Social media is the one of the hottest topics at school administrator conferences. How to use it. When to use it. Whether or not to even use it at all. I think the jury is still out about the long-term value for schools (depending on the specific purpose, of course). It appears that students are heavily committed to forums like Facebook and Twitter, but their parents don’t necessarily trust it as a reliable resource for information (or simply don’t have the time to monitor this glut of information that is never ending). I have to admit that it has, on numerous occasions, sucked the time right out of an afternoon when I’ve dropped down that rabbit hole. It is great for those personal stay-in-touch moments, but how does this figure in with teachers and their own personal Facebook posts?

Several teachers have learned the hard way that while it might be a forum they consider to be a part of their personal life, and not their teaching life, the lines can quickly become blurred. One high school teacher in Pennsylvania had a majority of her students request transfers from her classes after she made some critical comments about her students. Not only was she suspended for more than six months, but I can imagine that re-establishing her credibility with students, parents, and administrators at this school might be insurmountable. Another teacher, this one in Florida, was suspended after making some anti-gay comments on Facebook.

While the courts have ruled that these are issues of free speech, there are professional consequences for choosing to voice opinions that may be hurtful or demeaning to students or peers. I think this is yet another example of the freedom we “perceive” when we are sitting at our computers, alone, in our own homes, doing our own version of a stream-of-consciousness brain dump. We sure wouldn’t say some of the things we do if we were standing in front of our peers or our students.  We tend to think of these mediums as a personal conversation with our friends. Well, we would be very wrong about that.

First of all, when it comes to the Internet (and all forms related to it, like email, Facebook, etc.) it is all public information. You better be ready to take responsibility for what you write. It might not be illegal, but it sure might be unethical, unkind, and show a serious lack of professionalism and just plain good judgment. The very fact that teachers (and administrators) serve as primary role models for the youth in this nation should be enough to give pause to someone in those fields before pushing the send button. But apparently, as frequently seen in the headlines, there are serious lapses in judgment—just don’t be one of them! If you do, you are doing a disservice to yourself and to everyone else in the profession.

Vent your frustrations in your journal (and hide it somewhere) or a close friend who isn’t wired. But don’t take out an ad in the local newspaper about it, and that is exactly what posting your feelings on Facebook or in an email is doing. We can’t, and shouldn’t legislate personal decision-making, but sometimes I wish someone would develop a pill for good sense and civility.