Una. Just because teachers like everyone else have rights for privacy, it doesn’t make them unkind. It’s nothing to do with kindness, so not wanting people to look me up makes me unkind? I help everybody with anything under the sun but I am a private person and don’t even have Facebook. I communicate to people but only the ones I have in communication with me already. I don’t want people to look me up.

If a former student who had no contact with me wants to contact me (or any other teacher) they have means to do it. And it happens all the time.
That “baby shower” former student I mentioned wanted to invite two other teachers and she asked me if I can ask them if that’s ok, they both said it is and shared their emails. She didn’t go searching for their addresses online. And it’s not from 20 years ago! People sure remember her. If she wasn’t in contact with me, she’d contact school. We pass messages like this all the time. Hey former student so and so wants to come in contact with so and so for XYZ reason. You can pass messages to retired teachers too.

Sharing that her father died might have a meaning but might not mean anything. When my son in law and my mother died, our whole building knew as I was gone on a long bereavement both times and kids were concerned. It doesn’t entitle anyone to look up where I live 20 years from now. Where did I make fun or said it’s embarrassing? I would be uncomfortable with violation of my privacy. How is it making fun of anyone?

Rights of people who want social connections are important and should be respected but what about rights of people who want privacy? Do we not matter?