A secret Facebook group for encouraging teachers

UPDATE: The open enrollment period is now closed. The next opportunity for new members to join will be in the spring of 2016. You can sign up for my email list if you’d like a reminder about the group.

So obviously the group isn’t secret in the sense that no one knows about it. But there’s a setting for Facebook groups called “secret,” which means no one outside the group can read what’s posted there. And that means the Encouraging Teachers Facebook group is a private, closed space for sharing teaching ideas and collaborating.

I created Encouraging Teachers 2 years ago because I was tired of all the complaining and negative press about teachers I saw online. I wanted a space for teachers to inspire and uplift one another, and talk about the good things that are happening in education. I wanted a space where teachers can pop in, browse a few inspiring stories/images/links, and leave feeling energized.

I closed the group to new members once we reached 9,000 to keep us from losing our community feel. We now have a twice yearly “open enrollment” period: for 2 weeks each March and August, new members can fill out a form agreeing to our guidelines and requesting to join the group.

That open enrollment period is here! From now until August 23rd, you can sign up to join us. We are looking for new members who are interested in:

• Spreading positivity to fellow educators
• Sharing classroom successes and “this is why I teach” stories
• Passing along uplifting articles about the GOOD things happening in education
• Posting funny and heartwarming memes, photos, and videos they discover online
• Providing helpful, constructive advice and resource recommendations

We need members who are not just looking to get encouragement, but who want to BE THE ENCOURAGERS. If you love to inspire other teachers, this is the group for you!

Our members are very protective of the positive, supportive tone of the group, so posts are highly moderated and all guidelines are strictly enforced. No new members are added until they’ve had the chance to carefully consider and agree to each guideline. It takes a few minutes to read through it all, but I want to make sure all potential members are 100% on board with my vision for the group before deciding they want to join.

See you in the group!

UPDATE: The open enrollment period is now closed. The next opportunity for new members to join will be in the spring of 2016. You can sign up for my email list if you’d like a reminder about the group.