Crossing The Line
Workday - 8:30am-1:00pm*
When you're a teacher, there's a line you have to keep between you and students. I think I've talked about this before. At my last school, that line was very defined -- and very wide! I certainly kept my distance. I just taught them the material, and I almost never shared personal stories in class, or had fun with the kids, or anything human whatsoever. I was a teaching robot!
Now I'm in a school where students have a closer relationship with the teachers. So close, in fact, that outsiders wonder if we've gone too far. At this point, the line between teacher and friend is getting blurred.
Many students know the home and cell phone numbers of some of my colleagues. Of course, they don't call them just to say 'hi', but they have them in case of any emergency. One teacher in particular certainly fancies himself a sort of counsellor when any of his students don't feel comfortable talking to their parents or other adult. I don't see the harm in a teacher taking that role.
Another colleague has at least a dozen students on his MSN contact list. Several of them message him often and they have conversations about anything under the sun (sports, music, television, etc.). He also text messages most of the same students and it goes back and forth.
Each of us in the department draw our own lines. One staff member may cross the line that another one of us has set for ourselves. It's really all over the place. The counsellor teacher would probably never exchange MSN or text messages with students. Though he always has the graduating class of kids over to his home at the end of the year for a barbeque. While the "MSN guy" says he'd never have anyone into his house.
Both of these teachers have been known to drive students home. While a third
one says that's far too risky, and thinks it's never a good idea. The list goes on and on, here. At first, it was all strange and unsettling for me. Later, I began to think maybe I was the strange one for finding the situation "wrong" -- for keeping myself at too much of a distance from my students. In the end, it's made me wonder what should be acceptable and what is definitely not.
Now you're probably wondering where I fit in all this. Where's my "line"? I don't even know, myself. I suppose it's ever-changing.
I bring this up because I do have one student on my MSN contact list. She also has my cell (but not home) phone number, and text messages me at it from time to time. This semester, she has a co-op placement downtown and is determined to run into me at one of the (central) transit stations if she can (as we cross it going opposite ways). Today she sent a text message to say she was approaching the station and asked where I was. Luckily for her, I too was nearing the station. I told her I'd meet her at the subway level. I even missed four trains to stop and chat a bit. She told me about her day, and how co-op wasn't going very well for her. In fact, she's leaving the placement after only two days there and needs to find another one. I sent her off with some of my trademark words of wisdom, and caught the next subway home.
I don't believe any of this should be seen as unacceptable.
* I only arrived that late because I was stuck on the train for 20 extra minutes. There was some "security incident" at one of the stops. And look! I managed to leave at 1pm!
When you're a teacher, there's a line you have to keep between you and students. I think I've talked about this before. At my last school, that line was very defined -- and very wide! I certainly kept my distance. I just taught them the material, and I almost never shared personal stories in class, or had fun with the kids, or anything human whatsoever. I was a teaching robot!
Now I'm in a school where students have a closer relationship with the teachers. So close, in fact, that outsiders wonder if we've gone too far. At this point, the line between teacher and friend is getting blurred.
Many students know the home and cell phone numbers of some of my colleagues. Of course, they don't call them just to say 'hi', but they have them in case of any emergency. One teacher in particular certainly fancies himself a sort of counsellor when any of his students don't feel comfortable talking to their parents or other adult. I don't see the harm in a teacher taking that role.
Another colleague has at least a dozen students on his MSN contact list. Several of them message him often and they have conversations about anything under the sun (sports, music, television, etc.). He also text messages most of the same students and it goes back and forth.
Each of us in the department draw our own lines. One staff member may cross the line that another one of us has set for ourselves. It's really all over the place. The counsellor teacher would probably never exchange MSN or text messages with students. Though he always has the graduating class of kids over to his home at the end of the year for a barbeque. While the "MSN guy" says he'd never have anyone into his house.
Both of these teachers have been known to drive students home. While a third
one says that's far too risky, and thinks it's never a good idea. The list goes on and on, here. At first, it was all strange and unsettling for me. Later, I began to think maybe I was the strange one for finding the situation "wrong" -- for keeping myself at too much of a distance from my students. In the end, it's made me wonder what should be acceptable and what is definitely not.
Now you're probably wondering where I fit in all this. Where's my "line"? I don't even know, myself. I suppose it's ever-changing.
I bring this up because I do have one student on my MSN contact list. She also has my cell (but not home) phone number, and text messages me at it from time to time. This semester, she has a co-op placement downtown and is determined to run into me at one of the (central) transit stations if she can (as we cross it going opposite ways). Today she sent a text message to say she was approaching the station and asked where I was. Luckily for her, I too was nearing the station. I told her I'd meet her at the subway level. I even missed four trains to stop and chat a bit. She told me about her day, and how co-op wasn't going very well for her. In fact, she's leaving the placement after only two days there and needs to find another one. I sent her off with some of my trademark words of wisdom, and caught the next subway home.
I don't believe any of this should be seen as unacceptable.
* I only arrived that late because I was stuck on the train for 20 extra minutes. There was some "security incident" at one of the stops. And look! I managed to leave at 1pm!
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