/
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-...s-social-media-app-usage-tumbles-across-globe
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technolo...g-bored-of-facebook-and-instagram-study-says/
https://www.similarweb.com/blog/social-media-usage
http://todays1019.cbslocal.com/2016/06/13/social-media-usage-is-down-from-last-year/
http://tech.co/social-media-app-use-last-year-2016-06
https://www.asicentral.com/news/newsletters/promogram/june-2016/study-social-media-use-decreasing/

 

[monarchsfan16]

No district policy, but I will not accept friend requests, barring exceptional circumstances. I feel very strongly that there needs to be a separation between my professional life and home life. I WILL be facebook friends with colleagues. I try to be very careful about what I post on facebook, but in today's age, I don't need someone taking a post the wrong way and using it against me. I'm a speech pathologist and work with students for several years in a row.