Teachers on Facebook and night out

[GreenGreenGrassBlue]

I’ve name changed for this, my friend was showing me photos of her children’s SLT (Dep Heads, other teachers) out on a night out in a City. She’s friends with one of the Teachers on Facebook.

There are photos of them enjoying a night out, doing shots etc and this Teacher is friends with a number of parents on Facebook.

AIBU to think it’s probably not appropriate to share these sort of photos on Facebook?

It is titled like a pre back to work night out with a number of parents commenting things like ‘are you ready?’.

Im not saying don’t go out but not sure how appropriate it is for teachers to be sharing like this on Facebook.

Oh God, are you the one who's on here practically every week slamming some aspect of a teacher's existence, like having a TikTok account or wearing what you deem is inappropriate clothing? 🙄

In what code of conduct does it say that you need to keep your life outside of work completely private?

As a teacher I don’t even befriend my colleagues on FB. I am also under a very different name to my real name. I have no desire for colleagues and parents to know anything about my social life unless I choose to share it in person.

Having said that, the OP’s friend needs to get rid of teacher FB friends and not enjoy the tittle tattle. Teachers are allowed to go out, party and even get drunk in their own time.

I think it’s unwise for teachers to have Social media friends with parents unless they know them really well out of school. Even then, I’d possibly block.

That's why the kids are always so shocked and surprised to see their teachers in the wild. They should be sealed in aspic outside of term time.

So was this a private account ? If so, then adults doing something perfectly legal is none of your business

I thought all teachers lived at school?

I was curious about teachers' standards so I looked it up. Here are the government guidelines;

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1040274/Teachers__Standards_Dec_2021.pdf

The person is friends with them which is likely why they can see them, so yes teachers should be able to post photos on their personal accounts of a night out.

If I saw any of son's teachers on a night out I'd buy them a short myself!

Just don’t accept friend messages from parents, former or current students, or ever post anything about your personal life.

Your "friend" was showing other people's private Facebook images to people without access to them. She is the one in the wrong, not the teachers.

have a think about whether you'd be happy with her sharing your private business with strangers.

Another teacher bashing thread. Yawn. Teachers have a life outside of school! I'm a teacher and do post photos of cocktails regularly. I don't have parents on FB but who knows - one day I may teach a child whose parent is a FB friend. Should I stop posting them?

I clicked the wrong button your definitely being massively unreasonable!

A teachers private Facebook account is just that and your friend has them on because of a friendship not because they have a open account.

Get a life!

Dd5 actually believed this! She was very surprised when I explained that teachers are normal people with their own homes, partners, pets and even children of their own. She thought they lived in the classroom! 🤣 😂

Because it may call their professionalism into question.
Keep it tight, keep it clean, this avoids all gossip, judging, and potential offense.

Obviously, people can still go out and do whatever they want to do, the example of standing next to a pole is a clear illustration of potential offense.

What would be wrong but did not seem to happen for this night out is posting photos in real time as it were. Advertising you are not at home one evening is an invitation to burglars and showing a lack of awareness of sensible crime prevention.

That was YOUR employer.🙄

I was seen by a student and his family when I was on a bouncy castle in the summer. Heaven forbid they tell anyone I was enjoying myself!

Employees should be aware of both professional and social boundaries and should not therefore accept or invite ‘friend’ requests from pupils or ex-pupils under the age of 18, or from parents on their personal social media accounts such as Facebook.

This is from the NEU social media policy.

You can have your own views about it (personally I'm a governor and think it gives an unprofessional image to be friends with parents on Facebook), but in terms of what they can/can't do, it depends very much on the school/LEA policy.

So these are photos that cannot be viewed publicly.

Your friend showed you because she thought it looked like a good place to go drinking.

You are judging teachers for sharing photos privately. Photos that you wouldn't have seen unless shown by someone else. And you think these teachers have done something wrong?

I posted a few photos of me camping with family this summer and a couple included me holding an alcoholic beverage. Only friends can see my photos. Now imagine that, unbeknownst to me, one of my FB friends showed the photos to a parent at my school and that parent to umbrage that I was "shar[ing] these sort of photos on Facebook". When actually, I didn't share them with that parent nor the wider public, they were private on my FB.

Tell me again why it is you think that what has happened is unprofessional on the part of the teachers?!

When actually it's just you being judgmental.

Last school I worked (grammar school) in you were not allowed to have parents or pupils as friends. You could accept a friend request from a former pupil once they reached 21. You weren’t even allowed to tag the school as your place of work and settings were not allowed to be public. Encouraged to have Facebook name set to first and middle name (no last name). All in contract and a sackable offence if breached. I actually agree with this stance.

It's inappropriate for teachers to be friends with parents on FB. This isn't allowed in my school.

I wish I didn't have to do similar but there are certain jobs out there where the public is very quick to jump on people that they have to pretty much be the model professional citizen round the clock

What is 'unprofessional' about a) going out with colleagues and b) having a picture taken of you together having fun and c) posting that picture in a place where your other fiends can see it?

Unprofessional of a teacher having parents of students as friends on Facebook.