Weird Facebook Message from sister former teacher

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Summer_Twilight
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20 Jul 2017, 2:44 pm

A few weeks ago, ran into a former teacher of my sister who taught her during 2nd and 3rd grade over 20 years ago at a Christian School on Facebook after discovering that she had responded to a friend family friend of mine just got married. I happened to see pictures on facebook from the wedding and gave them my congrats. This former teacher also reported so I said hello to her and she responded so I chose to add her on Facebook and she accepted me a day later.

During those two weeks, she never bothered to message me to see how I was doing or anything. Well, I got a very weird message from her today stating that:
1. She appreciated the invite and always liked to hear from her former students and how their lives were a success.
2. Yet, she said that Facebook felt like talking to someone on a train to have a conversation
3. She said that the comments of my friends and made her feel unwelcome and rebuffed
4. She didn't know what had caused past Summer to be negative and that she was sorry
5. That I need to be a light and not spread darkness

She never asked me how I am or anything. Rather, she wanted to pick me apart regarding my Facebook page. Her response made me feel sick and confused.



Last edited by Summer_Twilight on 20 Jul 2017, 7:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Claradoon
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20 Jul 2017, 6:23 pm

I don't know why, but I get the distinct impression that's not a description of you or your friends. It's a description of herself and she doesn't know it. People do that. Is her message a better description of herself than of you? If so, don't entangle yourself. Block her and go on without her.

You may want to give a few moments' thought as to why a reminder of those years suddenly popped out of nowhere. Is there a message from the Universe? Are you repeating a pattern that started then? What was important about those years? If you find something, then investigate that clue. You might get an 'Aha!' moment.



Sweetleaf
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20 Jul 2017, 6:51 pm

In that case I'd just remove her and ignore her. Sounds kind of toxic, I mean how exactly were you 'spreading darkness' and any idea what comments from your friends she was talking about?


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Chronos
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20 Jul 2017, 7:19 pm

Summer_Twilight wrote:
A few weeks ago, ran into a former teacher of my sister who taught her during 2nd and 3rd grade over 20 years ago at a Christian School on Facebook after discovering that she had responded to a friend family friend of mine just got married. I said hello to her and she responded so I chose to add her via Facebook and she responded a day later.

During that time gap, she never bothered to message me to see how I was doing or anything. Well, I got a very weird message from her today stating that
1. She appreciated the invite and always liked to hear from her former students and how their lives were a success.
2. Yet, she said that Facebook felt like talking to someone on a train to have a conversation
3. She said that the comments of my friends and made her feel unwelcome and rebuffed
4. She didn't know what had caused past Summer to be negative and that she was sorry
5. That I need to be a light and not spread darkness

She never asked me how I am or anything. Rather, she wanted to pick me apart regarding my Facebook page. Her response made me feel sick and confused.


I could be entirely wrong here, however it sounds to me that she's saying that she doesn't like Facebook, and perhaps doesn't really care to interact on it, she recalls you being a negative child and is sorry she didn't know how to help you, and by number 4, she either wishes you the best, or perhaps she feels your friends posts/your posts spread darkness instead of light...I'm not exactly sure.

Anyway you obviously don't control the posts of your friends and it doesn't seem like your sister's former teacher understands Facebook. I find older people tend to have difficulty understanding it.



Summer_Twilight
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20 Jul 2017, 7:35 pm

I wrote number 4 wrong- she said that I seemed to be more positive when I was younger (My bad).

In terms of my friends and I seem to be negative on Facebook now versus then, she didn't bother to give any specifics that she considered negative. She seemed to write her message and then say "Take Care" and then log off. I had also looked at my posting and I didn't happen to find anything negative.

Claradoon-
No, I just decided to give her a second chance even though she was awful to my family 20 years ago. I thought that maybe she would have moved on and we could have had a positive relationship. I had no idea that she was capable of insulting me like that and perhaps guilt tripping me. I didn't block her but I did remove her though I read what she wrote and polite replied with. I took it was "I don't want to maintain contact with you because I don't like your content or your friends."

"I think my posts and my friend's posts are just fine." Then I proceeded to change the subject with "Anyway, we have not seen each other in several years. How have you been since we last departed?"



Chronos
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20 Jul 2017, 8:04 pm

Summer_Twilight wrote:
I wrote number 4 wrong- she said that I seemed to be more positive when I was younger (My bad).

In terms of my friends and I seem to be negative on Facebook now versus then, she didn't bother to give any specifics that she considered negative. She seemed to write her message and then say "Take Care" and then log off. I had also looked at my posting and I didn't happen to find anything negative.


Some people have a tendency to interpret things in a negative manner, even when they are not. Perhaps she is one of them.

Summer_Twilight wrote:
Claradoon-
No, I just decided to give her a second chance even though she was awful to my family 20 years ago. I thought that maybe she would have moved on and we could have had a positive relationship. I had no idea that she was capable of insulting me like that and perhaps guilt tripping me. I didn't block her but I did remove her though I read what she wrote and polite replied with. I took it was "I don't want to maintain contact with you because I don't like your content or your friends."

"I think my posts and my friend's posts are just fine." Then I proceeded to change the subject with "Anyway, we have not seen each other in several years. How have you been since we last departed?"


I would like to point out that one of the first things this lady said to you was that your friend's posts made her feel unwelcome and rebutted. This would be a red flag to me as someone not to socialize with, because while she might very well feel that way about your friend's posts, that she is taking it up with you seems unreasonable, as if she expects you to do something about it or apologize to her for it. While I make no claims as to the nature of this lady, such a thing reminds me of something that someone with borderline personality disorder would do. While I understand that you would like to have a positive relationship with this lady, this might not be possible regardless of how friendly you are.

I think a normal person who had a problem with the posts of the Facebook friends of their Facebook friend would typically just ignore them or address the post they have a problem with directly.



Summer_Twilight
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21 Jul 2017, 8:34 am

As I said, she was horrible to my family years ago and did things like
1. She and her daughter ignored my father who had attempted to say hello them
2. My sister ended up changing schools and this teacher called my parents and sister by telling them that she would throw her artwork away if my sister didn't come get it in time which she did end up doing despite my sister attempting to pick it up.
3. If I recall, my sister said that her teacher had a bad temper
4. My sister was close with her daughter but neither one of them.

Yet, I had no idea that she would talk to me like that but this goes to show that she is still the low-quality person that she was 20 years ago.



Summer_Twilight
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22 Jul 2017, 8:01 pm

I have an update on this situation

Though I unfriended her, I left the ball in her court by asking

As I said, I politely told her that I felt like my posts and my friend's posts were fine and then changed the subject to ask how she was doing. She poured it out that she had been losing her eyesight, missed teaching and that she did some assistant work in another teacher's classroom.

So I tested further by telling her what I had been up to only to get a short reply.
"Good for you," which gave me the hint that it's all about her and that she had not interest in me.

So I decided to write her one last private message mentioning that her private message by mentioning that
1. Her message was rude and it didn't make me feel good because it made me feel unwelcome and rebuffed.
2. I felt that she seemed to guilt trip me when we had not spoken to each other in over 20 years.
3. That her message was a sign that our relationship would be toxic where we would be fire and water by bringing the worst out in each other and that wasn't healthy for either of us.
4. I wished her the best and blessing her before blocking her.