Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Setting Boundaries
I just finished watching the movie "Half Nelson" and it made me do a lot of thinking about the different relationships that develop between students and teachers. Dan (the history teacher) seemed to have major problems with the issue of boundaries with his student Drey. How can it be acceptable for a teacher to constantly offer rides to a student, for the student to medically aid the teacher when she finds him high in the girls bathroom, and for the teacher to delve so far into the personal life of a student and vice versa? Being a young female educator, I know that I was deathly afraid of stepping over that boundary of professionalism. I have even had problems with some of my male students the past year where they are too clingy. While I know that you need to be there for your students (and we all want to be in some capacity), you cannot overstep that boundary. I know of way too many teachers who let their students manipulate them when they were vulnerable and it has caused massive problems. All too often we hear of the high school or middle school teachers who are having affairs with their students. Would this continue to happen if we changed our educational system and the responsibilities that teachers have to their students? I cannot answer this and it is a very difficult issue...one that will probably linger for some time.
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3 comments:
I agree that the biggest problem I had with the movie was watching the teacher's relationship with Drea. While they never "went there" in a sexual way, the fact that he did drugs (in school!!!) AND was seen by a student was beyond what you would even expect an "after school special" to tackle. Regardless of his positive infulence on the students in class, this guy needed to clean his act up personally before entering the classroom in the first place.
Hi agree, Michelle. I was very uncomfortable with the lack of boundry between teacher and student. This seemed so hollywood-ified. Most schools have strict expectations about student/teacher relations. Even rides home from school are regulated in some schools. Do you think the director saw a way around those traditional boundries by setting the story in a low-income community? Perhaps they want us to think that the professionalism is compromised for teachers who teach in these schools.
she was in his house! and she sold him drugs, visited his hotel afterwards. And wasn't that a whore in the hotel room??? Talk about problematic
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