Issue #7: Facebook Etiquette
As an avid and frequent Facebook (and many other social media sites) user, I strongly believe that educators should not be Facebook friends with their students. There should be a healthy distance between educators and students for multiple reasons. First, if educators and students are Facebook friends, students may be less willing to cooperate with the directions of their teacher during the school day. Students may be distracted by something they saw on their teacher's Facebook page which may weaken the relationship between the two. Students may see teachers as more of a friend than of an authority figure which may lead to a decrease or lack of respect altogether. Additionally, students may believe that, because they saw their teacher busy the night prior, deadlines do not apply. Students may make inferences about a teacher's personal life which are untrue and this can cause a decrease in performance, effort, or even academic grades for that particular student. Lastly, it may be too easy for a teacher to forget that his/her students are friends with them on Facebook and may post something that is not for students' eyes, such as an opinion or comment. By being Facebook friends, it is too easy for a student to decrease the respect he or she has for the teacher and this can lead to all sorts of problems both inside and outside of the school day.
I do, however, believe that educators may accept Facebook friend requests from their students upon graduating from that particular school or from high school so that the two may keep in touch. It would be best if the individual students friend request their teacher, that way it is each students' decision as to whether or not they would like to continue their relationship with their teacher in this way and do not feel pressured by their teacher's request. Personally, I have Facebook friend requested my own middle school and high school teachers because I would like the friendship that I created with them during the school year to continue and I genuinely care for those specific teachers as individuals. Another idea is that it may be more beneficial for a teacher to share a personal email address, or email address tailored specifically for teacher/student contact, so that the teacher and students may keep in touch months and years after they spent time together in the classroom. I know that I would love to communicate back and forth with my previous teachers but not all teachers have Facebook profiles and this makes contacting them difficult. All in all, I believe it is best if students and teachers do not have social media contact with one another during the school year and during the time that each student spends at the particular school in order for professional, healthy teacher-to-student relationships.
Andrea, I definitely agree that students should not be facebook friends with their teachers while they are still in the same class or school as that teacher. While I do think teachers should develop personal relationships with their students, I believe that overall, the relationship needs to remain professional. I think that allowing students to be facebook friends with their current teachers would overstep the professional boundary.
ReplyDeleteAndrea, I think your ideas about social media and interactions between teachers and students are very interesting. I believe like you, that teachers should not share their profiles with their students. I think that this opens many doors and presents many opportunities for things to go wrong. I do agree that it is okay for teachers and students to become friends after they graduate. I have several old teachers as friends as well, and it has been very beneficial in some places. But it is important as educators to keep our relationships professional. I really like your idea of a student/teacher email set up. I think that is a great idea because it is professional, but also sets up a gateway for which students can share comments and/or concerns with their teacher.
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