Teachers DO have lives outside of school. Most go to stores and concerts, and have some form of social media, just like students. A majority of teachers won’t add students until after graduation, but some of their profiles aren’t hidden.

“I love to post pictures, and I love to just look and not have to respond necessarily,” AVID sponsor and JV cheerleader coach Lisa Olsen said.

Olsen uses Facebook about 15 minutes a day, updating her status about once daily. When making these accounts Olsen keeps in mind the people who will be looking at her social sites. Her pages are displayed to the public, allowing anyone to see what she is doing, what she is saying or even what she is wearing.

“If it isn’t good for my preacher, my lawyer or my students I don’t post it,” Olsen said. “The whole world could see my Facebook, and I’d be fine with it.”

Although Olsen is careful of what people see, she has gotten herself into some Facebook “beef.” She described an incident where her relative defriended her over a political dispute.

“He defriended me because of my political views, which I hardly ever express, ever,” Olsen said. “I don’t like it; I tend to be in the middle of the road. But he thought I didn’t agree with him, so he defriended me. I never had anything to do with it. He thought since I was in the family, we all shared the same views.”

Olsen didn’t re-add him or respond to his “de-friendment,” because she says it was immature.

Chemistry teacher Rebecca Holland uses Facebook almost every day. She uses the media site to keep in touch with close friends.

“I have a lot of friends,” Holland said. “I have no idea who they are though now. Two high school friends, that I haven’t seen, I stay in touch with.”

Holland originally got a Facebook, because in college it was the cool thing to do. Holland gets on every day but doesn’t update.

“I’m not like other people that post everything, about every moment, every second, every detail of their life,” Holland said. “[My Facebook is] very broad. I get on every day, but just to check. I update maybe every week or two times a week.”

At a whopping 800 friends, assistant band director Todd Payne knows the people he keeps in touch with. He said the initial use of Facebook was to keep in touch with those friends.

“Facebook was designed to keep up with your friends, and that’s really what I use it for,” Payne said. “I’m friends with direct co-workers, but we don’t really use it; I am friends with them, because that’s just what you do. I really use it for the real intention.”

Payne doesn’t like when his friends advertise their companies or display overly personal statuses and updates.

“I think social media can be a good thing, if used in a good way,” Payne said. “It drives me insane when we use it for other purposes. I tell people all the time, ‘Don’t post your personal life, because no one wants to know.’”