Why Being a Male Teacher will NEVER be the Same as Being a Female Teacher…
Despite the looming thesis that takes up free moments in my life, I needed to take a moment to respond to this article. First and foremost, this article hits home because, 1) I’m a second-grade teacher, 2) I student taught at Thomas Paine (back in the day) and 3) I hate the fact that there are sickos out there that take advantage of children like that.
On a broader scale, there is something wrong with our investigative system when the alleged perv was dismissed from another school district for inappropriate behavior, but was able to find a job almost right away. I’m not a big-brother loving, Patriot Act, wire-tapping advocate, but I do think that if you send pictures of semi-nude actresses to CHILDREN, you should not be in teaching. Being a teacher means you need to get students to trust you and understand that you are on their side. When things like this happen, especially in the classroom, it makes that bond so much harder to establish. Because of things like this, there are several things I cannot and will not ever do as a teacher:
1) No student can ever be alone with me in a classroom, unless I’m standing in the doorway, with the door wide open. It’s also why I usually do any disciplining in the hallway, where others can see and hear, while keeping it private from the other students in the classroom. Female teachers rarely have to think about these things.
2) Kids that I teach are very affectionate; they’re young, they love school, and they want to show it. However, we give handshakes, fist-bumps, and high fives in my classroom. Hugs are a rarity, because I don’t initiate them. If a child (male, or female) offers me one, it’s always a side hug. Despite my emotional involvement with my students (6 hrs a day x 170 days= over a thousand hours with each child… wouldn’t you have some investment?), I will not be seen as overly-touchy, because it can come back to haunt you, no matter how innocuous it is. Female teachers, in contrast, have children hugging them all the time, and I’ve even seen teachers give children a kiss on the cheek on multiple occasions. Not that I would ever want to do that, but if another male teacher did, he would be strung up and kicked out faster than you can say ‘investigation.”
3) This makes things awfully hard to console an upset child. Whether it’s a scrape, an insult, or being sad about something else in their life, as a teacher, I’m supposed to be there for them. I’m sure I’m come off as cold sometimes because I have to keep my distance from students.
I hope the guy gets a huge sentence, and is never allowed near children for a long time, but I’m constantly aware of the fishbowl that male teachers live in.
Overall, it just makes me sad, and it makes my job harder. I’m in teaching because I care about children, and I will continue to make sure that I respect those children, whatever it takes, so that they can learn. I hope our education system does the same. If you’re interested in the rest of this saga, you can go here for the latest updates from the News-Gazette.
RSS Trackback URL 10. February 2007 (13:49)Filed under: General, School Daze, Unfortunately Serious, In the Reflecting Pool