ED 589: The Good Teacher: A Story of Sexual Misconduct

The Good Teacher: Introduction (Graduate) ED 589: The Good Teacher: A Story of Sexual Misconduct INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Donna Rice drdonnausa@gmail.com 757-871-1336 INSTRUCTOR: (1st alternate): Dr. Elden Daniel drdaniel@wildblue.net 719-852-2158 COURSE CREDIT: 3 graduate credits DATES & TIMES: 8 weeks online, 6 hours per week PREREQUISITES: Baccalaureate degree required

COURSE DESCRIPTION: The Good Teacher (Graduate Syllabus) The purpose of this online asynchronous delivered course is to develop new knowledge to help those witnessing sexual misconduct by colleagues to make appropriate interventions. As a character in an interactive movie participants will maneuver through the complex, emotional, and often morally ambiguous world of teaching. Students will make decisions at strategic points in the interactive movie answering thought-provoking questions about seemingly insignificant yet pivotal situations teachers, administrators, and others who interact with young people face throughout the year. As a result of the decisions made, students will face negative consequences or emerge as respected educators who know how to create safe and healthy school and community environments. The experience will increase insight into how even the best educators and other youth leaders can find themselves sliding down the slippery slope of sexual misconduct. In addition, students participate in two seminars by nationally known experts in sexual misconduct, Dr. Troy Hutchings and Dr. Glenn Lipson. Through the seminars and navigating through the interactive scenarios, students will learn to avoid inappropriate behavior at all levels and how to protect others to avoid it as well. They will also conduct research into prevention programs and create a prevention program for their school or work environment.

TEXT:(2014) Webinar/Seminar 1: The Good Teacher Webinar/Seminar 2: Making the Right Choices Lipson, G. & Hutchings, T. (2010). Cost: $50.00 (access fee) http://www.mrctrainingportal.com/login/93/MakingRightChoices_com_Certification_Portal.aspx REQUIRED ARTICLES: Johnson, L. S. (2012).Guidelines for Dealing with Educator Sexual Misconduct. National Association of Independent Schools. Retrieved from https://www.nais.org/Articles/ Documents/Educator_Sexual_Misconduct_12_finaledits.pdf Ali, R. (April, 2011). Dear Colleague Letter. U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights. Retrieved from http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/dear_colleague_sexual_violence.pdf If this link does not work go to www.whitehouse.gov and put dear colleague sexual violence in the search engine Zemel, J. E., & Twedt, S. (Yea1999r, October 31). Lessons In Betrayal Small But Dangerous Contingent Of Sexual Predators Lurks Among The Dedicated Teachers In Our Nation's Schools. Pittsburg Post-Gazette. Part 1 Retrieved from http://old.post-gazette.com/regionstate/19991031newabuse1.asp; Part 2 Retrieved from http://old.post-gazette.com/regionstate/19991101abuse1.asp; Part 3 Retrieved from http://old.post-gazette.com/regionstate/19991102dspenn2.asp REQUIRED VIDEO “Mr. Holland’s Opus” You Tube video clip from the movie, “Mr. Holland’s Opus” (re-watch) Someone to Watch Over Me. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tb0s4cn T3hM&feature=endscreen&NR=1 REQUIRED Discussion questions and tutorials

COURSE SCHEDULE: • Guided asynchronous online content. Students’ work will be assessed to ensure it includes learning described below. Instructors will provide feedback as to what additional work needs to be completed to verify the objectives are met and to assess that the discussion questions and directives can be answered. • GOALS/LEARNING OBJECTIVES/COMPETENCIES/OUTCOMES • Students will . . . • Describe the teacher/student relationship and the lack of preparation teachers receive in pre-service training. • Summarize the slippery slope of sexual misconduct as portrayed in The Good Teacher and the seminar/webinar by Dr. Troy Hutchings. • Analyze and evaluate the different outcomes of the good and bad decisions and discuss rewards for good decisions and the implications for poor ones in your state/work environment. • Compare and contrast what characteristics of a caring, holistic teacher lead to boundary violations. • Analyze, evaluate, and present directives for preventing and handling sexual abuse for school or work environments. • Conduct research on the context of teacher sexual misconduct with students and prepare a prevention program based on that research and this course. • Analyze and describe the similarities and differences of actions by sexual predators versus actions by those who cross boundaries without the ultimate intention of sexual misconduct • Synthesize learnings from the course using five discussion questions to prompt thinking and construct a critical analysis of how you would handle the situations presented.

