Students on teachers' Facebook friends?

[DrLukeyJB]

Hey, when I leave school I am going to be doing an apprenticeship with the school for my studies (I want to be an ICT teacher) and I will be 16. When I start my apprenticeship, I will be classed as a member of Staff as I will be employed and paid by the school whilst I do my college studies. Once I have finished my studies and have my A-Levels, I am guaranteed a Teaching Assistant job whilst I'm at university and then I hope to become a fully qualified teacher of ICT.

I have some people who I'm acquentences with who are in the younger years (Year 7, 8, 9, 10) at the school I'm in, and some who are my friends on my Facebook friends. Once I have left school and are employed by the school under an apprenticeship will I have to terminate my contact with them through social networking websites? I don't know too much about this sort of stuff.

[pianopeanut]

My schoolteachers are not allowed to friend students on Facebook. School policy per the principal.

[squeeg]

A girl I know does this, and it creeps me out. I tell her all the time how inappropriate it is. Although, she is over 30, so that is a little different than a girl under 20. Unless there is a rule at the school, I would just use your judgment. I think a good rule of thumb about facebook is, Unless they are family or old enough to date (opposite sex), it isn't really appropriate to friend them.

...just my opinion, so take it as you will.

[Cicely]

The school most likely has a policy about being Facebook friends with students, but you're probably just fine. These people were already your friends, and you're a TA as opposed to a teacher.

[sashs.geo]

It CAN be appropriate but not always.

I worked at a college where quite a few staff had facebook accounts, this was because we would tell students something they would forget, we would give them letters and they would loose them, we could put notices up and they would nopt be read but if you put a message on facebook the students would take notice.

Having said that, ALL the teachers had 2 accounts, one for students and a private one.

Check the school's policy and if it is OK set up a second account. Be VERY careful what you put on your accoiunt from now on.It's not just your friends whowill see pictures but your friends younger siblings, You don't want a situation in a couple of years where a new year 7 starts handing out pics of you drunk at a fancy dress competition.