gLeek aLert

So, as it happens, last night I was catching up on Glee and something came up that screamed, "Blog about this topic!!!"  This leads me here...

The episode was fantastic, (music included below if you're up for some great tunes), with Gwyneth Paltrow as the substitute.  Now, I remember as a high school student, if we had a sub we wanted to give him/her a hard time.  I don't even know how subs adapt to that lifestyle, but good for them.  Of course, there were the subs you liked, and the subs who you didn't like; the subs who were fun, and the ones who made you do work.  But this really has nothing to do with my point...

The part of the episode that caught my attention was when Holly Holiday (Paltrow) was talking about how things have changed.  She asked the real teacher, Mr. Scheuster, what he did when his students did something he liked.  He said that he praised them in class.  Holiday said something like, "That's great.  I tweet about them and for those 30 seconds when they first see that, they feel like they're something special, which is all they want."

Now, I know we're talking about high school students, but really, what is a freshman student but a high school student plus 4 months?  This idea and concept isn't completely new to me.  I mean, I'm friends on Facebook with several students with whom I work and friends with even more of my supervisors, faculty members and professors.  I like it when I post a status and one of my superiors 'likes' it or even comments on it, especially when it comes to getting their specific assignment done.  I love it even more when my superiors just post random things on my wall, almost as a friend.  I imagine, if they had Twitter, I would appreciate the same responses.

With all this said, is our world changing and are we ready as the future and current educators?  First, is it appropriate for us, as grad students, to be friends with our superiors?  Do they know too much about us?  Do we know too much about them?  And what about the students we advise?  I work for the Center for Health and Wellness Promotion and I advise a group of students who are supposed to be healthy and make smart decisions.  So, what if I go out for a drink (or 2 or 3) with some friends and post about it on one of my social media outlets?  Am I not leading by example?  What if my direct supervisor sees it?  Do I want my professors knowing that I went for a drink instead of working on their paper, (and what happens when they receive it?  Will they judge how well it's done based on the fact that I spent a night or two avoiding it and they know it?  Would they look at it differently if they thought I spent 5 nights on it versus 3?)?

On the opposite hand, how do we stay connected to the students and our superiors if we don't have social media? I chat with my students on Facebook.  It allows me time to check in with them, especially when they can't stop in the office all the time.  I can also tell how they're doing by their statuses.  I've built up what I consider a more personal relationship with some of my professors and supervisors through Facebook connections and I enjoy knowing that they're human, too.  I can see their struggles just as much as they can see mine and I can provide words of support or humor if I want.  Personally, it doesn't make their influence on my life less of an impact, but more, and I hope that my peers feel the same way.  Twitter allows me to keep in touch with some of the other GAs.  Again, where do I draw the line?  I post some personal things on there and my intention isn't to make them think less of me, but it might do that.
So...will we, as educators, one day need to create personal and professional profiles, (some people might have those already.)?  We already create lists and divide friends, family and students up so they can only see what we want them to see, (personally, why have them on there at all if they can 'see' you?).  Will it become (or has it already) part of the documents that we sign when hired that we can't 'friend' students and colleagues on these social medias?  I suppose only time will tell, but it is clear that things are changing and we have to be careful how we use the things that connect us to each other so as to not blurry those boundaries that make us the educators.

Take a break from your busy day and watch these, then smile!! They're so fantastic.


Here are the two cool performances from the most recent Glee, and one from the week before that stole my heart: