I began my teaching career in 2007, a few short years after the inception of Facebook on February 4, 2004 (incidentally, my birthday). As a new teacher, I was highly conscientious about my social media presence. I still wanted to maintain my connections with my college friends, but I was also hypervigilant about my new teacher persona and wanted a curated, professional Facebook profile. My solution was to create two accounts: 1) a private profile where I was connected to only my close friends and family and 2) a public “Ms. Wilber” profile where I posted about teaching and my debate team’s accomplishments.
Nearly 20 years later, I am in admiration of the current teachers of TikTok who seamlessly present themselves as one, unified person. Gabe Dannenbring, originally from Yankton, SD and currently a science teacher in the Sioux Falls School District, is one of the teachers I applaud. His social media presence is light-hearted, funny, and highly relatable to teachers and students. His original post – when he had only six followers – bloomed into over 1.6 million followers on TikTok and a role on the Netflix reality show, Surviving Paradise.
My 2007 “Ms. Wilber” profile could never.
On the other hand, teachers can lose their jobs or receive disciplinary action for posting inflammatory or offensive comments, as we saw recently. However, teachers facing consequences for their social media posts is not new. A 2020 Education Week article, Teachers, Politics, and Social Media: A Volatile Mix cited several incidents of teachers who incurred repercussions for making comments about political topics.
Most teachers, however, are neither TikTok famous for their delightful content, nor Instagram infamous for their incendiary remarks.
So the question remains, to post or not to post?
The 1968 U.S. Supreme Court case Pickering v. Board of Education held that public school employees maintain their First Amendment rights, even in their role as a teacher. And therefore, school employees can publicly comment on social/political issues and matters of community concern. However, the ruling also established that teachers cannot make such egregious statements that it impacts their ability to perform their job as an educator.
In short, the case established the Pickering balancing test. The test says one must weigh the freedoms afforded in the First Amendment against the school district’s interest in “promoting the efficiency of the public services it performs.”
As a new teacher, I didn’t think about the Pickering balancing test when I decided to create two Facebook accounts. I was, however, trying to strike my own balance of what I wanted to share with the public and what I wanted to share with family and friends. For now, I’ve merged my public persona into just one social media account – LinkedIn – as well as my website. I found it too difficult to keep up more than one social media account, and I also didn’t like navigating through the different boundaries that I would have to determine as an educator. At what age can a former student be your Facebook friend? Do you respond to Instagram DMs from parents about their child’s grades? Is it okay to post a picture of myself at the pool?
I think all of us – not just educators – have to make these same determinations about our social media use. However, educators have the responsibility of 1) being a public figure and 2) being a role model to youth. A recent Education Week article, Pause Before You Post, provides helpful guidance to all of us in considering our social media presence. I highly recommend reading this article, and I plan on sharing it with my University of South Dakota teacher education students this school year.
Happy posting… or not posting!
The views and opinions expressed on SDPB’s Teacher Talk are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of South Dakota.