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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

in thinking that teachers should learn about privacy on Facebook?!

64 replies

mermaidgirl · 15/12/2010 10:48

I found one of my children's teachers on Facebook quite by accident (friend of a friend) and found out quite a lot about her as she had no restrictions with privacy, so basically anyone can look her up! She was also very rude about all the crap she gets from parents as Xmas presents (which she is entitled to of course but as long as it is done only to her friends) and criticising parents.

Since then I have found loads of teachers from the school who are on FB with no privacy settings at all. Shouldn't teachers have enough sense to restrict their profiles? Are they really so ignorant or just plain stupid! It's not that hard to do it!

OP posts:
JamieLeeCurtis · 15/12/2010 12:10

YANBU . It's not snooping if the info is there for all to see. That's the whole point.

piprabbit · 15/12/2010 12:13

But it's not there for all to see. It's not as if you get an email with a nice linky saying, please come and find out about my private life. You actually have to make an effort to go a look for this stuff.

My neighbours leave their curtains open of an evening, but I'd actually have to go and peer in at the window to see what they had for tea.

theevildead2 · 15/12/2010 12:14

Yeah Dr Seuss... But don't you think your students wil be checking up on you? I'd have LOVED facebook when I was in school!

JamieLeeCurtis · 15/12/2010 12:22

I do get what you are saying pipi - but if you care about privacy then you have to protect yourself, because who else will? I'm not on FB at all, BTW

JamieLeeCurtis · 15/12/2010 12:23

I would point it out to the teacher, BTW.

Original poster
mermaidgirl · 15/12/2010 12:23

I found this woman on as a suggested friend as we had four friends in common. Just clicked on her and realised who she was. I did not go looking for her. I just think teachers need to be more aware of what they are posting up for ALL to see. Keep your private lives private.

OP posts:
staranise · 15/12/2010 12:25

Well, if teachers are gossiping about parents on FB, they can't be surprised if those parents want to go and read about it! And it barely counts as an effort if it's a click-through from another friend's FB page. Of course it's nosey and not very nice but that's the whole point of FB, no?

Not condoning it, just saying that it is very common for younger people in particular to Google everybody so be aware of what comes up under your name!

JamieLeeCurtis · 15/12/2010 12:27

staranise - that's why I'm not on FB

mumbar · 15/12/2010 12:28

We have a policy at school - re computers and FB is included. We should have friends only visible profiles and are not allowed any pupils parents as friends, even if we've known them before the children attend the school, or personally and happen to get a job at the school.

I'm not a teacher either, it applies to all school employees.

Some people are spitting dummies over it.

rudolphsmum · 15/12/2010 12:30

I think talking about work full stop on FB is dumb, regardless of what you do. I don't show where I work or what I do on FB and only have a limited number of "friends" from my workplace (DH doesn't allow anyone from work on his FB page - but then he is the boss)No matter how innocent a comment or funny a rant someone can always take it the wrong way - it's just best left for down the pub with your mates.

VivaLeBeaver · 15/12/2010 12:31

I work in the NHS and we're not allowed to mention work at all on FB. Not even to say "had a busy/crap/good shift". We've been warned that anyone doing this will be guilty of gross misconduct and fired.

domesticsluttery · 15/12/2010 12:32

Most of the teachers in my DC's school seem to be friends with half the parents on FB, which I think is a bit wierd. If I were them I wouldn't want the parents knowing my every move, and as a parent I'm not sure that I want the teachers knowing my every move either!

BaroqinAroundTheChristmasTree · 15/12/2010 12:37

she may not have it open to "everyone" - but to "friends of friends" (ie you)

I have one of the TA's from the infant school on my FB (friends in RL) and the mother of the head teacher Xmas Grin

stubbornhubby · 15/12/2010 12:42

there's only one way people really learn about the dangers of FB... the hard way.

one of my DC's friends was completely wrong-footed at a Uni interview when she was asked about what criteria/judgement did she use when picking out which pictures of herself she displayed to the whole world on of FB - because 'you have made some surprising choices'

if your teachers are dissing parents on FB it won't be long before someone emails a screen shot to the head teacher...

Niceguy2 · 15/12/2010 12:55

Good god. Just because she's a teacher at your school doesn't mean she has to live like Mother Teresa. You don't own her ass.

If she wants to slag you all off publicly via Facebook, so be it. She'll have to deal with the consequences it brings but c'est la vie.

JamieLeeCurtis · 15/12/2010 12:57

No-one said the teacher has to behave like Mother Teresa, just have a bit more professionalism in what she reveals to people on FB

JamieLeeCurtis · 15/12/2010 12:59

... which kind of proves the point (made on another thread) about people not having good sense when it comes to FB

mjinsparklystockings · 15/12/2010 13:01

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

kreecherlivesupstairs · 15/12/2010 13:01

DH is a teacher (IT) and refuses to have a facebook thingy.
There was a disciplianary to do a couple of months ago at his school, the individual in questions was 'let go' because of the pupils he had befriended. Idiotic man.

mjinsparklystockings · 15/12/2010 13:03

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

SMulledwineS · 15/12/2010 13:09

I've got all my privacy settings as high, not because of work but because I don't want people I don't know seeing or knowing what I get up to. FB has a habit of changing settings..

JamieLeeCurtis · 15/12/2010 13:14

Really SmulledwinesS?

SleepingLion · 15/12/2010 13:16

I am a teacher and have my Facebook privacy settings to 'friends only' and cannot be found if searched for (I discovered it worked the other day when my sister couldn't request me as a friend and had to email me and ask me to add her Grin). I think it is every teacher's responsibility to protect themselves on Facebook.

On the other hand, I think it's none of your business, OP. What the hell has it got to do with you?

"Are they really so ignorant or just plain stupid!"

Smacks of good ol' self-righteous judging to me, with a nice bit of stalking thrown in - I can believe you found one teacher by accident but to find 'loads'? You really had to go looking for them, didn't you? I have never found DS's teacher on FB but then as long as she does a professional job in the classroom, I don't feel the need to stalk her online and find out what she gets up to in her private life Hmm

KnittingisbetterthanTherapy · 15/12/2010 14:07

Lol pip, no friends can find me - they have to email me and ask me to request them as I don't come up under any searches Grin.

stubbornhubby · 15/12/2010 14:39

It's not stalking to look someone up -
I regularly look up people on FB and Google to find out what they do in their public life, what do they put out there about themselves that they want everyone to see.

things they want to keep private would be protected by privacy settings.

In a real world example: if I went into someone's office I wouldn't go through their desk to find out about their personal life, but if they had a picture of their family skiing hanging on the wall, then they want me to notice it.. I might very well say 'hey, is that Meribel....'

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