THE RANT: Teacher/Student Contact On Social Networks
Posted: Nov 4, 2009 2:44 PM
Updated: Nov 4, 2009 4:21 PM
The Lafayette Parish School Board will discuss the boundaries and regulations for after hours communication between students and teachers.
Rules for Social Networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter are not spelled out in official handbooks.
What do you think? Should students and teachers be allowed to communicate through social networking sites or by phone? What consequences should a teacher face for inappropriate contact with a student?
We want to hear your RANT!
Email hoyt.harris@katctv.com or CLICK HERE to RANT!
Morgan at Nov 4th 2009 4:32 PM
I don't believe that it is appropriate for a teacher and a student to have contact on these forums. This leaves the door open for inappropriate things. The teacher may forget that they have children as their "friends" on these sites and post things that their students really should not see or know about their teacher. If there is a need to have student/teacher contact maybe there should be a website setup specifically for this situation that can be monitored by the school board. It used to be ok for teachers and students to have a close relationship but today there is just too many things that can happen.
Denise at Nov 4th 2009 5:46 PM
There is enough foolishness going on already. WHY??? WHY?? What happen to parent teacher conference. There is no reason why teachers and students should want to do that anyway. Let's just say things are changing for the worse. We have to bring back those old school rules. I NEVER remember anything like this ever happeneing when i was in school. We had the best teachers, We had school issues as well, but never out of hand like things are today.
laura leigh at Nov 4th 2009 6:38 PM
My husband is a high school teacher with a facebook account. His students friend him, not the other way around. He does nothing inappropriate on his site. Most of his friends are former students who are in college or grown and married. He is a great role model for his students and they love to talk to him about the things he teaches in class. He does not post on their walls nor post anything on his wall or in his status updates that would be deemed inappropriate.
Angtle at Nov 4th 2009 7:04 PM
As an education professional, I can see both sides of the coin. Students love to socialize and connect with teachers they admire and respect, and sometimes we are the voice of reason in their turbulent lives. However, abuses of electronic social networks have been committed by all parties. Parents have used such networks to harrass teachers, students have used the networks to discredit a teacher, and we have all heard what a few unscrupulous and immoral teachers have used the social networking sites to do.
As a personal rule, I do not friend students. I friend graduates and those who have moved away and are no longer in our school/area. I find this to be a safe way for me to keep in touch, but yet hold my professional position.
While this is my personal choice, I have HUGE issues with a school district mandating where and when I can speak with my students. To me, that is a HUGE infraction of not only my First Amendment rights, but those of my students as well.
Susie at Nov 4th 2009 9:27 PM
I don't know why a teacher would want to have contact with his or her students outside of class. I have enough of them from 7:40-3:10. After hours is MY time.