Do you friend your teachers on Facebook?
Later this month Missouri will become the first state to make it illegal for teachers to be friends with their students on Facebook. A recent article in the San Francisco Chronicle explains that this is part of a bill that is meant to protect students from predatory teachers. The bill says that “teachers cannot have a network-related website that allows exclusive access with a current or former student.”
There are already a lot of opinions coming down on both sides of the bill. Some people support the law and agree that is is inappropriate for teachers to friend students. Others think that the law will do more harm than good because it assumes that all teachers have negative intentions when “friending” their students. The reality is that most teachers who use Facebook with their students are using it as a teaching platform to communicate about homework assignments and projects, or to keep an eye on the student body.
What do you think? Should it be ok for students and teachers to be friends on Facebook? Leave a comment and let us know what you think!
After graduation is ok but while the student is in school that should be illegal….its creepy!
I don’t see the problem with teachers adding students. I agree with Caressa. It helps keep up with assignments and such. As far as friends after graduation, I have teachers who require their students to graduate before they will add them on Facebook specifically because they’re still in school. I don’t see a problem with adding a student after the student graduates. I think adults should be able to add who they please, and graduates are legal adults. If you’re in a class like band where your director isn’t just a director, he or she is a friend, Facebook may be the only way to keep in touch with them and let them know how you’re doing in college or just life in general. I think this law is unnecessary.
If you’re going to have the law, there should be an exception for family members. If I’m a teacher’s kid, I can’t communicate with my own PARENTS on Facebook? What if you are a teacher and have nieces or nephews at your school?
This is a case of good intentions taken too far.
nice to meet a teacher on face book
Ya know what Missouri, wake up. I dont think there is anything wrong with teachers being friends with their students on facebook as long as both teacher and student knows that the friendship is after school hours…these kids trust these people why they are on school property then why shouldnt the kids be allowed to be friends with them off of scchool property. I know there are a lot of weirdos out there but sometimes a child needs someone to go to other than their parent and why not it be a teacher that they trust. As far as I am concerned my children can befriend all off their teachers on facebook, they might as well cause I am friends with alot of their teachers and the last thing we do is talk about school problems on facebook. That is what teacher parent conferences are for.
I’m friends with my old mentors, but I did so after I graduated. I find nothing wrong with it. Sometimes your teacher does cross over and becomes something like family. I know a teacher ended up becoming the first father figure in my life. I think a law forbidding it is too extreme. But a policy saying that they have to wait until out of the school should be in place.
I agree that students should not be “friends” on facebook with current teachers, because, at least at my high school, all teachers have their own web page where they can post extra information they want students to know and their own school-provided email accounts, which eliminates the need for them to give students information on facebook or receive it. I do, however think that students should be able to “friend” former teachers because teachers can really impact their students. I have some former teachers who are alumni of the college I am attending and I am friends with them on facebook and I really don’t think there is anything wrong with that. They impacted me greatly when I was in high school, and now they can see how I’m doing in college and what I do with my life.
My teacher is a friend with a lot of her former students on Facebook. We just had a Elementary School Reunion last year which could not have happened without Facebook. My teacher is now 90 years old. I graduated from elementary school 40 years ago.
I understand the reason laws are being consider to prevent students from being friends with their teachers on Facebook is because of all the mentally immature teachers that have been having sexual relationships with their students. This has become a national problem. I believe the best way to handle this is to have more harsh penalties against the teachers for doing this.
When one is in college, I do not believe it is appropriate at all. However, after one has graduated either HS or college I do believe it is fine. O graduated with honored and my principal has indicated he will help me in any way he can. He wrote a glowing letter of recommendation to get into the college I wanted. He truly wants to see his former students succeed.
I know In high school I have befriended many of my teachers. that is how I gained references. if I can use Facebook to maintain that teacher as a reference then my network becomes well established and maybe someday they can help me out with a goal. The real world is all about the connections you have. We shouldn’t be restricted from certain people because the country has become paranoid.
I dont see it to be illegal. I consider it right thing.
I think it’s okay to friend your teachers on facebook. I actually use facebook to contact my programming instructor to get help on my assignments. If I’m working on a project late at night and he’s on he’s always willing to help me. I guess you would have to know the teacher and know that they are “professional” before you friend them.
I believe it is good because teachers might give the students a free ride. However, Facebook members could hide their friends and profile walls from others. The law could be broken
I don’t think that current teachers should friend request students. Only when the students graduate or if the teachers quit or retire. If not some teachers start to snoop and critique students.
Well i think it it unfortunate that they are making this law because teachers are a great help throughout Facebook. Facebook is where mostly everyone communicates. Teachers update assignments or put up deadlines. some even help with scholarship advice. I think that this law should be taken out, yet i understand that teachers have to try to keep their jobs professional and this is a good way to do so.
I do believe it is inappropriate to have students be friends with teachers on facebook, I have a couple teachers I friended after high school. I don’t think it should be a law to ban it, but i do think it should be in a school’s code of conduct.
I believe that students and teachers should be allowed to friend each other on Facebook. But it should definitely be up to the teacher as to whether this is something they are comfortable and if not they need to let the students know that up front so that feelings are not hurt when the friend request is denied.
Yes I think that it is okay for students and teachers to have a relationship on facebook. There can be a limit to connection amount but accepting their friend request or adding as a friend and commenting on their statuses are okay in my book. As long as the dont comment on the pictures that show the student/teachers body besides their hands and head.
