Should teachers be Facebook friends with students?

In 2015, a New Zealand teacher was censured by the Teacher's Council for participating in a Facebook exchange with a 15-year student (Daly, 2015).

Like many others, my school has a Facebook presence which is followed by current and former students, parents and the community, as well as teachers. Teachers have, at times, used Facebook groups to share curriculum content and messages. I think these are useful tools.

However, we are also a small school in a rural area. Many teachers know students outside of school, as neighbours, friends' children or as friends of our own children. Occasionally a teacher will become Facebook friends with a student, usually for these reasons or in response to a request from an ex-student. 

Should teachers become friends with students on social media, particularly Facebook? In this context, social media is not about breaking down classroom walls, but is about personal relationships. My school does not have any policies specifically relating to social media, and although Hall (2001) and the Connecticut’s Teacher Education and Mentoring Program (2012) provide useful questions for ethical decision making, the Education Council Code of Ethics is the more invaluable resource. Although the Code of Ethics is arguably dated - it was written in 2003, well before the surge in social media use - it provides guidelines for teachers in a New Zealand context. They have been further developed in the Education Councils Teachers and Social Media website, which most teachers are probably unaware of.

The site develops guidelines for use of social media in the context of relationships with students, family, society and the profession. Amongst other pieces of wisdom, the site recommends teachers:
- act as role models for learners
- act in social media interactions as we would face to face
- consider our online footprint
- keep professional and private separate
- use privacy settings (Education Council, 2017)
These guidelines are built around the Teacher's Council Code of Ethics, which states that teachers will strive to "develop and maintain professional relationships with learners".  I think that it is the interpretation of 'professional relationships' is important when discussing relationships with students on Facebook. 

I have a wide social media presence, although I tend to be quite quiet on many of them. On Twitter, I follow other teachers and educational leaders, and consider this important PLD. My Instagram, is public and the images mostly of my local walks and family (although I've noticed a number of cat shots creeping in). Pinterest is a mixture of personal interest and teaching ideas. All three forums are public, and any interested student could find me easily enough if they knew my username. Because of this, I'm conscious of the image which is presented in these media.

My Facebook, on the other hand, is all about me, my personal views, and my family. While I am careful with my posts, it is not for public consumption. Friending students would breach that professional relationship I am careful to nuture. The negative consequence is the blurring of the boundaries between professional and private. While I value my relationships with my students - and they do already know a lot about me - there are aspects of each others' lives we don't need to share. If my privacy settings aren't set correctly, students could possibly see posts their teacher-friend comments on. As it is, they will see any comments I make on that teacher's own posts. Flipped, I certainly don't want to know the details of my students' weekends! 

 It is difficult in a smaller community when it seems that our lives are frequently inter-connected, but I do believe that ethically there needs to be a separation of public/private in our online interactions with students (and recently ex-students). This means being careful about who we friend on Facebook.


References

Connecticut’s Teacher Education and Mentoring Program.(2012) Ethical and Professional Dilemmas for Educator: Facilitator’s Guide. Retrieved from http://www.ctteam.org/df/resources/Module5_Manual.pdf
Daley, M. (2015). Teacher censured after student initiates Facebook exchange. Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved from http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/69618235/teacher-censured-after-student-initiates-facebook-exchange
Education Council (n.d). The Education Council Code of Ethics for Certificated Teachers. https://educationcouncil.org.nz/content/code-of-ethics-certificated-teachers-0
Education Council (2017) Teachers and Social Media. https://teachersandsocialmedia.co.nz/
Hall, A. (2001) What ought I to do, all things considered? An approach to the exploration of ethical problems by teachers. Paper presented at the IIPE Conference, Brisbane. Retrieved from http://www.educationalleaders.govt.nz/Culture/Developing-leaders/What-Ought-I-to-Do-All-Things-Considered-An-Approach-to-the-Exploration-of-Ethical-Problems-by-Teachers

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