Electronic Communication and Social Media
You are a seasoned teacher. Your Grade 7 class is a handful. There are a couple of “bright lights” in
your class who seem to reward all of your hard work. One in particular is a girl with so much potential
you want to challenge her, help her and watch her achieve remarkable things. You know that her family
circumstances are difficult, and are amazed that she succeeds despite considerable obstacles. She
confides in you that she struggles to study but is determined to do so. She thanks you for your help. One
day she emails (or texts) you her considerable distress about whether she will be able to continue with
her dream of going to university. You sense she is losing hope and you write back: “Don’t worry, I’ve got
your back, I believe in you, you’re the best”. She emails back: “you have no idea what you mean to me,
you are the key to my future, luv u.” You email back “luv u too sweetie, can’t wait to see you on Monday”.
She emails you a “heart” emoticon in return.
Questions:
O Does this exchange concern you?
O Does it cause you to seek advice from ETFO?
O Does it cause you to report this email communication to your principal?
O Does it cause you to seek assistance from the guidance counselor or social worker?
O Does it cause you to speak to the student with a colleague present to discuss boundaries?
O Does this interaction raise no cause for concern?
O Would you continue this type of communication with this student?
Answer:
In the example above, the first time you emailed or texted this student you may have officially started
down the “slippery slope” leading to boundary violations according to the Ontario College of Teachers and
its recent PROFESSIONAL ADVISORY ON THE USE OF ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS AND SOCIAL MEDIA.
Every member of the College received a copy of the advisory in the June 2011 edition of Professionally
Speaking. It is also available on the College website.
ETFO continues to support the responsible use of social media as an excellent teaching tool, provided it
adheres to professional standards. ETFO warns its members that anything they post can be: forwarded,
taken out of context, copied, manipulated and impossible to remove from cyberspace. In the example
above, this overly casual communication may be misconstrued as inappropriate, and as a boundary
violation.
O “Friending” students; posting pictures of partying, or sending overly casual messages or
texts to students, parents or others may lead to professional difficulties that you may not
anticipate. While the use of technology has changed dramatically over time, the standards of
professionalism have not changed. Interactions must be respectful, courteous, professional and
boundaries must be maintained. Members are expected to be friendly, but not “friends” with
their students.
ETFO has seen an increase in cyberbullying by electronic media in the education community. Members
of ETFO can be the target of this. Sometimes members initiate careless electronic communication which
may have unintended, but grave professional consequences.
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