Activity 1: Introduction to the Lack of and Need for Teacher Training and Guidelines in Teacher/student Relationships Activity Resources: Pre-Activity: “The Good Teacher” Introduction and XXXXX(2014) Book View the Introduction by Dr. Troy Hutchings Main Task (50 points) In this Activity you will: Go through the tutorial on the presentation section of the video, answer the related discussion questions, Read XXXXXX, Preface, and view the Presentation by Troy Hutchings to: Relate the reasons teachers pursue careers in education. Explain why an ethical framework is necessary to guide teachers. Reflect on pre-service training and discuss why teachers are so unprepared for the immersion in the complex world of teacher/student relationships Relate how the teacher/student relationship is a continual emotional and intellectual interchange Drawing from the list of discussion questions discuss in approximately 250 words your thoughts from this assignment. Respond constructively to at least one other student’s entry. Learning Objective: 1

The Good Teacher Instructions: View Introductory Scene

√ Instructions:

Tutorial: Teachers usually pursue their careers because they have the opportunity to impact student growth on so many levels. They receive very little training in their teacher preparatory programs or on the job about proper relationships with students. This lack of training is unfortunate because the teacher/student relationship is a continual emotional and intellectual interchange. From the beginning few teachers are prepared for the immersion into the complex world of teacher/student relationships. At a minimum a solid professional, ethical framework is necessary to guide teachers’ words, acts, and decisions.

Questions from the Introduction: Why do teachers generally pursue their careers? • they like summers off • they enjoy students’ enthusiasm from their lectures • the opportunity to impact student growth on many levels • the salary To avoid very troubling scenarios a solid professional, ethical framework is necessary to guide teachers’ words, finances, and decisions words, acts, and decisions words, finances, and acts all of the above Instructions:

Questions from the Introduction (cont): In reality few teachers are prepared for the immersion in the complex world of teacher/student relationships. • true • false The teacher/student relationship is • should always be formal • is never emotional • a continual emotional and intellectual interchange • needs to be completely sterile Instructions:

Activity 2: Activity Resources: Presentation by Dr. Troy Hutchings; Mr. Holland’s Opus movie and video clip Pre-Activity: “The Good Teacher” Presentation and XXX (2014) Book XXXXX Read XXXXX Chapter 1 View the Presentation by Dr. Troy Hutchings Watch the video Mr. Holland’s Opus, and the scene at the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tb0s4cn T3hM&feature=endscreen&NR=1 Main Task (150 points) In this Activity you will: Complete the tutorial on the presentation section of the video, answer the related discussion questions, construct a Venn diagram of similarities and differences, and write an Analysis and a Compare and Contrast Paper that covers the following points: Discuss the tension between the conflicting messages teachers receive and how teacher and student characteristics and circumstances can lead to dangerous relationships. Depict some of the conditions necessary for the “perfect storm” of an inappropriate relationship to form between a teacher and a student. Include the concept of “famine of the soul” and a portrayal of characteristics of vulnerable students. Consider the attributes that make a teacher successful and possibly “award-winning.” Discuss how those same attributes could lead to a teacher becoming overly involved with individual students. Consider the circumstances in Mr. Ken Lamberton’s life as well as Mr. Holland’s lives and list at least five ways they parallel your description. Reflect how you may have watched Mr. Holland’s Opus without this information and missed what was happening, but now that you have some awareness you can see the potential for the possibility of an inappropriate relationship. Relate how this heightened awareness can help you and others to circumvent your peers from potentially dangerous relationships. Discuss anything similar in your own experience that happened to you or to a fellow teacher and explain how you (or the other teacher) avoided (or did not avoid) boundary violations. Attach to your paper a Venn diagram to show the diverging and overlapping characteristics of effective teachers who do not violate boundaries and those who do violate boundaries. Length of Paper: 3 - 5 pages Drawing from the list of discussion questions discuss in approximately 250 words your thoughts from this assignment. Respond constructively to at least one other student’s entry. Objectives 2, 4

