Old sticker adhesive
Parents enjoy seeing their kids grow up and then reacquainting with them as adults. What about teachers? After 27 years of teaching, I can honestly say that I still enjoy reading what former students are doing and what became of them as adults. I don’t know if this is true for all teachers, but it is an important part of me and how I view my worth on this earth.
I suspect that my interest is in proportion to the number of years I shared learning with a student. In my case, I had students for multiple years as their teacher of gifted or as a middle school media center teacher during that magical(?!) span through puberty and growing taller than my five foot three. In other words, I witnessed them as they grew up — for more than the usual nine or ten months. In some cases, I witnessed and participated for as many as seven years from grades 2-8. As many continued in high school, I had continued contact as a technology person team-teaching with their teachers.
As a child of two teachers in boarding schools, I grew up believing that students become lifelong members of a teacher’s extended family. I am sure that this assumption cements my feeling of connection to former students. My network of “siblings” came back to our house at the oddest times, and my parents welcomed them just as they did me when I arrived unannounced from college with a carload of hungry friends and laundry.
Enter Facebook into the world of former teachers, and an interesting phenomenon occurs. If I see former students among friends of friends, do I “friend” them? Is this unprofessional on my part, an invasion of their world by someone from childhood, or a sign of respect for them as an intriguing adult? As I click “add as friend,” I worry that they will think it odd to hear from this lady who made them build inventions or peristently asked them, “what to YOU think?” I am a blur from life before high school, a name that sounds familiar, gummy with old sticker-adhesive on a “log book” they threw away years ago. I am cursed and blessed by an exceedingly good memory for their projects, panics, and even parents. Now I simply would like to meet them again as adults. Should I risk the click to “add as friend”?
I am probably taking this decision far too seriously. Facebook sticks people together with as much adhesive as old stickers. Not a big deal. Except to the former teacher who saw them grow up.
[…] SocialTake.com – social networking & web 2.0 tech news created an interesting post today on Old sticker adhesiveHere’s a short outlineEnter Facebook into the word of former teachers, and an interesting phenomenon occurs. If
Pingback by Topics about Facebook » Archive » Old sticker adhesive — March 31, 2009 @ 12:36 pm
Interesting… I am at the other end of the spectrum… someone still teaching who has a facebook page and students want to “friend” me. It’s easy to say no to them when they are still in school… but what about the ones who just graduated last year? What about the ones you don’t really remember?
I don’t put anything on Facebook that I would mind anyone seeing– I’m not stupid, nor am I someone appreciably different away from school as I am in school. But it’s a dilemma for me.
I think in your shoes– you no longer work in the school district. I think kids would be flattered that you thought enough of them and remembered them and wanted to keep up with them. Go for it!
Comment by Michele — March 31, 2009 @ 4:05 pm
Interesting! I would be flattered and pleased to hear from old teachers via facebook, and imagine most of my friends would feel the same.
Facebook offers the “send message” option that lets you drop a note to people outside your friend network. You could try that “Hello, Jenny, it’s Mrs. So-and-So! Saw your name on Blankety-Blanks page and remembered you fondly. Hope you are well and still like ___________ (or soemthgn else you remember about them)”
I bet many would respond with a note and maybe a friend request as well! Some would probably like ot friend you and are having the same internal dilemma!
Comment by Marny — April 10, 2009 @ 11:36 am
As a current teacher who is on facebook, I have to say that I played over this dilemma for almost a year before diving in. I let all current students know when they try to friend me that I am not their friend until they are not a student here. However, a large portion of my “friends” are my former students. It is a joy to learn who they are now in comparison to high school and how my conceptions of them are changing. I consider it an honor that someone who was a part of my life so many years ago would like me, or allow me, to be a part of theirs now.
Comment by Jen — April 21, 2009 @ 9:56 am