Trouble Teaching

WHEN I WAS TEACHING MIDDLE SCHOOL, three seventh grade girls approached me one day, and began a conversation. They asked me whether I was married. Harmless enough. Normal interest in and curiosity about one's teacher. No, I said. Do you have a girlfriend? Red flag. I should have stopped it, but that's not me. I avoid danger, but not potential danger, not in circumstances where there should be no danger, and in which communication can have good outcomes. The question should have been harmless, and in a healthy culture would be. But not in America. So, I said yes. They wanted to see a picture of her, know something about her. So I showed them one, amid a field of red flags. An act that should be harmless. They agreed she was pretty, and they were quite correct. Then one of the students said that she wished she were pretty too. Amid flying red flags, I immediately assured her that she was, and that boys would soon be seeking her attention. At that point, I knew my job was on the line. Sure enough, the principal, a friend of mine, called me in. Red flag. The parents had called. There was a problem. He assured me that I had a wonderful career ahead of me, anywhere I might chose to go, that the world was my oyster, that he was certain that I understood, and that he was grateful not only for my good attitude, but also for my hard work and years of good service. He found it particularly ironic that I was the most caring, most loyal, and best teacher in the building. We parted amiably. I will always remember him as one of the few administrators I personally liked. My teaching career, though rewarding and interesting, (if not financially), never really worked out the way I had intended. A certain percentage of those who read this article, thousands, will suspect me of pedophilia. Those people are twisted, morally bankrupt, like the greater society. I had a lot of different jobs, temporary, substitute. But I have no regrets. I learned much that I might have learned nowhere else. I learned never to tell a student that she is pretty, even to save her self esteem. If a female student stands closer than twelve inches, back up, and if necessary, keep backing. And by all means, never tell a high school history class that Thomas Jefferson was essentially an atheist, and that he considered Christianity nothing but superstition, and harmful to society. In America, telling the truth, with the intent of educating and helping people, can get you into big trouble.