to think that teachers should have a PRIVATE facebook profile?!

[TallulahBetty]

Ok, I should point out that the teacher in question is my friend. Not one of my closest (hence why I've not said anything as yet), but a friend nonetheless.

She is a secondary school teacher with a very distinctive/unusual name. It would not be that hard to search for her and find her on Facebook.

Her profile is completely 'public' so anyone (even those not her friend) can see what she types. Her profile (statuses AND pictures) are full of her getting drunk, semi-naked, saying how much she 'hates this job' and 'aaargggh can't stand this class' etc etc.

A few weeks ago, she told a mutual friend that a pupil had commented in class about something she (teacher) got up to at the weekend. She seemingly unaware that people can see EVERYTHING that she writes. Pupils, their parents, other teachers. Everyone, should they wish to. She deliberately does not accept friend requests from such people.

WIBU to advise her to make it private?! Or is this just poking my nose in?

I'm astonished that she hasn't already been made aware of this by the school she teaches in. Although an acquaintance of mine is a deputy Head and her profile is wide open (although v dull/hysterically PFB by turns) so it's possible that not all schools have the same policies.

I would say something, she could lose her job or be disciplined for it if someone reported it.

yanbu.

I've seen a TA's page that isn't private (not my dc's school though). Including the odd grumble about the kids she helps with .

if she mentions anything on facebook it can be seen as serious misconduct and she could be dismissed

tell her

anything about work

Lovecat that's a good point and I have just thought that another friend (primary school teacher this time) had before now told me that they are under strict instructions to keep their FB profile private, not accept pupils or parents as friends, and even then watch what they write or upload. So I guess different schools have different policies!

I'm a teacher and have very private settings. You should immediately tell her that all and sundry can see her goings-on and let her put it right. She probably doesn't realise.

I think I will have to message her and mention it casually. Then it's up to her. Thanks for all your thoughts.

YANBU! How is it possible she doesn't know her settings are public? Surely they've had it mentioned in staff mettings, I know every school I've been in have. Most teachers I know have their profiles on the highest privacy setting possible AND change their name in some way so they aren't identifiable at first glance.

I'm well aware that teachers have a life outside the classroom, I certainly do, but to put photos/status updates like that up is totally unprofessional and quite frankly, idiotic. I hope she fixes it before she gets herself into trouble.

I agree that you need to warn her, maybe like your thread to FB and let her read it for herself?

[grin

Yes they should. Or not be on FB at all.

My son's school has guidance for teachers within the child safeguarding policy about this sort of thing. I'd be unhappy if my child's teacher did this and would probably complain to the school.

The teachers at my DS's school would get a warning for that.

They have a very clear E.Policy which includes privacy on social media sites.

our school covers all this stuff when new staff do the child protection/internet safety training. a colleague completely closed his fb right away. he used the term 'closed', not abandoned - i didn't know they could be closed.

The correct term is 'deactivated'.

Once you've deactivated, you disappear completely... but if you ever decide you want the account back, you can just log in and re-appear.

Our GTC in Scotland has issued very clear guidelines about professional standards with respect to social networking sites.

If anyone in SMT heard about something like that or saw a FB page such as you describe the staff member would be deep in the brown stuff.

In fact I know many teachers who just won't use FB at all (myself included).

Tell her. I would be in trouble for sure.

I have a facebook account, highest privacy settings possible and I still never discuss details about work, children or any negative stuff about the job.
No photos of me either.
She needs to know, and to get some advice from others who are more technically savvy than her, because gods help her if she's doing all this intentionally. That's really setting herself up to crash.

When I was training as a teacher (up until last year) the lecturers told us pretty much every week for three years to make your Facebook private and keep it that way. Friends that have teaching jobs have even gone so far as to have Facebook profiles in nick names to prevent being searched.

Thank you for all of your responses. I don't have her number since I've changed phones so I have sent her a FB message. She is online every day so hoping she will see it soon.

This would be a disciplinary matter in most schools. You'd be doing her a favour to advise her of this before someone reports her. Could it be that Facebook have reset the privacy settings and she hasn't changed back ?

I use FB only to keep in touch (privately) with friends and relatives abroad. I use a nickname, and even then privacy is locked down.

Yikes. Not clever. Where I work (psychiatric hospital) we're told to keep our Facebook profiles very very private. Also I don't say anything about work on there. It's not worth the risk. And it'd be disrespectful to my patients and to my friends who have used psychiatric services.

She really needs to engage her brain before posting this stuff.

Tell her ASAP.

Most teachers have two profiles - one private for friends and one public for things like, "Y13 homework due today"

My company doesn't allow us to have FB in our actual name IYSWIM after they lost a huge client, who searched his account manager on FB and saw moaning about her job, a long description of her latest one night stands penis and a half naked pic :)

I hate FB anyway.