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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

If a teacher in a secondary school...

65 replies

Methenyouplus4 · 19/02/2017 18:11

Had a lifestyle type blog about family life/recipes/ days out etc, would you feel it was inappropriate?

Content include would photos of them/their family and would cover where they had been (but only after they had been e.g. reviews of local attractions).

I'm asking as I have wanted to start a lifestyle type blog (as a hobby) but worry it wouldn't be deemed professionally appropriate as a secondary teacher. There would obviously be nothing offensive/ to do with my job and I live in a different county to where I teach but still, teachers generally have to be very careful about what they share in public.

Would it bother you if a teacher at your child's secondary school had such a blog?

OP posts:
MillyDLA · 19/02/2017 19:14

I'm with you Desolate, had read county as countRy! I was working out which country, Luxembourg into Belgium, Belgium to Holland, England to Scotland or Wales!
Thanks Xyz!

GallivantingWildebeest · 19/02/2017 19:16

I wouldn't do it under your real name as a teacher. I have a friend who's a teacher and she's really serious about social media boundaries - she says that kids look her up (look all teachers up, not just her!) and I don't think it's worth the potential hassle to you.

Kids could judge your kids' looks, hobbies, your blog posts (grammar and spelling?), your pics, your life. I wouldn't - or I'd do it anonymously. Keep your family snaps private.

ScarlettDarling · 19/02/2017 19:17

Wouldn't bother me in the least but surely all you need to do is check with your head?

superram · 19/02/2017 19:19

I probably wouldn't call it Mrs me's blog and I personally wouldn't show my kids on a blog. However, lifestyle stuff should be fine. Didn't harm secret teacher or the man behind 5 min lesson plan

SnugglySnerd · 19/02/2017 19:21

I was going to suggest running it past the head too. Sure it will be fine though. As a teacher myself I'm impressed you have the time and energy to do it!

HarryTheHippo · 19/02/2017 19:23

I really truly wouldn't put your kids photos on it. From both angles. I wouldn't think it appropriate for your students to know all about your childrens lives and what they get up to.

Similarly if your childrens friends found it when they were older they could rib them about all the photos. And just knowing all the places they went and what they're up to is far too intrusive.

It's quite seriously taking away your childrens' right to a private life.

Original poster
Methenyouplus4 · 19/02/2017 19:23

I think my head would be fine with it, I was wanting to gauge response from parents as I feel they may be the only ones who have an issue.

I could easily do it without my name being involved but still think I'd want photos of our children, mainly because part of my reason for doing it would be almost like a diary (not the intimate confession type, just keeping track of our family life etc).

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PurpleDaisies · 19/02/2017 19:25

I could easily do it without my name being involved but still think I'd want photos of our children, mainly because part of my reason for doing it would be almost like a diary (not the intimate confession type, just keeping track of our family life etc).

Then keep a diary. Confused

I think it's odd to want to do that in such a public way.

RainyDayBear · 19/02/2017 19:25

Not inappropriate at all (I'm a secondary school teacher). I'd probably do it under a pseudonym or anonymously but if you want to attach your real name to it, again it's not inappropriate.

Original poster
Methenyouplus4 · 19/02/2017 19:26

The private life of our children is an interesting point to think about though. In my head, it would be nothing embarrassing, but then I know that the wored of the teenager is a funny old place and sometimes any point of difference can be flipped into a negative. I might have to reconsider.

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Sara107 · 19/02/2017 19:27

I would keep it annonymous, to protect yourself from your pupils taking the piss or worse ( aggrieved parents or students trolling or stalking you). And keep photos of your kids out of it, but fine to mention them - if you are reviewing days out it's relevant to the review how old the kids were for example. If you don't mention your profession or talk about the school at all then no need to worry from that point of view.

Original poster
Methenyouplus4 · 19/02/2017 19:30

Purpledaises- I started a blog a couple of years ago (never actually published it 'live') and really enjoyed it. I found it made me more thoughtful with the photos I took (angles/ editing etc) and most of my favourite family photos are from that time (when I was toying with publishing it online). I enjoyed the creative element of the writing and (weirdly as I didn't publish it to have comments or anything), I found it a relaxing way to just meditate over daily life. I guess in the way I used to with friends on a regular basis but with 4 kids and work, that's a rarity now.