I do not make friends with my professors on Facebook. The college that I attend has been known to discriminate against people. Most professors (and also staff and students) that are local do not treat me well. They discriminate against people especially Africans. I was born in the USA but due to my accent which I got in Africa and my foreign name, they see me as African and act like enemies to me.
I believe that it is not up to the state to make this decision, but rather that each individual school district should make the decision for their own specific teachers. There are both benfits and negative effects from this law. It is good, of course, by limiting the inappropriate communication between students and teachers. For example, it does not seem appropriate for a teacher to be knowing their students plans, relationships, etc. from their statuses on facebook. The negatice outcome from this law is limiting appropriate communication between student and teacher. It becomes more difficult for the teacher to reach the students for notes or assignments without this website in common because in a world of technology, students are very dependant on the internet to get them by. A law should not be necassary, the school districts should make their own decisions based on the teachers and students in each district.
i dont think so
Yeah they should. it would be a fun class that u could get into deep conversations and really pay attention & u could really ask them anything.
Facebook would be a great way for teachers to post things about class, however, everyone does not have a facebook. It would be much more efficient if they used email instead. That is what my professors do.
It shouldn’t be illegal, there are plenty of cases where it is appropriate sometimes the teacher may be a family friend, or have known the student quite sometime. I know one of my teachers well enough to friend her on Facebook, and no harm has come from it. We should be able to trust our teachers well enough to make the right desicions. If they can’t properly manage their Facebook profile they can hardly manage a classroom.
As a college student, I have been friends and currently am friends with professors on facebook, and teachers from high school. Some of my teachers from high school as personal standards didn’t friend students until they graduated. It’s a great networking tool (coming from a music ed major) and it’s a good way for teachers to communicate, especially at the college level.
I am friends with some of my former teachers from high school on facebook and I feel that the teachers only are trying to keep in contact with me or want to give me college advice. I believe that they’re just there to help with anything, not for anything bad it’s very useful and helps students and teachers communicate better, whether it being about homework or just seeking advice.
I disagree with this bill that’s making it illegal for teacher’s to befriend a student or formal student on facebook. Facebook is a means of communication in means of emergencies, information, thoughts, and what not. It is suitable for students and teacher’s to communicate in pertaining to class assignments and projects. The fact that they feel teacher’s might be a threat to their own students is ludicrous. The Department or Board of Education were suppose to screen the teacher’s and make sure they are suitable to teach the students and protect the students as if they are their children. School is a second home away from home for students. So, if they should feel safe and comfortable at home they should feel safe and comfortable around their own teachers.
I dont think teachers should be friends with their students on Facebook only because that limits the students’ freedom to express themselves.A student should be able to write whatever they wanna write without the fear that the teacher is going to judge them in class.
I think that being friends with your teachers is okay but only after you graduste. At that point there can be no qeustion of your responsiblity and thiers. this takes care of most problems for both people. thats my thoughts tho it is really the people involed call.
I agree. I think if teachers need to disscuss homework matters and other school related issues they can wait for school time.
I think that teachers should not allow students to be friends with them on their personal facebook, however if they want to create a separate page for school use that’s fine.
I agree
Staying in touch can be valuable for scholarships or references, but this can be done without Facebook.
I think it depends on what the teacher is using it for.
I believe its ok for teachers to be friends with their students on facebook as long as that is where it stays. This year for my AP Language class, we had a 15 page paper that was due after we came back from a week break. The catch was we all had to do our on page, but the paper had to flow together. So we all had to work together. We ended up making a private group page on Facebook to be able to work together to be able to do that paper.
I don’t use Facebook a lot, but I can see how it would be very useful to be friends with a teacher on Facebook for notifications about tests, etc. I think people need to lighten up a little. Maybe there have been a few cases where the teacher was a creep and used Facebook to stalk students, but in more cases than not, teachers are wonderful people who wouldn’t dream of taking advanttage of a student. I think to make it a law not to friend students would be ridiculous. Plus, it’s an invasion of privacy.
Should a teacher create a “special group” that gets additional attention because they have a computer and permission to facebook while others don’t? Does this create an eventual further split between the upper and lower class?
Should some students have special access to their teachers? Is it good that a special group feel they have the upper hand over others? When is having the upper hand right or wrong? Is this the same as some students ability to obtain prior year teacher tests? Is it a moral slippery slope?
Is this favoritism? Whether or not it is, does it create that feeling for the students? Is this good?
What happens to our culture if we raise a generation with an even stronger sense of “special groups”? If special groups become the norm, do we still enforce nepotism policies and racial % for college enrollment?
It depends on which level of education. If it was a friend relationship between high school teacher and student, then I would say no. It’s very unprofessional and will look bad for the teacher and the school the teacher is representing.
If it was a friend relationship between a college student and a teacher, then I’m all for it. College students are adults and can make their own choices. And sometimes, the students need a direct way to talk to a teacher.
This is my view and I’m open to hear others’ view
I believe that it should be OK. Communication between the teacher and student has changed so much over the decades. You have to be able to relate on a level that keeps up with the sociological norms of the changing student. There should perhaps be limitations to minors and students in high school but once you reach a college level you’re mature enough to interact with your peers and professors as you see fit.
I think it would be an awesome idea for students to become, or at least have the option to become, Facebook friends with their teachers. This will give students unprecedented access to their teachers for academic purposes; just as long as that’s what it’s being used for. This removes any excuses for non or miscommunications; not only the student, but the teacher as well.