I'm a first year teacher, not too much older than my students, and I'm scared of crossing any professional boundaries. Let me make it explicitly clear that I am in no way sinister or sleezy - I don't have any romantic attachments to any students because the idea creeps me out. But I am a very friendly chatty person, and because of this I'm created some positive relationships with students that I wouldn't call friendships, but just close to them.
See, I've been in this show with my towns theatre company, and a lot of students from my school were in it too. Because of this, we've been spending a lot of time together outside of school (always at rehearsals with directors and other actors present). Because of my age - I felt too intimidated to talk to a lot of the older members of the cast, so I would spend time at these rehearsals talking to the students outside of school, because of the show and with everyone around me calling me by my first name, they would too. And they'd talk to me about their social groups.
At the wrap party for the show I had a couple of drinks and danced with the cast, and talked to everyone
(never one on one) but I still feel weird about being at a party with students.
Absolutely nothing has happened that I would consider crossing a line. But because I'm a paranoid over thinker with an anxiety problem, I'm terrified of these friendly relationships being misconstrued by other students and staff even though at school I am always aware of being as professional as I can.
I read way too many stories about the bad things that happen to teachers whose behavior appears problematic with their students and I'm scared of that happening to me too. Can I get some reassurance that this is all ok?
01 Jul 2018, 6:01 am
