Oh how do you educate thee?

Posted on Dec 13, 2009 09:41:02 PM

Let me just first say that I wasn’t a big fan of Facebook for a long time.  And, even when I decided to join in the fun, it wasn’t fun, it was confusing.  I liked Twitter.  I like blogging.  I like social networks, but I wasn’t fond of Facebook. 

Now, a few months later and Facebook has taken over and I Tweet about half as often.  I am still a blogging fool but that’s not what I had intended to write about.

In my friend’s list on Facebook are former students of mine along with the children (teenage) of my former classmates.  And, to be honest, reading some of the status updates that they post is sometimes saddening.  I mean, truly some of the things that I read make me wonder about the stability of the youngsters. 

Add to that the ability to put out your instantaneous thoughts like “I’m sad”, “I am heart broken”, “I have no friends” and knowing as an adult that I had many thoughts like that in high school that I’m glad there was no forum in which to express myself.  I got over it.  I got over the heartaches, the friendships gone bad or those mended and life went on. 

Do you think these youngsters realize that what they are putting out there is there, for ever.  I mean, do you think they get it?