The most common time for teens to get a Facebook account is between eighth grade and freshman year of high school. Facebook is a place where people can connect with friends, play games, share their interests, and talk to people. But teens are not the only ones with a Facebook account, there are adults who have them too. I know for a fact that at my high school there were a few teachers that had an account. Students would sometimes look up their teachers name in the search bar to see if they had an account. Some teachers made it really hard for you to find them because they would change their name to something that wouldn’t be easily found or recognized by students. When they did find a teacher who had one, they would send them a friend request. Some students did this just to be funny, find out more information about the teacher, or because they enjoyed having them as a teacher and talk to them regularly.
Most of
the teachers would deny students friend requests. As they should, because there
is no reason why they need to be Facebook friends while the student is in the same
school as the teacher works in. There are a couple of reasons why teachers
being friends with students on Facebook is not a good idea. It crosses the
boundary of professionalism where the teacher to student line gets crossed. There
are liability reasons regarding sexual harassment that could put the teachers’
job in jeopardy or even get them fired. Also, parents would find it to be a little
odd that a teacher is friends with their child on Facebook.
I
think students should not be Facebook friends with their teachers while they
are still in the same school where that teacher works. I do however think that
it is ok to keep in touch with a teacher who has helped you out with academic
things (such as recommendation letters for college) because you and that
teacher had some sort of connection on an academic level. I am Facebook friends
with a teacher I had from high school but did not become friends until I had
graduated from that high school she works at. Once I had graduated she was no
longer my teacher, instead she was a person who I looked up to, looked to for
academic guidance, and still have conversations with from time to time.
I agree with you on this issue. Having students as facebook friends crosses the boundary of student- teacher relationships. Plus, teachers probably don't want students to know their personal life. I do think it is different if teachers have a professional facebook... such as a page for classes so that they can post questions or discuss with peers right on the page, as well as easily contact the teacher with questions.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you. Students and professors should not be Facebook friends, or follow them on twitter for that matter! Honestly, I do not see why a professor would have a facebook anyhow? A professor who would friend request a student is suspicious unless the student has a comfortable relationship with them. You want a professor to like your profile picture? Akward. Students and professors need to stay on professional terms. And we have e-mails, use them.
ReplyDeleteI do agree that teachers and students should not be Facebook friends in order to keep a professional relationship. However, what are your views after a student graduates? I always thought it to be awkward when my friends requested to be friends with their teacher on Facebook, but I noticed more people did it after they had graduated. There is no longer a professional relationship between them, so does that mean it is okay to become official Facebook friends?
ReplyDeleteI think it's a judgment call. Some teachers are an open book, and do not really care if a student can see his or her private life in relation to social media. If they are willing to take that risk and accept the friend request, then I think that's their choice.
ReplyDeleteI had a Spanish teacher in high school who told all of her students that she would not accept any friend requests. After I graduated nearly three years ago, I tried to friend request her because I figured our professional relationship had ended and this was one way to keep in contact with her, as we were close. She denied my request, because she said she does not let students, whether current or former students, have access to her private life. On the flip-side of that, my Ceramics teacher added me about an hour after I officially graduated.
I suppose it all depends on your stance on student-teacher relationship, and how far they should (or should not) go.