Korean Job Discussion Forums

[creeper1]

I am leaving my school. Some of the students (middle school) are asking me to add them as friends on fb.

What are your thoughts on this? Is it cool?

I am not the type to be tagged out of my face on drink or anything but just wondering if it is appropriate to add students.

[jvalmer]

If you need to ask, you probably shouldn't.

[jamesd]

This is why I'm so careful about who I tag to my fb.

[valhor]

Idk, just give them your email address and tell the ones you like if they're ever in your town you'll take them to see a baseball game or something. Having old students on your facebook would get strange after a while.

[ttompatz]

[I-am-me]

I have a few students on my fb, but I might have to delete them. Why? There has been some hacking going on where they send nude or obscene pics to people you know without you knowing about it. It's a very dangerous situation to put ourselves in by doing it. Especially if we are still teaching in Korea.

[thegadfly]

Don't friend them. Students are not your friends -- this is a common mistake made by many young/inexperienced teachers. They aren't your friends, so don't even TRY to treat them as such. There are so many ways that this could go badly for you that I won't even try to list them all -- but I DO know that as a step of the hiring process, some schools check out facebook/myspace/twitter, and if stuff shows up that they don't like, you don't get hired.

If you MUST, then do as was suggested, and make an additional, school-only persona, JUST for student friends -- but never the twain should meet....

[plchron]

After I left my last school I let them all friend me, I just made the security settings so that they couldn't see pictures, post messages, etc. All i get now is the odd, "how are you?" and "where are you?" and those annoying wall posts about them inviting me to play those idotic games.

[Maserial]

To echo what others have said, I too would advise against allowing students, both former and current alike to add you as a friend on Facebook, especially in the case of middle school students. (Granted, for adult students it may be a case-by-case scenario but regarding middle school kids, I'd definitely say no.)

[tigershark]

Policy in Canada is exactly what Ttompatz said. Make a fakebook account and keep it professional. One pic... not many details. Never give them your real account! Personally my real account isn't my real full name. If your account is your actual name I would change it ASAP. You know what they say... Better safe than mistakenly labeled a pedophile or worse.

[krats1976]

My policy is simply to not add students that currently attend my current school, and I'm up front with my students about that.

I'll add students after either I or they have left the school, but I sometimes limit what they can see on my profile (not that there's anything inappropriate...I just don't want them to have that much access to my page), and with most, I eventually delete them.

On the other hand, I have kept in touch with some of my former middle school students and, as a result, have been able to write letters of recommendation for them and provide college advice. (most of my students in Korea are US-university bound)...

To each his own, but that's what works for me.

[PatrickGHBusan]

[Malislamusrex]

I've got 1 rule for facebooking students, if they are good, work hard and I like them I add them to facebook, if they aren't all of the above, I tell them study harder and I will add you.

[hogwonguy1979]

i dont even do it with univ students and i tell them that. nothing personal, its just i like to keep work and personal time separate.

heck i'm not even friends with my wife on facebook

[Maserial]