No way you can assume I'm blaming teachers if you read the entire post.

 

Remember that I'm stating my position as if I were the boss. Your "responsible parent" argument would have no play with me since I'm not responsible for them. I'm speaking strictly from the school district's point of view.

 

Do we need to give the kids or teachers, .... or both a facebook etiquette?

 

I just think a lot of this has to do with who the school is hiring as teachers. Make sure they're good quality people and you shouldn't have too many problems.

99% of the teachers are like TB&G. They do it for the right reason. I , as an administrator, have to cognizant of and make rules for that 1%. No different than any other aspect in life that we already deal with.

 

 

Sorry Clyde, your argument has no merit. As a matter of fact, you proved that with your own statement about the 99% vs 1%.

 

For fun, let's apply your "logic" to other facets of life.

 

If 99% of the people who drive are sober while 1% are drunk, do we outlaw driving??

 

I could go on and on but I won't.

 

I must admit that I'm actually surprised by your stance on this subject based on your previous posts in other threads. You state that you are an administrator. My stepdad was a principal and athletic director for most of his career in education and I think I can understand what your saying about addressing the "1%". However, your logic falls apart when you advocate protecting kids (or anything else for that matter) from the "1%" by punishing the "99%". If you give it a bit more thought, I think you might agree.

I have seen TB&Gs interaction with her students on FB . Its all about school and communicating important information about school issues ' band issues ,ap issues football issues , etc .

Sorry Clyde, your argument has no merit. As a matter of fact, you proved that with your own statement about the 99% vs 1%.

 

For fun, let's apply your "logic" to other facets of life.

 

If 99% of the people who drive are sober while 1% are drunk, do we outlaw driving??

 

I could go on and on but I won't.

 

I must admit that I'm actually surprised by your stance on this subject based on your previous posts in other threads. You state that you are an administrator. My stepdad was a principal and athletic director for most of his career in education and I think I can understand what your saying about addressing the "1%". However, your logic falls apart when you advocate protecting kids (or anything else for that matter) from the "1%" by punishing the "99%". If you give it a bit more thought, I think you might agree.

 

1. Let's be clear. I am not an administrator. I said "if I was....."

 

2. Your drunk driving argument IMO has no merit in this debate. My first thought was that the law was good. I then retracted a bit and said it should be a condition of employment set by each school. Conditions of employment often are aimed at the 1%. Your logic fails IMO because my main argument as an administrator would be to protect the pocketbook of my employees and my school district. Who's pocketbook would we be protecting if we outlawed driving? I am making very specific arguments vs your generalization.

 

3. I've fallen into the trap previously as well of trying to apply logic used in a specific point to everything and anything. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it does not. Your seemingly logical attempt did not work. Apples and oranges based simply on who I'm trying to protect.

 

4. If you want a real-world situation that would reflect the 99%/1% look at school prayer. We are protecting the rights of the 1%.

I have seen TB&Gs interaction with her students on FB . Its all about school and communicating important information about school issues ' band issues ,ap issues football issues , etc .

 

I know TB&G doesn't need me to say this but I will for everyone else's sake. I'm a fan of her specifically and her as a teacher. She's been very helpful to me in providing info for a child who is interested in going into education.

 

This debate is not about those teachers like her. My very specific point is about protecting the school district ie me as a taxpayer. I don't want anyone to think that I question her motives. Could not be further from the truth.

Am I the only one that can see a school district being sued for actions or inactions of a teacher who friends a student on FB? Am I off my rocker?

I am 37. If you would like to "friend" me on Facebook and see the interactions I have with students (minus inbox messages, of course) I'd be happy to do so.

 

Only I can get myself in trouble. Any trouble that students could stir up for me on FB they could do in other ways, if that was their intention.

 

I don't care to add you but I'm not accusing you of anything. Being 37 is alot different than 23. And to be honest I think once you have them on facebook, them getting you in trouble or at least trying to is out of your hand. Its just an unnecessary risk IMO. To each his own :thumb:.

