Should Students and Teachers Be Facebook Friends?
Social media can potentially open up a whole new can of worms when it comes to student/teacher interactions.
Moms Talk is a weekly feature on all Lehigh Valley Patches in which local parents, caregivers and other members of the community are invited to share opinions and advice on parenting topics.
This week’s Moms Talk question comes to us from Josh Popichak, Editor, Hellertown-Lower Saucon Patch, and it relates to student and teachers being friends on Facebook:
Josh started thinking about this issue after reading a recent story about a football coach in Maine who resigned from his job after accidentally posting a naked picture of himself on his Facebook page. Josh says that apparently the school district where this happened allows teachers and students to be Facebook friends. And, even though this is an extreme example of what can happen, teachers and students being "friends" on Facebook seems like it could lead to all kinds of situations. Now we want to know what you think:
Should teachers and students be allowed to be Facebook friends?
Our Moms Council members include:
- Lisa Amey of Upper Milford Township is a stay-at-home mom to an 8-year-old boy and a 5-year-old girl. A past president of the MOMS Club of Emmaus and longtime member of MOPs (Mothers of Preschoolers), Lisa is an Independent Consultant for Arbonne International.
- Lisa Drew of Emmaus is a certified nutritionist and personal trainer, wellness and fitness coach with more than 17 years of experience. She is the mother of a 13-year-old girl and a 9-year-old boy.
- Jennifer Elston of Emmaus has almost two decades of professional experience in child development and counseling. She is currently a stay-at-home mom to two beautiful girls. Together with her husband, Chris, she owns Christopher Elston Photography.
- Jeanne Lombardo of Nazareth is the mother of a 10-year-old boy and a 5-year-old girl. She’s new to the Lehigh Valley, having moved to Nazareth from Bergen County, NJ in January.
- Lisa Merk of Lower Macungie is a stay-at-home mother of four boys – a 12-year-old and 6-year-old triplets. Lisa is a past president of the MOMS Club of Lower Macungie East. In her “spare” time, Lisa teaches piano to school-age children.
- Zoila Bonilla Paul of Bethlehem is a stay-at-home mom to two girls – a 5-year-old and a 14-month-old. Zoila is a member of her local “moms’ club” and says she is “well-versed in the fun that children can bring.”
- Beth Sharpless of Emmaus works part time in a local emergency department as a nurse and part time from home as a customer support specialist. She has two children -- a boy who is almost 2 and a 5-year-old girl. She says they love spending time outdoors and dancing.
- Jennifer Willenbrock of Nazareth is mom to two beautiful daughters, ages 5 and 6 weeks. She was previously employed by Catholic Charities, where she worked in a girl’s group home in Philipsburg, N.J.
If you would like to become a part of the Moms Council and/or have ideas for future Moms Talk questions, please email jennifer.marangos@patch.com.
nanc pickens
2:07 pm on Sunday, February 19, 2012
Teachers & students should absolutely NOT be face book friends
LMT Guru
2:11 pm on Sunday, February 19, 2012
nor should teachers receive valentines from elementary students regardless of age, its sick and perverted
LMT Guru
2:10 pm on Sunday, February 19, 2012
Facebook is the devils work and will result in horrible consequences over time
Jen Schuler
3:29 pm on Sunday, February 19, 2012
I work in a day care center and my kids give me Valentine's I see nothing wrong with that.
Mr Magoo 2 U
3:53 pm on Sunday, February 19, 2012
very interesting, I am sure it will come back to haunt you one day
Rosemary B
7:45 pm on Sunday, February 19, 2012
I see nothing wrong with accepting valentines! I do see why they should not be facebook friends. I am friends with some of my kids friends and I sometimes get too much information! Nothing too bad, though. They are really a good group of kids.
J. Drew Stefancin
4:53 pm on Sunday, February 19, 2012
Under no circumstances.
Lisa Merk
5:58 pm on Sunday, February 19, 2012
Absoultely not! There is no grey area here..Teacher and students should not be friends on fb....there is no situation that warrants it.
Jennifer Elston
6:19 pm on Sunday, February 19, 2012
It's not a good idea. Teachers should protect themselves by keeping students off their pages.
tamarya
10:05 pm on Sunday, February 19, 2012
I agree, personally I find nothing wrong with it and unless my son and daughters teacher were posting child porn or something out of hand, I would not even have a problem with the teacher ranting about the students in their class. Too bad some teachers actions on facebook pages left teachers fighting for their jobs, so I think not only students, but also their parents, should not be allowed to friend teachers that deal with their children.
