Hello everyone! I am back with my concerns for public education series. Today, I am up to the letter Q. Q is for questionable conduct. It seems as though the education news section is now filled with acts of questionable conduct by teachers, administrators, and other school staff members.
Several situations come to mind when I think of questionable conduct. The first case involves a teacher who took students on a field trip against the wishes of the administration. She also discussed very inappropriate relationship issues in her home living class.
Another case involves a trial with a male teacher who is accused of sexual harassment. Even more involves a DARE officer who conducted questionable acts by carrying the sixth grade girls around on his back (innocently but questionable!)
Finally the recent fake gun attack acts in Murfreesboro were very questionable acts conducted by school faculty members.
Questionable acts of conduct are a big concern for the public education system. While some of them are innocent, others are not. Teachers and staff members must realize that there is a line between student and teacher relationships. No matter how innocent your acts are or how close you have grown to the student and family, teachers must keep a very professional relationship, especially when working with middle or high school students.
A kindergarten teacher sitting a student with a “boo-boo” up on her knee is very different than a seventh grade student hopping in a teacher’s lap, especially a teacher of the opposite sex. Although both may be very innocent acts, they appear very different to the eye. They are also portrayed very differently to the student.
Primary grade children still view teachers in the form of parents. Older children are beginning to develop hormones and often view and misinterpret actions. One must be very careful not to mislead the children.
I am very sorry to say that I feel that questionable acts of conduct will always be in our education systems. As parents and co-workers, we must point those out and rid the system of them.
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