Wandering through elementary school, through middle school and up to high school, students’ worries used to center on making friends and finishing that last chapter of homework. Now, kids are plagued by the concern of unwanted advances from their instructors.
Teachers from across the nation have been popping up in headlines for their behavior with students behind closed doors, leaving the profession tarnished and students concerned.
Stories from coast to coast about inappropriate behavior involving teachers, coaches or any other staff continue to damage the reputation of educators and create an unfair representation of the education industry.
Making the recent news are two English teachers from Louisiana who were arrested based on allegations of group sexual interactions with a male student and an Oklahoma color-guard coach who was arrested for having sex in a car with a student numerous times before being caught.
While it’s hard to say if this a trend, the public has definitely been more exposed to hearing about these instances. Turn on the 6 o’clock news or scan a headline on the front page of the morning newspaper, and there’s a chance an inappropriate teacher-student relationship is there.
The media has taken a step forward to make the teaching industry more accountable for its actions. Hopefully, schools and districts will revisit their policies or take steps to remind their staff of the consequences everyone suffers from these inappropriate behaviors.
To be slammed for the damaging decisions of a few hurts the education system as a whole. Teachers arguably have one of the toughest jobs in the nation: They are responsible for educating tomorrow’s leaders, and parents are beginning to lose trust in teachers as students are becoming more apprehensive about school.
These realities are becoming prominent in our own local community. A former McClintock High School soccer coach and librarian was arrested on charges of child pornography, according to ABC 15.
His arrest not only affects his criminal record, but also damages the high school’s image, scares the the students he interacted with and startles the school district. These inappropriate interactions kickstart a snowball effect of negative consequences for the entire education system.
These worries don't stop after we're handed a high school diploma either. Here at our own university, an investigation of an inappropriate teacher-student relationship that was brushed under the rug shocked honors students across all four campuses.
The amount of stories that pop up from a Google search for “inappropriate teacher-student relationships” is frightening, and it seems to just keep growing.
Reach the columnist at rsmouse@asu.edu or follow her on Twitter @BeccaSmouse
Editor’s note: The opinions presented in this column are the author’s and do not imply any endorsement from The State Press or its editors.
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