Presentation by Dr. Troy Hutchings √ Instructions: Click Next to continue

Tutorial: Amazingly, teacher misconduct with students is a subject not discussed and as stated previously, rarely included in teacher preparatory programs. As a result, we have an entire workforce interacting with children that does not understand boundaries. In many cases of sexual misconduct there is myriad of decisions made that go from verbal and written communication all the way to physical contact. Thus, the title of this program could be anything from “The Slippery Slope” to “Are you Ready for Some Controversy” to “Duh, Shouldn’t Teachers Just Know?” Most people believe that the top priority for schools and their teachers is to educate children. It is, however, the safety and welfare of the children. They are the largest population of people who are “held captive” and the responsibility for their safety is huge. Teachers and administrators are fiduciaries who are entrusted to take care of the children. Statistics indicate we are not doing such a good job of this though because according to Shakeshaft9.6% of all students in grades 8 – 11 report contact and/or non contact educator sexual misconduct that was unwanted

Tutorial: Five groups of people are fiduciaries- teachers, attorneys, doctors, counselors/therapists, and the clergy. Of the five only one group does not receive formal ethics training – teachers. All the others receive that training starting in pre-service and throughout their careers. Yet teachers are the only group that works primarily with a captive audience. Most people think that those who become involved in sexual misconduct are monsters, but in reality they are often very good teachers. Instructions:

Questions from the Presentation: Teacher misconduct with students is a subject • not discussed and rarely included in teacher prep programs • with no solutions so rarely included in teacher prep programs • always about predators so rarely included in teacher prep programs • all the above We have an entire workforce interacting with children that does not understand boundaries time limits financial implications all of the above Instructions:

Questions from the Presentation (cont): In many cases of sexual misconduct there is myriad of decisions made that go from verbal and written communication all the way to physical contact • true • false The topic of teacher misconduct could be called: • a slippery slope • are you ready for some controversy? • duh, shouldn’t teachers just know? • all of the above Instructions:

Questions from the Presentation (cont): According to case law, what is the top priority for all schools and their teachers? • education of the children who are the future of the country • safety and welfare for the children who are held captive • none of the above • all of the above • Fiduciary refers to a power imbalance where a group is trusted to take care of another • true • false Instructions:

Questions from the Presentation (cont): 9. According to Shakeshaft ___% of all students in grades 8 – 11 report contact and/or non contact educator sexual misconduct that was unwanted • 11 • 1.2 • 3 • 9.6 • Fiduciary refers to a power imbalance where a group is trusted to take care of another • true • false Instructions:

Questions from the Presentation (cont): 11. Of the five groups of people who are fiduciaries - teachers, attorneys, doctors, counselors/therapists, and the clergy, the only group that does not receive formal ethics training starting at pre-service and throughout their careers is: • attorneys • teachers • doctors • counselors 12. Most people think that those who become involved in sexual misconduct are monsters, but in reality they are often • just kidding • poor teachers • very good teachers • none of the above Instructions:

William Fibkins “The boundary between helping and becoming a friend, confidant, surrogate parent, even a lover is hard to see when the teacher becomes overly involved with her students.” “Sexual issues and needs dominate teenage life as do the needs to belong, to be accepted, to be cared for, and to be loved.” Instructions: “When teenage students find a caring teacher they transfer those feelings to that person. Teachers have similar needs for friendship, to be cared for, to be accepted, and being human teachers can and will develop a problematic personal relationships at various stages during their careers and seek out comfort, caring, and support. Many teachers will experience issues related to divorce, death, and so on”…. we call that the famine of the soul.”