Being 37 is alot different than 23.

 

No doubt that it is a lot different. What is your specific concern?

 

And to be honest I think once you have them on facebook, them getting you in trouble or at least trying to is out of your hand.

 

Again, how specifically do you see a student or group of students getting me "in trouble" and it being out of my hands?

Clyde, you might also be interested to know that my principal is among my friends on Facebook.

Clyde, you might also be interested to know that my principal is among my friends on Facebook.

 

He is obviously suspicious of you.:laugh:

No doubt that it is a lot different. What is your specific concern?

 

 

 

Again, how specifically do you see a student or group of students getting me "in trouble" and it being out of my hands?

 

My concern in being young is that if I added a student to facebook I feel it would make the students feel that I'm at their level friend-wise. I want to be there for my students but I do not want to be their buddy.

 

As for them getting a teacher in trouble they could send things to you that could be bad. Also, rumors and such. All it takes is one and a reputation can be ruined or at least questioned. To me having students on facebook is way more trouble than it is worth.

My concern in being young is that if I added a student to facebook I feel it would make the students feel that I'm at their level friend-wise. I want to be there for my students but I do not want to be their buddy.

 

As for them getting a teacher in trouble they could send things to you that could be bad. Also, rumors and such. All it takes is one and a reputation can be ruined or at least questioned. To me having students on facebook is way more trouble than it is worth.

 

Nothing that you have said is specific to Facebook. Establishing a professional relationship and rapport with your students is more important than where you interact with them at.

 

How could a student sending something to me get ME in trouble? What if he/she sends it to my email? My house address?

 

If you are uncomfortable, then you most certainly shouldn't use Facebook to interact with students. However, that doesn't mean that others of us should not be allowed to do so (the whole point of this thread). In my situation, it is beneficial and I am professional enough to handle it.

I just had a kid I know show me his FB page. The very , very first post on his wall was from a high school kid talking about drinking a particular kind of beer.

 

I'm a teacher. What do I do when I see that ? Ignore it, right? The kid then gets into a traffic accident later. Mom asks if I had access to the kid's FB page why didn't I do something about it when I saw the kid's post. Not fair to me obviously. Not the issue. It's not about fair. It's about protecting the school district AND the teacher.

 

Of course, one could argue that a teacher might see it and intervene and help the kid. Hello, exception. School leaders can't deal with exceptions. They have to govern by the rule.

 

I'd ask mom why SHE wasn't paying attention to what her kid posts. That's absurd. I have FB, and I don't friend students. I think teacher's shouldn't but that kind of thinking is absurd. When I heard about the law, I was dumbfounded. What's next........no cell phones for teachers? Or you can have one, but you can't have a texting plan? Because of something a colleague did? Are postal workers allowed to own guns? (now I'm showing my age)

Bingo!! The MO law is "knee jerk" "reactionism" at its best. I expect MO to outlaw automobiles for teachers next because teachers may use them to transact an illicit activity with one of his/her students.

 

Big Brother, take care of us in all endeavors in life.. Oh wait... I meant to say "Big Brother die and rot in hell". My bad........

Knee jerk reactions are the status quo for goofballs that enact stupid, worthless, intrusive laws like this.

I'd ask mom why SHE wasn't paying attention to what her kid posts. That's absurd. I have FB, and I don't friend students. I think teacher's shouldn't but that kind of thinking is absurd. When I heard about the law, I was dumbfounded. What's next........no cell phones for teachers? Or you can have one, but you can't have a texting plan? Because of something a colleague did? Are postal workers allowed to own guns? (now I'm showing my age)

 

Of course, as I said previously, parents are always culpable. If I were king ie superintendent my #1 priority is to protect the school district. Again, the issue of it being a law is fair. My point is that a leader of the school has to eliminate potential lawsuits and problems. FB is not necessary and it is NOT the only option for communicating AND it has many downsides thus no go for me. It's different than your cell phone example because I can't see texts that students send to other students. I have plausible deniability. My argument is very specific.