having done a small research project on facebook in higher ed, it seems like the most frequent issue that comes up is balancing the private and public side of yourself as an instructor. on the one hand, the research shows that high self-disclosure (in the appropriate sense) leads to better student interactions, motivation, and ratings of teacher competence!
i have always been a fan of being a real person to my students. i talk to them about favorite restaurants, my job as a yoga instructor, and even how interesting it is when an activity works with one class and not with another. but i wonder, is it necessary or even prudent to do this self-disclosure biz on FACEBOOK?
this is the place where anyone can tag you in a photo at any time. and sure, an embarrassing photo could be the result of a crazy night that you could choose not to have in the first place. but embarrassing photos also result when a friend catches you with your eyes half closed and Solo cup of iced tea in hand, when a friend posts a picture where SHE looks awesome but you have a big slice of bra exposed, or when you're onstage at an avant-garde theatre production called Hotel F*&k. the point is, that none of these are things that i should be embarrassed about, but that still doesn't mean that i want to publicize everything about myself to every student. if one of my students was artsy enough to have found out about that play themselves and bold enough to sit through it, then so be it. but some would be mortified by it and i see no reason to put THEM in that situation either.
This is an excellent place to start making your private self a little more private AND your public self a little more public
http://chronicle.com/blogs/profhacker/creating-your-web-presence-a-primer-for-academics/30458
some say that having a private self is a concept from another era, and if that's the case, consider me an old fogey.
Ha! I've been posting that article in my comments on other blogs! Glad you found it - it's very well done.
ReplyDeleteFascinating discussion point. I am all for full disclosure. If nothing else, it encourages me to live every aspect of my life in a way that I will not regret. And the relationship/rapport you can develop with students through personal connections is irreplaceable. As long as I can present my uber-professional persona when it matters most, a few harmless transgressions can be forgiven. (Gosh, I hope everyone potentially judging me feels that way too ;)
ReplyDeleteI think when you're working with students, you have the opportunity to perform a self-check before self-disclosing. "Is this worth sharing?" Sometimes it is and sometimes it isn't. Unfortunately, Facebook doesn't provide the same opportunity to consult our standards and think about implications. Basically, I'm with you entirely on self-disclosure - as long as its myself that's doing it!
ReplyDeleteThat is a very good point. Life is just plain embarrassing sometimes, whether IRL or on the internet. I remember being in first grade and our PE teacher had us sitting in a circle talking about something. She had black sweatpants on and she started scratching her leg. She reached under the elastic above her ancle and pulled out...not a wayward dryer sheet...but black sexy panties (this was at a Christian school). That was 25 years ago and I remember exactly what she said, "When you tell your parents about this, and I know that you will, make sure you tell them I did not take them off!" Everybody laughed and we moved on...So in everything, always avoiding embarrassment is not possible, but using humor and having resiliency may make it better.
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