I have read in numerous answer posts here on RG the suggestion that we should be friends to our students. When starting in my role as an educator, a mentor reiterated the old adage 'be firm, fair & friendly but never familiar'. I believe that this has professionally served both my student cohort and myself to date. It is my view that becoming their 'friend' breaches professional boundaries. Any views?
In order to discuss this we should define the term "friend", as many people understand this term in different ways.
In some way I am much closer and more familiar to some of my students than my professors were to me: providing advice when they ask for it, offering guidance, giving tips etc.
I feel our role should be professor, educator (and how can we be an educator if we are not somehow close), advisor, supporter, and mentor,...
Perhaps some would name this to be a "friend" of the students, but I would not use the term "friend" for this. To me a friend is something else. Therefore it would be important to know what people saying "we should be friends of students" really mean.
Hi Christina/Jane, thanks for the replies. That’s an interesting article Jane, posing a number of questions. I always try to be friendly towards my students but never consider myself their friend. Friendly communications have continued after graduation in many cases but mainly these remain within the realm of professional correspondences rather than social. I consider myself as a mentor, giving generously of my time for discussion when requested but I would not consider inviting students to my home; for me, such is far beyond what I consider appropriate (for me). I understand however that vast cultural differences prevail across the world and am interested in hearing such views.
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