Do teachers really need to stop accepting friend requests of their students to avoid biases?

DepEd issued an order to teachers to stop accepting friend requests of students. According to the department, this is to avoid biases in the future. Is this a necessary move at this juncture when what students need are the presence of their teachers?

There is a division among public school teachers to this recent order. For some reasons, to stop accepting friend requests or unfriending students are difficult. Teachers differ from one another, but one thing is for certain, they know limitations.

To stop accepting the friend requests of students will only make matters worse. Leave it be. Teachers and students will know their limits if their teachers know how to establish it. There will be no biases if the teacher set the standards in her class. Students will show respect if the teacher sets the example and be the role model in the classroom. 

I have seen so many teachers who have tons of students as friends in social media, yet they still manage to be fair. To stop accepting the friend requests of the students will leave them with questions. Let it be. Let the teacher do her part in setting the rules and regulations. Let the teacher and the students know their limitations and responsibilities. 

There may be positive and negative aspects to this but there will always be a solution to it. Students will learn the value of respect and teachers will be fair in their judgement. To keep distance from your students is never a good option.

So, to stop accepting the friend requests of your students, it is up to you the teacher. It will be up to you to arrange the set-up. Teachers always have the capability to change the world. They know what to do and they will always know when they will step up for the betterment of their students. – Avril | Helpline PH