By CARMELA CRUTCHER
“I just want to grab you up. Hike up your dress. Well you know the rest.” This is one of the texts sent by Joel Moody, former band director at Winter Park High School, to a female student. It is an improper student-teacher interaction.
Teachers impact students’ lives tremendously. In a study conducted by the University of Sydney, researchers found that student-teacher relationships have the greatest impact on student’s academic experiences. Teachers influenced students’ experiences even more than parents and peers. Teachers also affect students’ career aspirations, self-esteem and social skills.
The relationship between a teacher and student grows when they text one another. It is an opportunity for the them to talk about their personal lives including their interests, dreams and problems. This crosses personal boundaries and increases the opportunity for teachers to sexually harass a student.
Because teachers have such a significant influence, they have the ethical responsibility to use that influence positively. With more power and influence, there is more abuse of it. Sexual harassment of students is a result of teachers’ abuse of power and influence over students especially those with close relationships to them.
Young people are vulnerable and susceptible to the influence of others, particularly those who are an authority figure to them. Therefore, when a teacher engages in a sexual relationship with a student, even if they think it is consentual, it is an abuse of power over that student. They realize the student’s vulnerability, yet they choose to take advantage of that vulnerability.
In a survey of high school graduates, 18 percent of males and 82 percent of females reported sexual harassment by a faculty member sometime during their education. These percentages could be reduced if student-teacher relationships remained more professional by not communicating through texts.
Professionalism can be difficult to monitor. Teachers represent the school and district, and it is important they uphold the professional standards set by them. However, it is difficult for the school and district to know if a faculty member has upheld these standards when they text students.
The state of Louisiana has passed a law attempting to monitor teachers off campus-electronic communication with students. The law requires school districts to implement policies requiring teachers to document electronic communication with students, including texting, even if initiated by the student.
The purpose of the law is to deter teachers’ communication with individual students. The Louisiana lawmakers who supported the bill believe cell phone communication between teachers and students may begin with innocent intentions but can evolve into something inappropriate.
If Florida initiated a law such as this, it would discourage electronic communication between teachers and students outside of school, but still allow it in case of an emergency.
In some cases students need to correspond with teachers outside of class, but it does not require texting. For example, they need to know what assignments they missed. District e-mail addresses are issued to faculty and staff for this exact reason.
Favoritism is another problem resulting from teachers texting students. When teachers text one or a few students, they have a stronger personal relationship with those select students, and it leads to favoritism in the classroom.
For example, if a teacher has an inside joke with only some of the students, the other students feel left out. Also, the students who are not considered the “favorites” believe the “favorites” are treated better and given better grades, which is unfair.
Texting between teachers and students is not a good form of communication. It has its own language, and messages can often be misinterpreted, which can lead to further conflict.
Communication via text messaging is not a good way to develop relationships between students and teachers. Student-teacher relationships should start, as well as, grow in the classroom, not outside of it.