Student-Teacher Boundaries.

[My Wild Love]

Do you think it's alright for teachers to share their personal lives with their students?

Some people feel like teachers shouldn't do that but I want to hear your opinion.
Personally, I think it's alright. My school is on the smaller side so I feel the students are close to their teachers.

Well feel free to discuss this and anything else related.

 

[PigletGurl]

Well, you have to be on their good side or they will not give you an A. Then again, im referring to professors, not teachers lol oh well i miss teachers lol

 

[andy.b]

Well, you have to be on their good side or they will not give you an A. Then again, im referring to professors, not teachers lol oh well i miss teachers lol

I don't know what kind of school you go to... I haven't talked to one of my professors and I'm getting A's in all of my classes. It's kind of hard to get on a professors good side, or even have them know your name if there are 250-300 kids in a class.

As for sharing their personal lives, who cares? As long as it isn't some boring, crazy stuff their saying, I don't think it matters. And as long as it doesn't interfere with teaching, too.

 

[imabrat]

To a certain extent, I think. I think a teacher who knows how to go off-topic to a certain point is a good teacher, for me at least. Honestly, I would get bored sitting there for 90 minutes doing nothing but Algebra 2. If we can have a conversation and some down time for 5 minutes, I learn better because I'm relaxed and rejuvenated. 99% of the time those conversations turn personal.

For instance, my teacher is pregnant. (Well she went into labor yesterday) There was always that "what if I go into labor at school" on her mind. We, as a class, shared a conversation about it and she expressed her concerns, her wishes (her husband works downstairs so that was involved), etc.

However, I think something like adding a former/current student on Facebook is inappropriate, unless you're longtime family friends.

 

[K-Shong99]

doesn't bother me at all.
i usually find it kinda interesting.
lol.
it's werid to think of most of my teachers actually having lives.

 

[HSMndLKfan92]

I also go to a small school. My teachers share random things about their personal lives, like what they've had for dinner and stuff like that.

But my bio teacher told us last week that she has melanoma. That was a little awkard to sit through.

 

[StitchfansJr]

My teachers don't tell us too much information.

On the other hand, I have written an essay to my English teacher about the "true" me. Same with my study hall teacher.

 

[Sparx]

current students, no not really. its pretty awkward.

but i have two former teachers on my facebook, and i saw one today, and talked to her for a little while.

i also have another former teacher's cell phone number, and i text her sometimes, if i need to.(she never texts back though. lol she doesn't know how)

teachers are people too, but i feel like it might be crossing ethical and moral barriers to get too close to them while they are still in an authoritative figure.

 

[::Snow_White::]

Our school is small and everyone is pretty close to our teachers so I don't think we really mind as long as it's not like...weird stuff.

I know a lot of students here have added their teachers to facebook, we don't really have a problem with it.

 

[BabyPiglet]

My professors seem to share a lot. My english instructor last semester spent a ton of time talking about her family life, past, feelings about things, etc.

I actually love it. It makes them seem real. Like we're actually having a discussion instead of them just talking AT me.

My humanities teacher will actually give us bonus points if we make an effort to talk to her outside of class about non-art things.

I think it's different in college though, because in public school my teachers were like robots and never shared anything.

ETA: Two of my teachers are also very liberal, and they're always talking about politics and such. My history teachers is constantly trying to recruit people to his 'college democrats' organization.

Also, I have a couple of my professors on facebook. One has pictures of herself playing paintball, and one if always trying to make me join her farmville.

So yeah, to me, I see nothing wrong with it. It makes them seem more approachable to me, so I feel more confortable asking them my constant stream of education-related questions.

 

[Axel]

My high school is rather small (less than 900 students) and I became pretty close to some of my teachers. I now consider them more friends than anything else. I am friends with two of them on Facebook, both english teachers ironically. Both are parents of friends of mine, too. I have my high school history teacher's personal e-mail and we chat on occasion about politics and our current lives as students (he's gone back to college this year to get his Doctorate). I chat with my high school French teacher via e-mail as well because I'm a French major at college. She's more a friend than anything else at this point. She's asked me to come back and speak to a few of her French classes about the language and culture after I do my semester abroad (hopefully next year...I want to go back to Paris sooooo badly, but at the same time I'd love to go to Mali and do some charity work with the kids there, but I don't know if I could get college credit from that as Mali's school system isn't on par with what my college is looking for).

So I don't think it's really that odd. I guess I've always been a bit more mature than some kids my age, so it's never seemed odd to me to have friends who are much older than I am. I feel comfortable discussing just about anything with my old teachers and current ones (there are certain subjects I won't talk about with anybody in that capacity, though. you know what I mean).

 

[disneydance]

Teachers rules at my school are as long as it's 3:00 when there off duty it's ok to....
I normally stay late in my English teachers class room and school ends at 2:30 but we don't have awesome conversations till 3:30 I've had her for 2 years now so I've had the chance to get really close with her which is really awesome!

 

[MickeyisBeast]

My school is the largest in the state. So A LOT goes on around here. I could care less about them sharing personal things, especially in the boring classes. If they want to take their class time to tell us something personal going on in their life. So be it.

 

[StitchfansJr]

This might be different because it's a sub but I had an English sub that was sharing some "personal" stuff that I really didn't need to know.

He was telling us about how when he went to Vegas there was a topless beach. Then he was trying to make a joke about how it's okay for men to look at topless women even though they're married. I was like "Uhh, you're sharing this to us because...?" It made the entire class awkward. D:

 

[aquarhapsody]

I go to a Christian Homeschooler's Supplement school, and we're all very...open with our teachers.

I know that at least 2 of my teachers are friends with me on FaceBook, and it doesn't affect my grades at all.

Actually, I think I'm friends more with my teachers than anybody else.....

 

[Disney Dork]

I don't mind it, honestly. Teacher's are human just like everyone else. I know there are some people out there tho, that think that teachers should act 'professionally' not just inside the school setting, but outside as well.

This child dev. teacher said that if you're a teacher, you need to watch what you do outside of school as well as in, because you may run into a parent or something but, you know? That's after hours. You're done working. If a teacher wants to go out to a store and buy 3 bottles of wine and a package of beer, then they have the right to do that because they're adults! And if they run into a parent while they're there? O-well. They're not working at the school atm. The parent can get over themselves if they don't like it.

I'm a little iffy about adding students to facebook though, just because....ok. You're a 30 year old teacher. Then you add a 13 year old student to you're personal facebook. What are you posting about on that facebook? O___O

Sure, not all teacher's would post anything 'questionable' for a 13 year old to see, but some may. And that would just be a little inappropriate. Now, I'm not saying they shouldn't post what they want to. They're adults, if they want to post that stuff then that's fine. I just really don't think that some teachers should be exposing their students to such things.

 

[laurenluvsdisney]

I am friends with a lot of my former teachers on facebook. They have a lot of current students as their friends as well.

 

[KidGoofy]

Im fine with it unless they tell us "too much" info.

 

[I Am What I Am]

I don't really mind. As long as it's not really inappropriate things. I know my history teacher's baby's name and what she looks like, as well as the fact that me and my teacher share the same birthday.

 

[life of the party]

i love when teachers talk about their lives.
as long as it doesn't get TOO personal.

but most teachers know not to cross the line.