Social media was one of the topics at a meeting I attended today with a group of the finest educators in the North Country. It was a short, three minute blip that went a little something like this, "As an educator, be warned that if you are 'friending' students, do this at your own risk. That is all."
I sit there, an educator, with a Master's degree in Instructional Technology and a Facebook account that contains more student 'friends' than any other educator in my school, and I am a believer that nobody is more aware of the risks and gains that are made by lending these students the means to have this closer proximity to my views, my life, and my family. Why do I put myself at risk?
Each morning, when I walk through my classroom door, as a teacher, everything you say and everything you do always has a cost/benefit analysis attached to it. We watch our words, we watch our phrases, the way we dress, the way we smile, and the way we come across from bell one to bell nine. It never ends at bell nine though, it doesn't end on the drive home, for me, it never ends.
Did I know that becoming a teacher was going to define me as a human being on a twenty four hour basis? Nah...Some would argue with that statement. Some would say that they have a private life, and we do, but where is that line? Where is the line between public life and private life?
My school is small, K-12, 600 students or so. My community is small, my connections in this community are limitless. This community is beyond any "seven degrees to Kevin Bacon" game you could ever imagine. Everybody is connected in several ways, which makes it impossible to ever believe that you just go home and take the teacher hat off. It does not happen. They walk by my house, they knock on my door to sell their latest fund raising item, they are here interacting with my children, they are at church, they are at the store, the gas station, the fire department, the post office... we are essentially all forever connected. A little more about my community... a majority of it is poor. We do our best to watch out for each other, help each other, cry for each other, and will do this forever and always, because it is what we do. I am a nurturer and this is not limited to my biological children.
So I am here, arguing that I can handle granting access to my students into my life. Because my life is me, Ms. DeMarse. This all comes down to a social identity and how it is shaped, which has been completely turned upside down when social networking sites, like Facebook, came into existence.
Social Identity is now a freshly new enigma. It used to be shaped by your character, your choices, the peers you choose as your circle, and how you presented yourself appearance wise. You had complete control of your social identity. Now, we introduce Facebook. Your social identity is no longer as sacred as people would imagine. The social identity is now shaped by the people that are on your friend's list, the people that are on their friend's list, the comments your friends leave on your wall, and the pictures you may be tagged in. Some would say that your social identity is no longer shaped by your own choices, but the choices of your Facebook friends.
Why were we, the educators, warned today? The warning doesn't lie within the social networking sites themselves, but, the choices of the people that hold the accounts. Would I go around advocating to other educators, especially new teachers, to open their Facebook accounts to their students? Definitely not. Educators are human, humans make mistakes, it is our nature. Most humans lack the foresight to manage every curveball that came their way (but wasn't thrown by them). For instance, first mistake.... posting pictures that depict partying, drinking, etc. The photos that would not be desirable on a teacher's Facebook. The teacher may not have posted them, but other's may have the ability to post those pictures and 'tag' the account holder, inadvertently making it a part of your social identity. I never worry about this, because I would rather be with my children than partaking in the scenes where these pictures are taken. If these photos don't and never will exist, you might be able to manage a student accessible Facebook account.
My students know me, they know me well. It is the way it is in our community, and I am a personal person. They sometimes know what I had for dinner the night before because I told them, I guess I don't feel like my life needs to be completely private after bell nine. My personal connection with my students lends so much success to them academically. It truly does. It must sound strange, but, there are no shocking revelations in my classroom, it is me and them. They learn, we laugh, they are honest with me, I am honest with them. I know that some of my students are in desperate need for positive adult interaction, and with me, they get it. Their accessibility to me is something they can count on and although not all of them need it, they have assurance that I am there for them and there is an element of safety in their life that they might not have elsewhere. My Facebook has no curse words, no inappropriate literature, links, etc. It is just me. A happy, loving, mother, teacher, folk singer, and shoulder to cry on. It is my platform because I chose it.
So am I completely safe with my Facebook? Well... Am I completely safe in my classroom, or at the post office, or at the market? To me, it is all the same. I monitor it to make sure that my social identity is not being created for me, I have deleted things that I wouldn't want to be associated with, it is what it is.
I do not go looking for students to 'friend', they find me. They 'friend', I decide whether or not to accept, and most of the time do. I have the foresight to stay out of a sticky situation and believe that this is enough.
I am truly awed and amazed by the strength of Facebook and could not imagine being out of the loop of the people in my growing circle. I hope someday that the unknown risks will be well defined and more easily avoided, the problem is, right now, it is impossible to outline all the risks and have a plan of defense because it is still such a new means of social interaction. Even with Facebook, I still feel that there is an arms length between me and my students. I know what is inappropriate and what is not and I respect all elements that should be respected. I do love a little insight on the lives of the people in my circle and learn new things everyday. I would like to say that I am home, on Facebook, still providing a positive role model to my students on endless levels inside and outside of the classroom. For me, this is how it will be till I am told otherwise.
