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Most in secondary education are not going to carry an.open social media. Seems some parents take liberties to hound these educators. They aren't about to extend further controversy in this day an age of accuse and hang before the truth comes out.
My son and dil are teachers they are civil in public and decline any contact via social.media of any student. If on a lark a student needs a letter of recommendation , they are referred to the school.district and the letter is composed by administration. The teachers are already monitored for ethics .
Why FRIEND a former teacher anyway, what is the point?
I find it unprofessional to FRIEND students or former students if there wasn't anything special between them.
I'm still in random contact with former students, maybe 3 or 4 dozen (out of several thousand). Many have moved to near me from where they grew up, others come here to events and I see them. Many of them are now in their 40s and even early 50s for a few.
Some of that came from, even though they went to different schools, their knowing my personal children (those kids would be in their 30s) from activities like theater and NJROTC. There were even a couple who were regular dinner guests. Some of those had somewhat chaotic home lives so I guess we gave them some sense of normalcy.
If former students who have graduated and are now adults reach out to me on social media I respond/friend them/whatever. I haven't been teaching that long so I'm not at this point yet but many of my coworkers who have been teaching for a long time see former students on a regular basis in social situations. Heck, several of the teachers are former students of other teachers within the school.
When students reach out to me on social media it usually isn't for random chit-chat or anything like that. Usually they just want to thank me for something I taught them or did for them, or because they valued my advice, or because they want to show off how far they have come since freshman Geography. It's a huge honor for a student to remember you and your class five, ten, fifteen years out of school and I always like to see their successes, they make me proud.
I'm friends with a couple of my old high school teachers on FB. I added them either the summer after I graduated or during my first year of college. Friends of mine are also friends with some former teachers. AFAIK there is nothing prohibiting it, at least not in my area. I don't see anything wrong with it at all. Once the students are 18 and out of the district, they're like any other two people out there who can connect on social media.
If I were a teacher, I think I'd like to see what my former students are up to. Further education, what careers they have gone into and what types of jobs they get, see them marry and have a family. I think it's nice. I imagine many teachers who had good relationships with certain students back in school probably like the ability to be FB friends or follow each other on social media for these reasons.
I think everyone should stop "friending" people on social media and focus on real life.
Well, that is part of real life.
All the people I friend on social media are people that I worked with in one way or another...colleagues, former students, etc. I have a handful of other people I have friended because we have very specific common interests.
Facebook has been a blessing in terms of keeping up with people I spent much of my life with, but who otherwise would be out of (easy) touch due to distance.
If former students who have graduated and are now adults reach out to me on social media I respond/friend them/whatever. I haven't been teaching that long so I'm not at this point yet but many of my coworkers who have been teaching for a long time see former students on a regular basis in social situations. Heck, several of the teachers are former students of other teachers within the school.
When students reach out to me on social media it usually isn't for random chit-chat or anything like that. Usually they just want to thank me for something I taught them or did for them, or because they valued my advice, or because they want to show off how far they have come since freshman Geography. It's a huge honor for a student to remember you and your class five, ten, fifteen years out of school and I always like to see their successes, they make me proud.
Well put.
Most teachers have no idea how much they meant to many students...for the good or bad.
From the teachers I know, must don't even allow their profile to be public (you can hide your profile from being searchable) as to avoid any current or former classmates adding them.
From the teachers I know, must don't even allow their profile to be public (you can hide your profile from being searchable) as to avoid any current or former classmates adding them.
Come on now. I'm a retired teacher and principal. I stay in touch with many of my former colleagues. But ever even talked about this topic with one of them.
Why is it so important that you keep in touch with this particular teacher. If you must, why not send them a letter?
Quote:
Originally Posted by oh-eve
Why FRIEND a former teacher anyway, what is the point?
Ooohh...if only social media was a thing when I was in school...I would have been counting the days to graduation not because school was over, but rather because it would be "OK" to friend those teachers I wanted to "develop a special relationship with"
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