POINT/COUNTERPOINT
Yes
Exchange heard in a high school hallway:
Librarian: Hey, how’s the play coming along? Are you
ready for your big role?
Student: I think it’s going fine, but I’m pretty nervous.
Librarian: I know you’ll be great. See you after the
performance.
This is the kind of interaction that I have with
high school students both in person and on Face-
book. Yes, I am a Facebook user, and yes, I friend
high school students. (More specifically, I accept
their requests for friendship. I
never ask them to friend me.)
Some see this behavior
as unprofessional. To that I
respond: If you see students
at the mall or at a restaurant
and they say, “Hello,” do you
ignore them? Of course not.
It’s perfectly acceptable to
carry on a pleasant, “friendly”
conversation outside the
Marsha Redd
No
Should I friend my students on
Facebook? Are you talking about those 12-year-olds
who dominate my days? Those frenetic preteens
whose energy and drama keeps my classroom buzz-
ing from 7: 30 a.m. to 2: 45 p.m.? Definitely not. We
have to draw the line somewhere. After all, they
already think we hang on hooks waiting for their
arrival each morning and believe our lives consist
of lesson planning and grading papers. And I think
I’m OK with that. I’m not sure they can handle all
sides of me. I know I don’t need to handle any more
of them.
I’m not suggesting that we allow students to think
that we have no lives outside of school. It’s healthy
for students to know that our
lives are complex, just like
theirs. Sharing an appropriate
amount of information about
our families, interests, studies,
travel, etc., promotes a respectful learning atmosphere
where our passions outside
the classroom might translate
into engaging lessons and ac-
Jeannine Ortiz tivities for students.
