Facebook Etiquette for Teachers: Should even get involved?

Now that Facebook has opened up to all age levels and kids as young as middle school (or younger!) and even their parents are into social networking, teachers have another type of relationship and ethics issue to worry about. From sexual harassment to bullying to revealing a little too much about what you like to do on the weekends, Facebooking students -- or allowing them full access to your profile -- can mean big trouble if the wrong parent or administrator finds out, or if the student in question misunderstands the relationship. Even if you aren't breaking any laws or contractual agreements, students can exaggerate to friends what they found on your profile, or a parent might disapprove of their child talking with you on the Internet after class. While some teachers have opened up their online profiles to former and current students with no consequences, it's best to practice a particular form of Facebook etiquette, if you even want to get involved.

The easiest way to avoid any real trouble is to stay off Facebook altogether. But if you enjoy networking with friends and of-age colleagues, you can still safely log on without letting students find you. Adjust your privacy settings so that you can't be found in a people search, and parents, students and administrators won't find you unless you contact them directly. If your kids keep bugging you about Facebook and you do want to keep up with graduates or continue to mentor kids and be a resource for them after hours, create a separate Facebook account just for school-related contacts. On your separate account, you can post G-rated photos, share links and commentary about educational topics or subjects related to your class, openly talk with students, parents and other teachers, and not have to worry about what your real friends are posting on your wall or how they're tagging you in photos.

Keep your communication public if you can so that everyone can see that you're sticking to the rules and not acting inappropriately. If a student has a personal question or wants to talk about an assignment, send them private messages, but stick to the same guidelines as you would if a student came to talk to you after class: don't use bad or suggestive language, and maintain a strict teacher-student relationship with current students. Whatever's online can be copy/pasted, printed, and forwarded, so you have to be extra careful.

If you decide that Facebooking is something you want to share with students, be extra careful with your communications with underage and current students. But be open to the collaborative nature of social networking, and don't be afraid to help students work through academic or life decisions if they prefer the online format.

By-line:
This guest post is contributed by Angelita Williams, who writes on the topics of online college courses. She welcomes your comments at her email Id: angelita.williams7 @gmail.com.