Lesson Reminder

Over the past week I experienced an important reminder that, as a teacher, you are potentially never more than one or two degrees removed from your students. Many teachers have experienced similar situations and not fared as well. In this particular situation, I passed the test. I have a student that was disciplined for a major infraction while at school. (Thankfully, the breach did not occur in my class.) This student was suspended for 5 days because of their poor decision. Unfortunately, this student came to me with a stained reputation and although he may have helped his “street cred” he did nothing but solidify the image which preceded him. The reminder actually occurred outside of school late into the punishment time. On the evening of this student’s 5th day of suspension, I was at my youngest daughter’s volleyball practice. After practice, my daughter introduced me to one of her teammates. Once the introduction was complete, I realized the young lady had the same last name as the student in my class who had been suspended. Since this last name wasn’t a common last name I was suspicious they may be related. So, I asked if she was related to him. They were. This young lady was the younger sister of the suspended student. This was an eye re-opener. As a rule, I never speak of any of my students outside of class unless it is a positive mention. What if I had spoken poorly of this student around my daughter and she then passed that opinion on to her teammates? This would have been a disastrous and, in my opinion, unethical. This experience taught me that as a teacher you cannot lower your guard as far as talking about your students. The moment you do, you can make a serious mistake.