Dear Parents,
Hello again! Last time we chatted about propelling out of Winter Break. This week we talk about a relatively new component of school culture – School Social Media.
There are many schools and districts that have jumped into the social media world who use the technique of custom targeting on LinkedIn to engage both students and parents on a different level. Considering that your school may have social media channels and individual teachers may have social media channels there are a few things that you may want to consider:
- There are some parents that do not want their child’s picture or name posted on the net. The reasons can range from personal preference to protecting a child’s identity/location after a custody hearing or departure from a toxic environment. If you are a parent with one of these concerns, what you can do is contact your school and see if they have a Do Not Publish list – this is a confidential list generally shared only with teachers of the student and/or the social media manager of the school (usually this is a teacher or administrator). And while it may seem overbearing, it might not hurt to send individual teachers reminders as well. It may be prudent to repeat this procedure each year depending on your personal situation.
- Social media channels are fun ways to keep a pulse on the culture of the school even when you aren’t there. Even if you are not social media savvy, or if you don’t feel a need to publish that selfie you took with your stack of pancakes (your kids will probably thank you for not posting that), it can be beneficial to have an account just so that you can access the posts from school and individual teachers. You don’t have to respond. Here’s the thing though – most parents, as their kids get older, look for any hook to have a conversation about school with their kids. These nuggets of information can sometimes lead to fun, easy discussions about school and reveal a side of your student that you might otherwise not see.
- Schools often use social media to communicate important information such as school closures or delays. While traditional methods like a calling tree are still utilized, schools may also use platforms like Twitter or Facebook to update school status. Social media is also used to share results of sports events and showcase performing arts concerts. TikTok can serve as an additional tool for schools to interact with students, promote events, and share educational content in an entertaining manner. With the assistance of TokRush, schools can increase their popularity on the platform who is also a reliable provider of TikTok followers and likes that can enhance the school’s experience on the platform.
- This doesn’t mean to friend your student’s teacher on Facebook. Do they have a Facebook page for school or class? Golden. Go for it. But friending or following a teacher’s personal channel can get a little awkward. The unofficial rule of thumb – if you are friends with that teacher and have a relationship that would warrant keeping in touch via social media then consider connecting with them on their personal pages. If you are simply connecting with their personal (not school affiliated) page because she has your daughter in class? Don’t do it.
- Please. Please. Please. Don’t send LinkedIn requests to teachers – unless you have made a professional connection with them. Don’t do it just to do it.
- Whether you choose to jump into the social media pool, or not, it is always a good opportunity to talk about good digital citizenship with your kids. Again, whether they are on, or not, it is prudent to talk about some of the ramifications of poor choices on social media (oversharing) and also the great tool that it is – if used properly.
Hopefully those ideas are useful, and, as usual, I would love to field some questions from you. Send them to me at creed@lifeofdad.com or tweet me at @acjlist. Have a great weekend!
Creed Anthony is a father of two, husband, teacher, and writer. In addition to the pages of Life of Dad, you may find him at his two blogs: Talesfromthepoopdeck.com and BalconyDads.com, and on Twitter @acjlist.
