The Positive Potentials of Student/Teacher Relationships Online

Are we ignoring opportunities in lieu of past negative experiences?

With social media use ever-growing, it was only a matter of time before we started seeing students and teachers becoming online friends. Apparently it has become a real concern, since there are some schools who have outlined policies which forbid teachers from “friending” students. While parents, themselves, might even be up in arms about student-teacher relationships online, perhaps we should stop and consider the potential good which could emerge from it.

The Good…

I think we can all agree that we want our teachers involved, not simply going through the motions. If teachers are engaging, chances are students will be more eager to learn. If teachers and students are friends online, think about the possibility for a student to ask about a homework assignment the night before it is due, instead of opting to not complete it or worse, cheat.

What about students who don’t do so well in a group setting and may not be comfortable speaking in class? If they had the option to have one-on-one communication with their teachers, it could allow them to ask questions freely and without fear of judgment from their fellow classmates. There is no denying that our youth make use of social media sites, more so than that of their adult counterparts, so why not tap into this?

We can even look at how the interaction takes place. For example, Facebook has an option to make a group page. A teacher can moderate the page, giving access to parents and students only. I am not saying it will fix everything. There will always be students who are going to cheat, students who don’t care and will do the bare minimum just to get by, or even students who will fail for any number of reasons. What I am saying is there are alternative options to enhancing the learning experience, and we should at least think about trying them.

The Bad...

I’m not so naive as to think that there couldn’t be some negative aspects. We’ve all seen, or heard, about inappropriate behaviors between teachers and students. It is a sad fact these type of relationships do occur, regardless of how much we as a society try and put a stop to it. While I could argue that there should be a stricter screening process when hiring teachers, I can’t honestly say it will solve the problem.

I believe, as with anything in life, communication is the key. If we are not afraid to talk to our kids, our students, about the very real dangers that exist, then we are doomed to see it happen again and again. However, just because these dangers are real, it doesn’t mean that every teacher is automatically guilty and should be punished. Whatever happen to using common sense?

… and the absurd?

Recently a substitute teacher, who taught for over nine years, was fired over her Facebook friendships with students. Carol Thebarge, 79 years old, was given an ultimatum, unfriend them or lose your job. She made her choice, she chose the students, her “friends," over her career. While there may be some who find it ridiculous, others find it honorable. Regardless of which camp you are in, one has to question if common sense played a role during any of this.

Personally, I feel that if she was aware of the policy the school had in place and opted to ignore it, then I can’t feel too bad for her. With that being said, I don’t see her as a threat to these children. Perhaps it is due to her age, or the fact that she is considered beloved by her current and former students. What I don’t get, is why a substitute teacher would have need of keeping up on 250, or more, students. I don’t feel there was anything nefarious about her situation, but to me that isn't the point.

We can either accept the fact that we will see more and more of these particular situations arise, and embrace the possible educating benefits, or we can beat our heads against the wall as we try to put an end to them, only to fail.