Tutorial: William Fibkins Innocence Denied (cont). “The boundary between helping and becoming a friend, confidant, surrogate parent, even a lover is hard to see when the teacher becomes overly involved with her students.” “Sexual issues and needs dominate teenage life as do the needs to belong, to be accepted, to be cared for, and to be loved.” This is where our schools are struggling and you might be getting two different messages and you need to be strong: On one hand, the dismissal of teachers in the school for sexual misconduct is met with call for more vigilance, scrutiny, background checks, yet at the same time teachers are expected to serve as advisors, quasi counselors for students. Here are two different approaches – one says, watch closely all teachers involvement with students as it can lead to sexual misconduct, the other says we have to have teachers become more personally involved with their students. Where are you on this issue? Instructions:

Boundaries blur when teachers • stay after school • attend sporting events • become overly involved with students • none of the above • When students find a caring teacher they often __________ their need to belong, to be accepted, to be cared for, and to be loved. • complete • transfer • forget • all of the above • Teachers often receive two different messages – keep your distance and become more personally involved. • true • false

Tutorial: Tara Star Johnston, in her book, From Teacher to Lover, Sex Scandals in Classrooms. “Good teachers are going to have emotional and intellectual intercourse every day with their students.” The danger is that special relationship can go to an emotional relationship to a physical relationship. Offender characteristics: Instructions: Often troubled family history or self-esteem issues during adolescence, resulting in a feeling of a lost adolescence that may be reclaimed later. Arrested development resulting in a juvenile behavior Feeling the void from an unhappy relationship or recent breakup

Tutorial: Teaching persona – often (a) a very highly respected educator, (b) holistic teaching – teaches the whole child – reaches out to marginalized students – teacher as savior role lays the foundation for sexual misconduct – the desire to save students from academic failure or from an unhealthy home environment is a noble one that can go awry when a teacher focuses on a few needy students – holistic teachers know their students better than those primarily focused on delivering content, but the more time, energy, and love a teacher invests in one student, the more consuming a relationship becomes Instructions:

Poor teachers are going to have intellectual and emotional intercourse with their students every day. • true • false • Sexual offenders often had __________issues during adolescence. • self-esteem • discipline • academic • none of the above • Teachers who become involved in sexual misconduct often have a ___________ in their lives. • desire to achieve • secret ambition • sense of failure • void

Tutorial: The slippery slope: The teacher holistically reaches out to an individual student Teacher crosses emotional and subject lines in conversation (written – emails, facebook, texting – or verbal). (Be sure to follow school policy on that and if your school does not have a policy on it consider developing an internal policy on it). Law officials say this type of accessibility is the single most common gateway to sexual misconduct. Student perceives this as needed emotional attention and reciprocates attention to an emotionally needy teacher. All counselors know this – when a needy client comes in he transfers his feelings to the caregiver. And then there is something called the counter-transference of feelings. The caregiver also has a need and transfers back onto the student. Counselors are trained on this, but don’t teachers have far more interactions? The teacher sets up scenarios where further emotional boundaries may be transgressed Students are allowed to establish the boundaries and are now the ones in control. Boundaries now are arbitrary The teacher has constructed a new reality Instructions:

Tutorial: The teacher feels: valued and affirmed and perhaps even loved, empowered, and liberated from the past. A relationship can provide relief and liberation from an unhappy adult relationship and the teacher is most always confident that code of silence will be maintained. As the relationship develops the teacher experiences a loss of reality and his or her professional role. The student becomes a peer and the behavior seems justified. At some point the teacher realizes that boundaries have been crossed, but the relationship becomes impossible to stop The offender often confers to a sympathetic adult confidant who validates the behavior (often the confidant is not aware of all of the behavior) The offender struggles with the tension of resisting or succumbing The relationship is acted out in a manner where obvious cues lead to suspicion (why don’t people pick up on the clues? We could say the same thing about suicide). Confrontation leads to initial denial and then finally relief Instructions:

The slippery slope often occurs when a teacher • reaches out to a certain group of students • an individual student • another teacher • none of the above Law officials say the most common gateway to sexual misconduct is • written communication • social networking • oral communication • all of the above • Teachers, unlike counselors, are not trained on • counter transference of feelings • differentiated feelings • classroom culture • all of the above

The student sets up scenarios where further emotional boundaries may be transgressed • true • false The teacher then allows students to establish the boundaries and the students • are now at fault • are now the ones in control • begin to feel threatened • try to quit school Once the boundaries become ___________ the teacher has constructed a new reality • rigid • arbitrary • stable • none of the above

The teacher and the student become ___________ and the behavior seems ____________. • defiant/wrong • inseparable/strange • peers/justified • none of the above The offender struggles with the tension of resisting or succumbing • true • false The offender leaves cues similar to those contemplating • a robbery • murder • suicide • none of the above

