This relates to a comment I made earlier in the semester about teachers surrendering some rights in order to be a positive role model for our students. I have continued discussing this with my roomate over the course of the semester, and I firmly believe that it is our responsibility as teachers to do so. I don't mean to give up our rights o free speech or anything, but I believe that we are expected to watch what we say around our students, and to watch the way we behave around our students. It is part of our job as educators to make sure that our students grow up both as good people (which as a parent role in schools,we are responsible for), and free to make their own decisions. We cannot impres our thoughts and beliefs on our students any more than we can our religion. This seems to me to be a sacrifice or rights, but one that we all; make voluntarily. The question that I have is how far into our personal life do we need to take that sacrifice, and how do you feel about this sacrifice?

There is a responsibility to being a role model. There was a p.e. teacher that I had in 8th grade. I later found out that he was a heavy cocaine user. I don't know if he stayed in teaching and I pray he did not. He also held the world's record (not sure which year - ?) for balancing more spinning basketballs on his fingers than anyone else. Before I found out about his cocaine habit, I was thrilled for him.

He later slept with two of my friends - cheating on one to be with the other. In my mind now, instead of this guy being the cool teacher I knew from 8th grade I can only think of him as, total schmuck!

I believe in freedom of speech and freedom of thought but if we are planning to be around children, it IS important to be mindful of the kind of speech we use - imagining our words spewing out of the mouths of babes, or young children. I think it's a very important issue - and a complex one.