High School Facebook Protocol

[Aliantha]

Public education over here has rules against teachers friending students on FB or any other social media. Most private schools do too as far as I'm aware.

The idea is to keep a professional distance between kids and teachers.

On one hand I think that's a good idea, but on the other hand, social media can be really helpful for communication between people.

What I basically think is that unless you actually have a social relationship with a student, as a teacher you really have no right to be a fb friend with your students. I think it's inappropriate.

[monster]

Originally Posted by Aliantha

The idea is to keep a professional distance between kids and teachers.

Thanks for your input, I do appreciate it.

We don't believe in a "professional distance". We have deliberately chosen (public) schools where distance between staf and students is seen as a bad thing. But that doesn't mean that professional is a bad thing.

[Aliantha]

Originally Posted by monster

Thanks for your input, I do appreciate it.

We don't believe in a "professional distance". We have deliberately chosen (public) schools where distance between staf and students is seen as a bad thing. But that doesn't mean that professional is a bad thing.

Many of the teachers who teach my kids are very supportive and friendly towards them, but that doesn't mean they're 'friends' in any sense of the word, and in my opinion, that's how it should be between teachers and students. There is a power gap between kids and teachers, and that is why I chose the term 'professional distance'. Surely you can understand that.