Teachers on Facebook

[FlightlessDuck]

I have a friend who is a teacher that refuses to get an account of Facebook because he is a teacher and doesn't want to get himself into trouble and/or get into issues with refusing to become friends with his students (middle schoolers).

So, some questions...

Are you a teacher? Are you on Facebook?

Do you add your students or parents as friends? If not, how do you handle situations where a student or parent requests to be friends? Do you ever have an issue with that person getting insulted?


If you aren't a teacher, but you have kids, are their teachers on Facebook? Are you friends with them?

 

[worm761]

When DS was in school his teachers had Facebook pages specifically for the class. Sometimes posting was a part of homework. It was also a place for the kids to chat after school.

If the teachers had personal facebook pages, we were not invited. Though I would not have tried either. My facebook friends are, for the most part, people I know in real life. I have a handful of friends from the Dis and from ChaCha that are friends on Facebook for game reasons. Those darn games are addictive. LOL

 

[polyfan]

Teacher with facebook- do not accept students-current or former nor their parents- I do not have my own children as friends either as they have too many friends that do not need to see my postings. I do have my childrens password so that I can monitor them.

 

[paintnolish]

I have Facebook and am student teaching in fall. I will not be friends with students or parents of students until after they graduate. My husband is a teacher and that is what he does. My kids are in grade school and I am "Facebook friends" with a few of their former teachers. That being said, I am a boring old mom, so I don't have any pictures I wouldn't want anyone to see on Facebook!

 

[HM]

I have a friend who is a substitute teacher and she's on facebook and friends her students.
My kids have teachers on facebook, but I don't know if they friend the kids or not. (I am a friend to one of them....tennis coach).

 

[NewCrew42]

I have a friend who is a teacher that refuses to get an account of Facebook because he is a teacher and doesn't want to get himself into trouble and/or get into issues with refusing to become friends with his students (middle schoolers).

So, some questions...

Are you a teacher? Are you on Facebook?

Do you add your students or parents as friends? If not, how do you handle situations where a student or parent requests to be friends? Do you ever have an issue with that person getting insulted?


If you aren't a teacher, but you have kids, are their teachers on Facebook? Are you friends with them?

I am friends with some of my kids teachers. I am only friends with ones that I have developed a relationship with.

My kids are friends with some of their teachers.

We have never had an issue.

 

[Sparx]

I am not in high school anymore but I do have a few of my high school teachers on facebook. I believe most of them will only friend students who have graduated, though.

On the other hand, I had a college professor who wanted us to follow his twitter to receive our homework assignments. That class was dropped shortly after I found this out.

 

[FireDancer]

Some of my friends are teachers and have Facebook accouts. They refuse to friend any current student or even a former student if they have a younger sibling in the district.

As long as you are smart about what you post on Facebook it isn't an issue. They don't post anything that would be inappropriate for their students to see but they don't want someone else to post a pic or something that they wouldn't want a student to see or to see anything a student posts that would raise an ethical dilemma.

 

[Kathi OD]

Teacher here and on FB. I have been teaching for over 30 years and do have a few former students as friends, but none that I have taught in the past 10 years.

Most of the former students who have asked me to be their FB friend are friends of my children (I used to teach in my own neighborhood school). I am also FB friends w/ some former students' parents. Because we lived in the same neighborhood for so many years, we were friends in "real life," long before FB came along.

People who "friend" me hoping to find out some juicy detail of my life are going to be rather disappointed...all I've got are family updates (positive only) and game progress posts.

 

[smb6]

I am a substitute and I don't have a "policy" as it has never came up.....

I know some of my kids have teachers of FB, but I have never made a friend request as I would feel out of place doing so....

This school year, I noticed that one of my kids teacher stated that she could be contacted via email for FB.... (So, I guess she is ok with friending parents/kids on FB)

 

[DisneyJen0504]

I am a teacher and have had a facebook for a few years now. It is private so only "friends" can see my profile. I also have my photos labeled as friends only. I am a married soon to be mom so my profile is very G rated. Just family pics and bejeweled scores. Haha. But I still prefer to keep it private.
I have never had a parent send me a friend request and if I did I would just deny it. I don't think any explanation is needed nor do I think a parent would ask. I teach little ones so therefore students do not request me either.

 

[MushyMushy]

I'm a substitute and a good many of my friends are teachers. My friends who teach full time are mixed on this. Some won't friend current OR former students, but there are some who will friend just former. I will only friend graduates or students if they are relatives.

 

[Lanshark]

I am a teacher and I refuse to get a facebook account.

Even if I refuse to friend a student or a parent, those people may be friends with someone who I have friended (like another teacher). My wall, as I understand it, would then be open to view.

Too much potential trouble.

 

[castleview]

My kids elementary school teachers have a FB page. I think it would be easier to handle when dealing with that age group. DH teaches high school and is reluctant to do so. Although a friend of mine is also a high school teacher and FB junkie. However, she doesn't allow students to friend her.

 

[MrsPete]

I'm a teacher, and I don't do Facebook. Mainly because I just am not interested, but also because I don't want to open myself to the question of befriending students.

 

[FireDancer]

I am a teacher and I refuse to get a facebook account.

Even if I refuse to friend a student or a parent, those people may be friends with someone who I have friended (like another teacher). My wall, as I understand it, would then be open to view.

Too much potential trouble.

You could set everything to be visible to friends only, not friends of friends.

 

[Sparx]

I am a teacher and I refuse to get a facebook account.

Even if I refuse to friend a student or a parent, those people may be friends with someone who I have friended (like another teacher). My wall, as I understand it, would then be open to view.

Too much potential trouble.

You can actually set your wall (and everything) to be viewed by only your friends and not friends-of-friends.

 

[dislaney]

I am friends with a couple of my children's teachers as are my children. I know of a few that have the policy of not being friends with the students until after they graduate. The ones that I'm friends with are teachers that we have some sort of personal relationship.

 

[abdmom]

I am starting a new teaching job this fall. My last teaching gig was pre-Facebook. I only have family as facebook friends. It's my way of keeping up with those I don't see too often. I don't friend anyone else. I plan to keep it that way. All my settings are friends only.

 

[frndofpooh]

I am a preschool teacher and I have a Facebook account. None of my little students has ever "friended" me (although you never know, FB participants seem to be getting younger and younger) but their parents have. I usually tell them that I would be more comfortable having a personal relationship when I am no longer their child's teacher because I think that helps us keep things on a professional level. When their child (and their subsequent children) have moved beyond my class, I am happy to friend them. I also maintain the highest level of privacy settings to help keep out unwanted viewing of my page. Many of my teacher friends "friend" their current student's parents without any problem, but I know they edit themselves and are very careful about what they say on FB.