10th Field Experience Blog, EGL 440 Samantha Summers

Ethical Dilemma

During a recent observation, I witnessed a rather jarring incident. It was a third period class, and from previous observation days I had noticed that this particular class tended to be on the rowdy side. It would often take the teacher several attempts to quell side conversations, and the teacher had confiscated cell phones on multiple occasions. On this particular day, the class started out typically, with the students taking a while to settle down before the teacher began reading aloud from The Catcher in the Rye. While the teacher read, many students played with their phones, completed other work, or simply put their heads down on their desks. It wasn't long before the side conversations broke out again, and the teacher had to speak up. This was when it happened--a student used profanity when directly addressing a teacher. My heart was actually pounding at this moment because I was in disbelief at what had happened. It was like the student related to the teacher like a "cool teacher" or a friend, and, thus, had not considered the consequences of using such phrasing. I was also anxious to see how the teacher would handle the situation. The student immediately looked like they regretted that particular choice of words as the teacher launched into a lecture on how she had "wrongly" allowed herself to let her guard down too much in front of the the students to the point where they believed that they were friends and that they could talk to her as such. Then, the teacher threw the student out of the classroom, angrily telling them to take a "long walk." The student did not return for the remainder of the class period. 

After the bell rang, the teacher approached me and warned me not to let my future students think of me as friends, or else they may treat me the same way that the student had treated her. The thing is, I believe that letting your guard down, or being vulnerable, is necessary when teaching. You have to find a way to relate to students, or else it will likely be extremely difficult to engage them. However, I do think that the teacher's warning brings up a fair point. Although it's great when students like you and can think of you as a confidant, it is also important to maintain that student-teacher hierarchy in order to establish a mutual respect. 

I'm not sure if throwing the student out of the room was the best way to handle that situation, but it was certainly a shocking progression of events.