Tutorial: Watch the video clip: Someone to Watch Over Me. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tb0s4cnT3hM&feature=endscreen&NR=1 Mr. Holland’s Opus – great movie about a teacher, but we forget there is about a 15 minute segment in that movie where Mr. Holland is on a slippery slope with a student by the name of Rowena. Mr. Holland was feeling incomplete – he was trying to compose the song, the Opus, and it just wasn’t working. He wanted to be a musician and a composer, but it just wasn’t happening so he became a teacher to pay the rent. Both he and Rowena were experiencing issues and were working in a highly emotive subject – music, singing metaphorically to each others hearts and souls. Mr. Holland was struggling with his wife who did not understand his passion as a teacher for making a difference in the lives of students. So he put all his time into school – into the lives of his students. Instructions:

Tutorial: The story of Mr. Holland’s Opus depicted eros – the transformative quality of education. “Eros…a Greek word for love…. that creative power which propels the knowledge quest and gives resonance to the search for meaning.” For great teachers, eros is a part of what you do - it is not erotica. The Greeks identified this notion as “Eros” and believe it to be the radical underpinning of transformative learning and a key ingredient in education. Eros is not sex. It is passionate, it is life changing, it is glorious, and it is addictive, and it is dangerous. “Plato’s Eros inspires us through out sense of beauty…but Eros is a trickster and must be treated critically.” (Murdock) Instructions:

Mr. Holland was feeling • erotic • confident • incomplete • none of the above For great teachers ________ is a part of what you do – it is the _____________ quality of education. • eros/transformative • lecture/highest • erotica/best • none of the above • Plato’s Eros inspires us through our sense of beauty…but Eros is ____________ and must be treated critically • evil • a trickster • blind • a lie

Tutorial: Ken Lamberton 1985 Mesa Unified School District Teacher-of-the-Year Spent 12 years in prison for a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old student, transporting her across state lines Middle School Science teacher, father of three children 28 years old. Active in church His interview after spending 12 years in prison: You stop thinking – you let your emotions ride – I became obsessed with wanting to spend time with her, to get to know her better, I felt alive. She became a distraction. Intellectually I knew it was wrong, but emotionally, it was very powerful and I did not know what to do with those emotions…God must be allowing this to happen because of the way I feel…It is ridiculous to think that now. If I stopped to think about it I wouldn’t do it – the problem was I was just moving through all this raw emotion and I began to compartmentalize everything. My wife and family – who I wanted to keep, and this relationship which I also desperately wanted. My emotions were lying to me. I was at a place where I wanted just anybody to tell me what to do and she was willing to do that. I was riddled with guilt – acting younger than the victim. Instructions:

How was the interview with Ken Lamberton related to the steps outlined in the Slippery Slope?

Tutorial: Excerpts from Dr. Troy Hutchings: “Effective teaching is the seduction of learning. It’s not just approaching content with passion, or rather engaging in a passionate interchange, creating a shared space that resonates on the intellectual level, the emotional level, the transformational level. This reciprocity – back and forth – of passionate teaching and learning turns routine poetry into words of profundity and epiphany – a school musical becomes a merging of different voices into a collective understanding, the difficult daily training of a cross-country team becomes a realized metaphor for the challenges of life. A passionate teacher and a passionate coach enter into a place with their student that no one outside of that experience can understand or articulate. A powerful place of connectivity and transformation – it is what separates schooling from education, it is what separates passive note-taking, answer giving, from homework checking, test taking, and the forgetting that so quickly follows from the fiery engagement of mind and spirit. Passionate teachers are the ones who make a difference in our lives. By the intensity of their beliefs and actions they connect us with a sense of value that is within and beyond ourselves – it is that teacher who opens up a world of the mind to some students who had no one else to make them feel they were capable of doing great things.” (Hutchings) Instructions:

