Is this considered inappropriate? Slightly concerned

[WhimsicalLayer]

A few students came to find me at lunch in my room and say bye to me after their final exam and say a big thank you. Every year this part of the year reminds me it’s all worth it when they say thank you.

Anyway I didn’t hug or initiate that kind of contact even if any students tried. I just put my hand on their upper arm sort of by the shoulder and said well I wish you all the best for the future you’ll be great for both my male and female students.

As I said I didn’t hug. Just had my hand on their upper arm and said that. I’m also a female, and I think it would just be wrong to initiate that sort of contact with young children.

I have seen other teachers at my school hug when students have come to say bye but I just wouldn’t.

Is this considered wrong?

I’m confused because you mention final exams, which makes it sound like you are talking about year 11s, but then you call them “young children”?

Either way, it’s fine that you didn’t hug them.

Plenty of hugging going on at my place today

I hug students. (Only on occasions like last days and results days.) I always ask if they’d like a hug, only when there’s lots of other people around, and I generally prefer to do a side hug.

It’s fine. Don’t however let y11 or y13 know that you consider them ‘young children’. They’ll be furious.

I wouldn't initiate a hug, but I don't think it's wrong to accept a hug that's initiated from a Year 11 student on their last day! Context is all important. I think we've lost some humanity if we feel that it's wrong for students to hug teachers on what is an emotional occasion for them. Their teachers are part of their community, many have will have had profound influence on their lives. If you don't want to hug them that's absolutely fine, but if you refused based on some sort of perception that it's wrong, and that other teachers are wrong for hugging their students, I wouldn't agree with that.