Teacher sparks discussion after asking people if it is odd to tell students 'I love you'

We are used to teachers telling us, "Have a good day!" or "See you tomorrow!" but rarely hear a teacher say "I love you" to their students. However, it seems to have become a common thing in the classrooms nowadays. A teacher asked on Reddit if it was okay to say "I love you" to students and people shared their views. 

She wrote, "Personally, I'll say it when my students are leaving class, like 'Bye, love you, have a good day!' or like if one of my students is having a particularly rough time, I'll just say 'Hey, I love you and believe in you.' Some people feel weird about this, but my students don't seem to mind and some will say it back. I've heard a lot of my coworkers and their students say it too. What's your take on this?" People in the comments shared the most wholesome responses. 

u/cute_combination_420 commented, "I teach kindergarten and I tell my students that I love them. I usually give them a quick hug (unless they don't want a hug), tell them that I love them and to have a good evening as they leave each afternoon. The hug is always their choice. I tell them that no one is allowed to touch/hug them without their permission." u/emk15 wrote, "Upper elementary, male teacher. I say it all the time. I can maybe get why a male teacher would want to hesitate with this, but I think showing students, especially boys, healthy ways of expressing emotions to others is invaluable." u/djl32 shared, "32-year-old, 2nd grade teacher, all at the same school. I retired last June. I'm a man. Every single day. 'I want you to have a strong mind and a kind heart. I want you to work hard and play fair. Why? Because I love you.'"

The teacher also commented on the post, saying that she is a young female teacher and teaches middle schoolers "who seem to really need the extra encouragement or affection. but I obviously enforce proper boundaries and they know it's professional/platonic." Meanwhile, some people were also against the idea. u/janeQDriveway wrote, "I’m a younger female teacher at a private high school. I would not want to say this to my students and would be actively discouraged from doing so, I think. You can be empathetic and loving without adopting a mother persona. I think it’s important for women in academia/education to keep that distinction—we’re professionals, not family. My students are my students, not 'my children.'"

u/9thandchristian said, "I (F) teach high school. I tell classes that I care about them and that I like them as people (even if they are driving me crazy as students), but I am just not comfortable saying that I love them. I think saying that I care for them sounds more sincere. I don't think it is fair to expect teachers to love their students." Though there were mixed reactions to what the woman asked, people agreed that teachers need to be empathetic and caring towards their students.