Tutorial: “In our fight to promote professional practices, within the teaching profession we need to recognize a very important truth within contemporary American society and that is the contextualization of the schooling relationship within an increasingly sexualized society. There is this tension that seems to exist between the roles of children and adults, which is blurring the lines of propriety without any premeditation teachers often reject the responsibility that has traditionally been associated with entrance in the teaching profession. As societal emphasis is placed on them to be young, to be beautiful – the concept of adolescent behavior and arrested development were mentioned numerous times in my research as a common characteristic of teacher offenders, but in contrast with that, what’s happening to the students? Adult themes are being projected onto the students. So while we are trying and striving to be young, and a part of that culture that we are immersed in, they have adult themes projected onto them every single day resulting in a skewed reality that presupposes their emotional readiness for adulthood. When adolescents act out the roles – the adult roles they are given, and when adults intentionally seek youthfulness through their engagement with popular youth culture, boundary violations are certain to occur. If adults and children share the same cultural space, boundaries will become permeable, the fiduciary role will be fractured, and quite possibly student victimization may result. Education must be the profession, your classroom, your school, must be the profession texts and sanctifies the role of the child at the same time to honor and nurture children within the ethical boundaries of moral and responsible teaching practice. It is thus imperative that prevention strategies are implemented not just systemically but within ourselves to eliminate the blurring of lines between teachers and students and the slippery slope to exist in American society and culture.” Instructions:

Journal: Provide a bulleted outline of the highlights of Dr. Hutchings comments

Activity 3: • Activity Resources: “The Good Teacher” Interactive Video and XXXXtchings, T (2014) Book • Pre-Activity: • Read XXXXXXX Chapter 2 and Navigate through the Interactive Video (The Good Teacher) by WILL Interactive and participate in the decision tree making your choices, and then again making choices you know are poor to see what the ending could have been. Pay close attention to how those around the potential perpetrator (Clayton Jennings) and the perpetrator (Mike Roberts) did or could have intervened for a less destructive ending. • Main Task (150 points) • In this Activity you will: • Write an Analysis and Integration Paper that: • Describes the “slippery slope” and how over-involvement with students and a series of boundary violations can lead to sexual misconduct. Include risks involving social media and how they can be neutralized. • Analyzes the continuum of behaviors (between 1 and 10) regarding interactions between teachers and students, with 1 being the most appropriate and 10 representing the most inappropriate, and documents one possible behavior for each point along the continuum (a total of 10 behaviors). • 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 • appropriateinappropriate • Provides an exploration of why trouble begins with crossing the first boundary. • Discusses how bystanders (those around the perpetrator) did or could have intervened in at least five different points and helped to prevent the misconduct. • Length of Paper: 5 - 7 pages • Drawing from the list of discussion questions discuss in approximately 250 words your thoughts from this assignment. Respond constructively to at least one other student’s entry. • Learning Objectives 2, 3

Activity 4: Making the Right Choices Activity Resources: “Making the Right Choices” Online Training and XXXXX(2014) Book Pre-Activity: Complete the online training, “Making the Right Choices” Read Chapters 2 -4 of the XXXX Read assigned articles Main Task (200 points) In this activity you will: Prepare a PowerPoint or Prezi presentation to brief city officials, parents, administrators, and other interested parties to describe how inappropriate relationships develop, the need for ethical guidelines and professional development and the major points you have learned thus far. Ensure you answer the question: What is the difference between an opportunistic offender or a pre-meditated offender in terms of the progression and development of an improper relationship? Length: 6-10 slides (with 2-4 references on a reference slide) No more than 6 bullets per slide or 6 words per bulletNotes Length: 150-200 words for each slideBe sure to include citations for quotations and paraphrases with references in APA format and style. Save the file with the correct course code information. Drawing from the list of discussion questions discuss in approximately 250 words your thoughts from this assignment. Respond constructively to at least one other student’s entry. Learning Objectives 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Activity 5: Culminating Research Paper Activity Resources: “The Good Teacher” Introduction, Presentation, and Interactive Video; “Making the Right Choices” online training; Hutchings, T (2014); assigned articles; tutorials; and additional research of at least one peer-reviewed journal or book, plus student journal Pre-Activity: Review“The Good Teacher” Introduction, Presentation, and Interactive Video; “Making the Right Choices” online training; Preface, Introduction, and Chapters 1 - 4Hutchings, T (2014) Book; assigned articles; tutorials; additional research, and journal Read: Chapters 5 – 7Hutchings, T (2014) Book Writing tip: Be sure to use spell check and grammar check and have someone proofread your paper before you submit it. Your paper should be eight to 10 pages in length. Many students find they need to write more pages to thoroughly cover the content of the writing assignment. That is okay but ensure every word counts and that you avoid redundancy. You may learn more about APA style online at apastyle.org or in any grammar handbook, such as: Diana Hacker's "Rules for Writers." A helpful guide to the APA 6th Edition PowerPoint can be found at http://utsa.edu/trcss/docs/APA%206th%20Edition.pdf. Main Task (300 points) In this activity you will: Write an Application Paper. Review the discussion questions posed for the course. Choose five of the questions that prompt your thinking and prepare a critical analysis of how you would handle the situations presented. Length of Paper: 8-10 pages Drawing from your list of discussion questions discuss in approximately 200 words your thoughts from this assignment. Respond constructively to at least one other student’s entry. Learning Objectives 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Discussion Questions: • What can administration do to foster an environment where improper relationships are less likely to occur? • What are the possible cues or warning red flags that would cause you to intervene to protect a colleague or a student from a potential inappropriate relationship between a teacher and a student? • How does the use of social media and digital devices lead to boundary violations? • What are possible risk factors from a teacher’s personal history that might compel him/her to try to rescue students? • What are some events that might be currently happening in a teacher’s life (in the present) that might make him/her more vulnerable to inappropriate relationships with students?

