What I Failed to See: Teaching in an Era of Social Media

“The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry,” the old line goes. When I am formulating a course of action, I often pride myself on trying to think through most, if not all, of the possible consequences of that particular course of action before coming to a decision. My thought often proceeds like this: "If I go with Plan A, which possible unanticipated consequences might result from it? Do I need to rethink that plan before deciding to go with this plan?" 

When I was in my second year of my teaching in Port Lavaca, some of my students wanted to follow me on social media. That came as no surprise. Even when I was teaching German as a Foreign Language in North Carolina, students had found me on Facebook and tried to "Friend" me. My position had always been that students could connect with me on social media when we were no longer at the same institution.

Of course, when as a teacher, you

1) spend time and energy preparing exemplary lesson plans,
2) spend time and energy in the classroom teaching students, and sometimes help them overcome obstacles to being able to pay attention  
3) help students catch up after COVID has kept them home, and
4) you connect with students, and help them become aware of their aspirations, 

you want to see their future success, even if you're no longer their teacher. The way in which you've helped them develop is still important, even after you or they move away, or after they graduate - I emphasize this last part because I'm now working with high school seniors, many of whom are awesome and are looking forward to going out after high school graduation and achieving their many great objectives.  

Still, after the year 2019-2020, when I decided to go into teaching public school in Texas and until the Spring of 2022, there was a part of me that was uncomfortable about connecting with even former students on social media. The program I enrolled in for alternative certification in 2019 had emphasized that teachers should not connect with their students on social media, and advised their teachers-in-training to be careful about posting pictures of themselves drunk, out having a wild time, posting when angry, and/or "going on rants" over social media platforms. It was solid advice. I would have never connected with students where they and I were in the same classroom or even at the same institution. And I treat everything I post on social media as though it is out and open to the public. Additionally, I'm well aware that my students may be reading content from this website - they have already. 

After I decided to go into public education in Texas and was in my first position, I often told my students, "If you learn Texas History in my class, that will be great. But if in ten years from now, you are either in college, on your path toward success, or you're out working and earning good money and your boss thinks you're doing well in the workplace, then I'll really be happy." I wanted to be able to see their future successes. And I was getting "follow" requests on my personal Instagram page. So my solution was this: I suggested to my students that after we were no longer at the same institution - that condition was absolutely essential - we could connect from my Instagram page for Closer to 2020 Tutoring. My other condition is that not everyone gets to follow me after we're no longer in the same district; I have to see real growth and development during our time together in the classroom.  

So much for my best laid plans. What I failed to see is that my students wouldn't be the least bit interested in following my tutoring page. They wanted to follow me, the person, at jww.25, my personal account. And they wanted me to follow them back. One of my past mentors, Wally Bressler, has earned his place among America's most influential sales coaches through his experience in sales and amazing personal authenticity. I'll quote him talking about the sales process here because his words apply to teaching no less than to sales:

     Your ability to identify with people and understand what makes them tick  
     and what they've gone through is really one of the key ingredients to being
     able to move the sales process along and speak to them in a language they
     understand. You need to be able to build rapport... 

In my mind, I've replaced "sales process" with "teaching process." It still requires them to "buy in," so to say. It's how I motivate students to put 110% effort into their education. Certain students still reach out on Instagram and inform me of how Social Studies classes are going and I'm happy to encourage them. I'm not often on the platform (I don't keep Instagram on my phone) and sometimes I receive messages late. But at least I'm able to stay in some limited contact with them, if from afar. I could even picture myself traveling back to Port Lavaca to be there when the class of 2027 graduates are preparing to move forward into their adult lives.

It's just one of the ways in which I try to fulfill my obligation to "pay it forward."