Long gone are the days when young boys and girls secretly fantasized about one of their teachers. Today, they simply speak up, and occasionally, the teacher responds. Some of today’s students are getting more than what they bargained for when getting an education – they are getting life lessons that should not be taught at school, or even by a teacher, for that matter.
In 1996, student-teacher affairs became overly famous with the soap opera of Mary Kay Letourneau taking her young student as a lover, who then fathered her child. Since then, the numbers have risen dramatically. In the Houston area, the news has been trying to keep up with these situations. In Katy, a few situations have occurred, two of which happened in the past two years – the most recent was publicized last week.
This raises two questions: What is happening in our society today when our teachers either do not respect themselves or their students enough to maintain proper boundaries? And, are our teachers’ backgrounds checked in a way that guarantees our children’s safety?
According to an article on sexual harassment and teachers, found at www.k12academics.com, the American Association of University Women completed a survey of 2064 eighth through 11th grade students in 2002 that found 14 percent of the high school students surveyed had engaged in sexual intercourse with a teacher. In a national study conducted by the U.S. Department of Education, nearly 10 percent of all public school students have been sexually targeted by school employees. These numbers alone are staggering, but considering the fact these are only the reported cases, those that have gone unreported would most likely make the mind spin.
In a 2001 publication put out by the AAUW called Hostile Hallways, the organization claims approximately 38 percent of students report teachers or other school employees sexually harass the students in their schools, and 38 percent of the teachers or school employees have been sexually harassed by students.
An unnamed retired Houston area principal explained that even though a national background check and fingerprinting are required, as well as former employment records, the turnaround time in receiving some of these items can be quite lengthy, easily going well into the school year.
This is inexcusable. Teachers abusing their authority and children – all while receiving a paycheck is gross. Our children are put at risk because some office does not feel that the criminal history of those placed in charge of our children is worth checking in a timely manner.
The answer to the aforementioned question may be looking us right in the face. Today’s society lives for the "right-now," not thinking about any consequences laying ahead, and because of this, the morality of our society has been altered. For a few, the cost may be nothing, and for others, time behind bars. Somewhere, though, someone else pays the price. In these situations, it is the students.
Psychologically, there must be a way to test for a predisposition of tendencies that lead to this type of behavior. Make it a routine practice put forth by law, paid for by teachers as a part of their certification process. For those education majors and teachers alike, if their heart is in it for the good of the child, this is a fee they would happily pay. Also, speeding up background checks would help keep the predators out of our schools. It is hoped both would be a deterrent for those with an ulterior motive.
Mousavidin, a communications junior, can be reached via [email protected].