Discussion Questions: • What are the possible risk factors from a student’s personal life that might result in that student seeking an inappropriate relationship with a teacher? • What are some preventative steps that will allow you to keep your balance in your role as a teacher? • How does being dedicated exclusively in your life to your role as a teacher expose you to becoming overly involved with a student? • Can a teacher be over dedicated? • What are the dangers or benefits of feeling a particular connection to one student?

Discussion Questions: • What are possible actions that a teacher might use to mask from others an inappropriate relationship with a student? • How does a teacher justify to himself/herself the gradual decisions that lead to an inappropriate relationship with others? • What are possible signs that a teacher’s relationship is progressing down the slippery slope? • How do you respond to a colleague who you feel might be in jeopardy? • When is it appropriate to go to a colleague about concerns? When is it no longer appropriate to go to a colleague about concerns, but rather instead directly fulfill your mandatory reporting duties so a student is not placed at further risk?

Discussion Questions: • What are some of the possible effects for a student (male or female) that arise from an inappropriate relationship with a teacher? • What are some of the possible consequences to the teacher for being in an inappropriate relationship with a student? • What are some possible requests (either implicit or explicit) that either a parent or student may make of a teacher that will lead to a relationship that will end badly. • Describe the gradual steps that may eventually lead to a teacher becoming overly involved with a student that jeopardizing his/her career?

Discussion Questions: • In order to be more fully aware of those vulnerabilities that you may possess, please answer the following: • If you were single and dating, what aspects of your background would cause a person to wonder whether or not they should be in a relationship with you? • What experiences have you had in your life that, if questioned by an attorney, might lead a jury to believe that your judgment may at times be clouded? • What do you need to recognize within yourself, based on your life history, which may result in feeling a unique connection with a student? • If a teacher has become consumed with the needs of a particular student because of his prior life experiences, how can that teacher step back and not act on those impulses?

Discussion Questions: • In order to be more fully aware of your strengths in establishing boundaries, what experiences have you had in your life that will help you navigate the emotional needs of your students? • How does the relationship between a teacher and his/her colleagues change when a teacher becomes overly involved with his students? • What strategies can you apply to avoid missteps in your relationship with students? • When you find yourself concerned or confused about a relationship with a student, how should you go about making a correction? • What resources are available to assist you in making those corrections?

Discussion Questions: • Out of a classroom of students, what would single out one particular student to be more at risk for an inappropriate relationship? • List possible signs that a teacher may have lost the ability to keep the appropriate emotional and professional separation between himself/herself and a student. • What are the signs that your desire to “rescue” a student may lead to disaster? • What are some societal myths, or implicit expectations of teachers, that make it easier for a teacher to justify having an inappropriate relationship with a student?

ED 589: The Good Teacher: A Story of Sexual Misconduct