You don't say …
Apparently, the school adopted a new social media policy in which it forbid teachers from being Facebook friends with students. The teacher here was given an ultimatum to unfriend students or lose her job.
She chose the latter.
Recommended For You
Since the teacher's termination, she has received a lot of online support. Here is a Facebook group entitled "Let Mrs. T continue subbing without deleting her friends!"
Now, if you want my opinion (and, if you don't, just ask for a refund — oh right), the school made the right call. It bothers me that a teacher-student Facebook friendship opens a window for the student into the off-the-clock, private life of the teacher.
Teachers can let their hair down when not in school. But, sharing that with a student may undermine the respect that a student should have for a teacher within the four walls of the school.
That said, social media can be a very important education tool.
Rather than have teachers friending students, another option may be a Facebook fan page, or some other online forum that teachers and students may use to communicate with one another and which the school can monitor.
There are ways to use Facebook to foster student development and education. Teachers friending students is not one of them.
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
