Engagement

The entry that struck me the most was number 56. A student speaks up in class, asking the teacher's opinion of gay marriage. He then deflects the question back on her, finding a way to make her embarrassed in front of the whole class. This was definitely not an appropriate way to handle the situation. Doing things like that to your students will teach them to be careful of what they say, because the teacher might make fun of them. I want a classroom where all students are appreciated and are comfortable enough to say what's on their mind. However, I do not feel that homosexuality is an appropriate topic for the classroom at all. I'm a math teacher, and I want my students to be doing math, not discussing topics that could easily become out of control and spread a lot of anger and hate unnecessarily. Though, I am sure that that topic will someday arise, and instead of berating the student who brings it up, I will simply say that it's not a topic for the classroom, or that it's not a topic I feel comfortable discussing, but if you want to know more, you can go to the library, to this website, talk to these people, etc. I want my students to be aware of available resources, but I certainly do not want to seem like I'm picking sides, or putting any one down. In this way, I hope to show that they can come to me and share with me, and that I will always answer their questions/concerns to the best of my ability, or tell them where their questions can be answered.

Another entry that really struck me was number 66. The teacher in the story spends $200 on her student so that she can go to college. I have extremely mixed feelings about this entry. On the one hand, of course, as a teacher, I would want to do everything possible for my students to succeed. But how far is too far? I constantly worry about crossing lines inadvertently, getting in trouble and not being able to get out. And this stems from my own personal experience with a teacher. In High School, I was struggling, I was drowning. There was so much going on in my life, and I felt like I couldn't deal with it on my own. So I went to a teacher I trusted, and they talked with me a couple times a week, for about 15 minutes, right after school or during a study period. The teacher did notify the principal right away of what was going on, so he was aware the entire time of what became known as my condition (I was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder my Freshmen year of college) and that the teacher in question talked to me frequently. If not for him, I would not be in college, I might not even have graduated in High School. But somewhere along the way, the principal decided that it was crossing a line and that teacher was forced to resign. On top of the that, the principal called my house to ask me what happened, and I told him the truth. But he didn't accept it and told me "When you are ready to tell the truth, you can call me." Never in my life have I hated the world so much. So I worry, as a teacher, how much is too much? And is it worth my job? I'd like to think the answer to that question is yes, every time.