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spellingtestmess · 19/02/2017 19:35

I don't put pictures of my children's faces online. Of course I take lots of photos of my family, but if I want to put them online, then they are 'arty headless' shots Grin

I think lots of people are advising against documenting yours/children's lives publicly. I'd take their advice.

Judydreamsofhorses · 19/02/2017 19:35

If you wanted to you could set it to invited readers only - that way it wouldn't come up in serch results and you'd have to add people who could see it.

SarfEast1cated · 19/02/2017 19:38

I think you would be mad to do this if it includes photos of you and your family online. If you can do it incognito then fine but I think you are taking a massive risk. It might also make it difficult for you to speak to your class about internet safety...
I am incredibly paranoid about internet safety so feel free to ignore me...

DesolateWaist · 19/02/2017 19:41

Are you confusing county with country?

Yes I am.

Nofunkingworriesmate · 19/02/2017 19:41

Completely stunned at comments regarding teachers having social media contact with pupils
this is totally unacceptable and a reportable/ potentially sackable offence as it leaves both vulnerable to grooming/allegations
Do not low your children to be in social media contact with any adult they have a professional relationship with- no excuses!!!

SmileEachDay · 19/02/2017 19:43

Yes, I was surprised about that too, No

I'd echo the concern of a PP about potential dodgy photoshopping too.

Original poster
Methenyouplus4 · 19/02/2017 19:45

Lots to think about. Thank you for all your comments.

Have to say I agree comments re:students as friends. We are advised to even be careful about emailing students late at night (on our school email to theirs e.g. essay feedback) as a parent might wonder why you are emailing them so late (even though I rarely get a chance to start marking before 9pm). Think you do have to be very careful.

Totally talking myself out of a blog now!

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BusterGonad · 19/02/2017 19:45

I'm with PurpleDaisies, you'd be putting your children at risk of being teased at school, Facebook is bad enough but a blog with their photos all over it is too much.

DumbledoresApprentice · 19/02/2017 19:47

I run a public Instagram account for my cat. It doesn't have my name attached but if a kid came across it they might work out it was mine as I have a very unusual surname and family members with the same surname sometimes comment on my posts. There is nothing remotely unprofessional about it and whilst I don't "need" to share pictures of my cats with strangers I enjoy it. It's harmless (not at all political and certainly nothing that could bring the school into disrepute) and if any parent took issue with it I'd expect the HT to tell them it's absolutely none of their business. Teachers are allowed to have a life outside of school. You might want to think about anonymising names somehow but if you didn't want to then I don't think you'd be doing anything wrong from a professional standpoint.

WyfOfBathe · 19/02/2017 19:47

From your child's privacy point of view, could you use a pseudonym?

One of my friends writes a blog where her children are referred to just by their first initial, which means that their classmates won't be able to google it.

Italiangreyhound · 19/02/2017 19:47

Methenyou, if you did not mention my child or the school they go to it would not bother me, but if I were you I would only do this anonymously.

Methenyou you said "The private life of our children is an interesting point to think about though. In my head, it would be nothing embarrassing, but then I know that the wored of the teenager is a funny old place and sometimes any point of difference can be flipped into a negative."

Nothing embarrassing, so you basically cannot say anything because potentially anything can be embarrassing for a teenager! You in old gardening shoes and funny hat doing gardening, you saying anything remotely rude, you going anywhere lame, you taking the kids anywhere remotely lame!

"I might have to reconsider."

Glad to hear it. But I would consider, do it anonymously or do it once your kids have left home, that's my advice.

MaisyPops · 19/02/2017 19:51

Do it but I'd use a pseudonym and wouldnt put loads of photos of your kids on there.

I think its an awkard one because once your kids lives are out there thats it
mobile.nytimes.com/blogs/well/2016/07/29/why-i-decided-to-stop-writing-about-my-children/

BigGreenOlives · 19/02/2017 19:53

I think you should be very careful about using your children's names & photos. My teens are very cautious with their digital footprint. They hardly post anything on FB or IG as they know that once something has been published on line they lose control.