Sex with students is not on my teaching resume

How did I manage to avoid having sex with my students during a career that spanned nearly two decades? A facetious and rhetorical question, but with each passing week, it’s one that merits asking. Unfortunately, refraining from such inappropriate behavior reveals itself as more of an accomplishment than simply an expectation.

Again last week, we read about someone who was busted for engaging in conduct unbecoming of a teacher. Notice how kind I was in my description? Raw truth be told, her actions are despicable. “Unbecoming,” “inappropriate,” — both don’t do justice to a teacher abusing her position of authority with those entrusted to her supposed wisdom and care.

Lynn Burge, 33, just received five years’ probation and a fine of $2,500 for engaging in sexual intercourse with two of her teenage students in Texas last year. While she admitted to the “improper” (again, insert “despicable”) relationships with the students and confessed to everything the 16-year-old told authorities, she said she was too drunk to remember whether she had sex with him.

Along with the probation and fine, Burge had to relinquish her teaching license, but she did not have to register as a sex offender.

This is a 33-year-old woman, people! Not 20. Not 25. Not that even people in their 20s shouldn’t know better, but she’s 33. I recall a few instances in which substitute teachers dressed in a way that made me want to pull them over and say, “Um, these are teenage boys you’re working with. You might just want to put some more clothes on — or at least pull them up or change into something looser or something!” Usually, these were younger folks without a clue. To be clear, they weren’t having sex with students — just not exercising wisdom where young boys are concerned. It’s one of those things leaders need to be mindful of. But leaders don’t become leaders by accident; they need guidance. By 33, however, there’s no excuse for half-dressing, much less actually going all the way with a kid.

This stuff is popping up with teachers — particularly women — all the time. For example, a week ago, also in Texas — is it the heat?! — a Teacher of the Year was arrested for allegedly having oral sex with a student at a high school. Randi Chaverria is no spring chicken, either. At 36, she is suspected of an “improper” relationship (insert “despicable” again) with her student. She resigned the day after the allegations came to light.

According to reports, both of these situations included social media footprints and text messaging. I can’t help but wonder how any of these relationships actually begin. I mean — what? — after a particularly difficult lesson, does the teacher just get a bright idea to send a text or Snapchat of her breasts as she leans over her desk? “I saw you struggling with the math problem today. Here’s a picture of my boobs. Maybe it’ll help??”

When I taught, I wouldn’t even meet with a student — male or female — with my door closed. I never wanted to be accused of something that wasn’t true. So the door was open — period. A teacher-student meeting shouldn’t be perceived as anything but a meeting, but these days, as a teacher, you’ve got to guard against accusations, and, unfortunately, students apparently have to guard against pervert teachers who “get off” by exercising control over impressionable, hormonal young folks — and I have to believe that’s what this boils down to because these teachers could get sex anywhere.

This seems like some new kind of hotmessedness (yes, my own word creation), but maybe this is not as new as one would think. KVUE reported that the Texas Education Agency revealed an increase in these relationships between teachers and students and added, “One explanation for the recent spike in relationships could be because of the ‘Pass the Trash’ state law passed in 2017, which strengthened requirements for principals and superintendents to report inappropriate relationships.”

Is it just me, or does this, frighteningly, suggest this behavior has always been occurring but recent law is just now bringing its rampancy to the public’s attention? That’s insane. I will say, though, that when I was a kid in school, I knew of a teacher who was crossing the line with students, and that was in the 1980s. Was he the exception back then, or was he one of many? Has this always been?

Let’s be clear: Most teachers are upstanding professionals. I cannot think of one I worked with for nearly two decades who would have solicited students for sex. Teachers such as Burge and allegedly Chaverria cast a shadow on the rest of us, though. This makes homeschooling even more appealing.

With all the training prospective teachers are required to receive, who would have thought a course on sexual conduct would need to be included? But maybe it’s necessary. It may also be a sound practice not just for 21-year-olds, but some 30-, 40- and 50-year-olds may need to go through such a program also — because clearly age doesn’t indicate self-discipline, wisdom or common sense when the goal is control.

Adrienne Ross is owner of Adrienne Ross Communications and a former Southeast Missourian editorial board member.