How to Find an Old Teacher

Michelle Wilson - February 4, 2024

A teacher isn’t just responsible for educating students throughout the years; they are consistent in our lives from an early age. Teachers shape young minds into the individuals they will become as adults. Tracking an educator can be challenging, especially if you don’t know where to start. To find a teacher, start by contacting the school, reviewing the directory, scanning social media, or using online search methods.

Table of Contents

Reach Out to the School Directly

The most straightforward way to reconnect with a teacher is to contact the administrative office. When possible, visit the school and explain why you’re there. If the teacher is still working at that location, ask to set up a meeting or leave your contact information at the office. If the individual moved locations, ask the administrative office if they have any outside contact information.

If visiting in person isn’t possible, contact the school through email or the contact page on the institution’s website. Inquire about the teacher, mentioning the year and subject taught. Try to keep any correspondence positive and genuine, as it will increase the chance of receiving a response.

Check the School’s Directory

As technology continues to influence society, many educational facilities will host an online directory with contact information on their website. A school directory is the online portal for all current staff members. To search the school directory, enter the school details into a search engine. Pull up the website and locate the staff portal on the menu. Scroll through the administrative section to locate your teacher’s name. If the details are listed, there’s a good chance the individual still works through that location.

Perform an Online Search

Start the online search with a popular search engine, entering the first and last name of the educator into the search bar with a location. The more specific your search is, the increased likelihood of pulling accurate results—narrow search results by adding the school you attended to the search bar.

While the contact information may not be posted directly on the search results, a few web pages offer different contact methods. Look for results that include social media profiles, forums, or alum websites.

The latest data suggests that 4.95 billion people use social media accounts, making it a decent place to start the search. Facebook is the leading social media platform, with 3.05 billion users. To search for someone on social media, try to include the first and last name in all search efforts.

How to Search Through Facebook for an Old Teacher

To search through Facebook for an online account, open the platform on your mobile device. At the top of the screen, enter the individual’s name into the search bar. Hit enter on your device to start the search process. Users can narrow search results further by accessing the people or location options at the top of the search results.

How to Search Through Instagram for an Old Teacher

With nearly one billion monthly users, Instagram is another good social media platform to track someone down. To search for someone on Instagram, open the application on your phone. Locate the magnifying glass on the bottom menu and enter the name details into the search bar. Alternatively, users can search through the location tags, particularly the school or geographic area where they work.

How to Search Through LinkedIn for an Old Teacher

LinkedIn remains the most extensive professional networking platform, making it ideal for anyone tracking a professional individual. To search for someone, enter the full name into the search bar on the application. Use LinkedIn’s advanced filtering options, including job title or location, to narrow your results further. LinkedIn also allows individuals to search through groups, including job industry or alums options.

Searching for someone on social media may seem straightforward, but different search functions may be helpful as you continue. Always search for the teacher’s full name, including name variations (maiden or previous name), middle names, or nicknames. Take advantage of advanced search options, particularly if the teacher has a common last name. Don’t be afraid to post your request publicly in forums or groups.

Use a Background Check Company

An online background check company is potentially the easiest way to locate an individual within the United States. Background check companies require the person’s first and last name to get started. Users must answer additional questions to the best of their ability to narrow down search results. These platforms will review publicly available data to compile a comprehensive report. Use the details within the background report to contact your old teacher.

What’s Included in a Background Report?

The contents of a background report will vary, according to the company. Most background check companies will compile a list of personal information, contact details, social media profiles, credit reports, education history, criminal records, and more. It’s critical to remember that all details within the report are private and should be treated as confidential.

Look Through Teacher’s Association

Several school districts will have an association of former educators, making it easier to reconnect with previous teachers. Associations are available on the school website, including a list of active members. If the school website doesn’t offer direct access, search through Google to locate any active teacher associations.

Check for Teacher Union Forums

Several teacher union forums are available online that users can use to track previous teachers. These forums include the National Education Association (NEA) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). Both forums offer a database of current and previous educators. These forums allow search by name or location. All search results from the NEA and AFT will include emails and phone numbers, if available.

Try Asking Other Students or Parents

When your search efforts are empty-handed, consider contacting other students or parents. Try posting an ad through social media on community groups or pages, naming the teacher, subject, school, and year. If that doesn’t work, ask friends or acquaintances who attended school with you. Finally, reach out to the previous school and see if any teachers who worked with the teacher in question happen to know how to get in contact.

Conclusion

A good teacher leaves a lasting impression long after the class ends. Finding an old teacher isn’t easy, especially when the individual doesn’t work at the school you attended. Implementing a few of these search methods will increase your likelihood of finding the teacher. Start by contacting the previous school, searching social media, ordering a background report, or asking the local community.