Lisa Peteto
6:35 pm on Sunday, February 19, 2012
As an employee of a school, my personal choice has been to never accept a students friend request. It's nothing personal against the student, but more so as they don't need to know my personal life. Although, I feel FB is not the real world, it's a place to have fun....kids don't understand that, and their drama is something I don't wish to read about since I hear it all day long. If there is a student that I am friends with, it's only because I am friends with their parent on FB, and I have known them since they were born. My other choice is to NOT be friends with your co-workers, some people could be out to get you to get your job !!! But, your posts on FB should never be anything that could come back to bite ya in the hiney!!
Josh Popichak
6:39 pm on Sunday, February 19, 2012
I was somewhat astounded when I read that some schools (at least the one in Maine) allow students and teachers to be friends on Facebook. As someone who went to high school in the, ahem, "pre-Facebook" era, I can remember jokes and innuendo related to students who seemed to be particularly well-liked by a certain teacher of the opposite sex. I am reasonably sure that they were all nothing more than harmless, juvenile attempts at humor. But I can only imagine the untoward types of situations that could arise with social media as part of the equation. I agree with Ms. Elston that at the very least, teachers should keep students off their pages for their own protection and to avoid the appearance of anything inappropriate.
Beth
9:17 pm on Sunday, February 19, 2012
It's amazing to me that there is even a debate regarding this behavior between students and teachers. I would think it would fall within some kind of ethical/moral conduct code. I am not part of the "facebook culture". Although I see some benefits of it, I think there are more harmful rather than beneficial consequences from its use-being "friends" with your students is clearly one of them.
Williard R German, Jr.
9:54 pm on Sunday, February 19, 2012
Valentine is a symbol of love towards another, students and teachers should not love or lust each other, bunch of perverts thinking that is acceptable behavior in 2012
tamarya
10:11 pm on Sunday, February 19, 2012
Yes we shall teach our children to hate, as if we do not have enough of that already with this generation of adults, we need to make it worst the next generation. I am guessing you have no children because you could not love them, since love is only a perverted term to you.
Rosemary B
8:14 am on Monday, February 20, 2012
Wow, william, what a sad attitude. I thought a Valentine was a sign of admiration. A note that I am thinking of you on this holiday and I have a soft spot in my heart for you. I don't think perverted thoughts about people I give Valentines to.
WILFREDO G. SALCEDO, Sr.
7:22 am on Monday, February 20, 2012
NO, NEVER in any way, shape or form...Benign or not, this is totally inappropriate. Be friends with your peers...You have more in common with them than your teachers (ugh)...You can find love in better place than Facebook or other social media with teachers.
Fred
8:34 am on Monday, February 20, 2012
NO NO NO! Is one's self esteem so low that he, more likely she, must garner friends, pals, fans, confidantes, buddies, advocates, across the entire spectrum of people, now to include students? Don't we have enough reportage about improprieties going on between students and teachers? Why not just open the door to your home and expose every minutiae of your being instead?
Missy Moyer-Schneck
8:48 am on Monday, February 20, 2012
Giving a valentine to a teacher is just like giving them an end of the year gift or a Christmas gift, I see no harm in the whole idea. FB is another story, my kids are not friends with any teachers and I monitor their pages. When I see one of their friends posting out of line things on their wall I remove the post and sometimes I block the friend....I am amazed at what some kids, 13 and under, will post on their walls.....maybe I'm overprotective but I certainly don't allow the language from my own kids.
Rosemary B
9:00 am on Monday, February 20, 2012
I think parents should monitor their kids facebook pages. If my kids don't friend me on facebook and let me see their pages from their point of view on occasion they are not allowed on the computer. I have learned a lot about the world my kids navigate this way and it helps me parent better and keeps my kids (and some of their friends who know I am watching!) accountable. Also has opened up some good conversations!
Lisa Amey
9:04 am on Monday, February 20, 2012
Teachers befriending students on Facebook leaves too much open for controversy, not to mention the hint of teachers giving those students preferential treatment. I do, however, feel it's totally okay for a kindergartener or a first grader to give a Valentine to the teacher, especially when they are already giving one to everyone in the class.
Effe Draklellis
9:20 am on Monday, February 20, 2012
I personally find nothing wrong with it, so long as you don't go to that school anymore.
Peter Schutzler
11:11 am on Monday, February 20, 2012
Wow. The valentine's vitriol spewing crowd missed the point of sending a valentine. Next thing you know we'll hear that Jesus was in favor of smiting down your enemy. While I do not recommend teachers and students being Facebook friends, I find the name calling and anger mongering of some to be much more of a concern.
ted.dobracki
12:27 pm on Monday, February 20, 2012
If I were a teacher, I might start a second facebook page called Mr. D's physics page or something like that, if I wanted students or former students access to have access with me or each other. Then my professional idenitity would be separate from my personal one.
Ruth Beck
2:58 pm on Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Schools in our area have rules established where teachers may not be FB friends with students. Teachers need their personal life, after all. I also have my own FB rules---I do not friend co-workers. Same reason---I want my personal life separate from my work life.