Student-Teacher Relationships: Facebook Friend Requests?

[S. E.]

Okay, so there is this really cool teacher that will leave my school by the end of this academic year. He will go teach at a different country. Some of my friends and I sent him a Facebook "friend-request" a few weeks ago, and he still hasn't replied.. Yet, I know for a fact that he's an active Facebook member because it shows on his profile.. *insert his name* became friends with *insert other name* 2 days ago. What amazes even more is that he did not "confirm" nor "ignore" our friend requests. I mean, if he really liked me or my friends (I know he does), he would've "accepted" our friend requests. If he didn't like us, he could've just block us!! Is it possible that he might "accept" our friend request after he officially "leaves" my country due to a school policy/government issues?

Thank you in advance! I hope that I posted this in the right category because technically I'm asking for advice..
It's okay in our school to have "friends" on Facebook. I have other teachers as "friends" on Facebook.

[Its just BB.]

many teachers are advised not to accept student friend requests, to keep relationships professional. Facebook will let you literally nose through his life.

[rebealy]

I know for a fact that in my school district, there is a rule that states that students and teachers cannot become friends on social networking sites until the student has graturated from high school. and thats even if the teacher or student would go to a different school. i guess its kind of a privacy protection thing, but im not exactly sure.

[waterlily]

Accepting a friend request from a teacher or from a student could open up a can of worms your teacher probably doesn't want to open. Maybe this teacher has stuff on his profile he doesn't want his students to see, it's his right to not accept or ignore your request, if it were the other way around, you'd have the same right, if a teacher requested my friendship, i'd ignore them...there's stuff on my profile I don't want teachers to see. I've blocked most of my family members including my mom and aunt and my boyfrends grandma, because online you can be someone normal everyday people don't normally see in real life.

Maybe that's what is going through your teachers mind...he can be someone other then a teacher on facebook, and he doesn't want a student to see that side of him.

[Annie]

my favorite teacher didnt except my request and i was upset because he is always nice and seems like the person who would do that, he lives down the street from me with his family, when i asked him why he said the school told him when he got the job that if a student sends a freind request and you add them if you see anything bad or rude or anything that he would have to report it and that would mean you could get in trouble at school if it was about a classmate/teacher. and even though he will be leaving, he would still be in th position to have to abide by those rules, meaning he cant except your freind request

[LukeyGulla]

Maybe he thinks of his job as purely professional? so he doesn't want to get involved with his pupils on facebook, i'm not sure what he's like, but some teachers wont do it, as they don't regard you as a friend outside of school.

Maybe you could ask him about it at school? put him on the spot and you could give him reasons why you want to be friends with him on facebook

[Bert Weidemeier]

I do not, and will not, use Facebook.