As teachers, balancing our personal lives and professional lives is always a challenge. Inevitably you use yourself as an example or incomporate an anecdote from your own experiences to establish an example or non example. It is so very easy to reveal too much. It's only natural; you're busy building relationships and trying to break through those tough shells of theirs to the creamy, maleable filling underneath. This is especially true of some of the Family Consumer Science classes (i.e. Parenting, Child Development I, Child Development II, etc.) Eventually, this will come back and bite you. Guaranteed. It's just a matter of how thick you skin is I suppose - how much you're willing to bleed. Yesterday I was bitten and it's very possible that I might be scared for life.
I am fortunate enough to have some students who are so loyal that they sign up for any of my 7 classes regardless of their interest in the subject just to be in my class. As a result, some of them know more about me than others. Of course they love to share that information too. Such was the case yesterday. During a review scession in Fashion class, I heard one student announcing to the class, "Dude, you should have seem Mrs. G's mom when she came and talked. [My mother came in to speak to my child development class as a former NICU nurse] Her mom was awesome - she brought us stuff to eat and then she was teasing Mrs. G about wanting grandbabies. Mrs. G was all embarassed and stuff. It was great." All eyes turn to Mrs. G. one of my newer students chimes in, "Do you have babies Mrs. G?" I decide to communicate that this is not my favorite topic by hesitating and then using nonverbal skills like tone and emphasis in the words that I choose. As I open my mouth dramatically and begin to respond, another student who has had many of my previous classes cuts in on my behalf, "Nope, she's waiting until her husband is done with college and gets a job." A third students turns to me and comments, "You better get going Mrs. G, you don't have a lot of time left!"
I have to talk over the giggles to defend myself, "I'm only 25!"
"Yeah, but I thought you told us that the older you get, the harder it is to get pregnant,"
"Uh, starting in your late 30's!"
"I dunno, you're getting up there!"
"Look, you need to be discussing Fashion, not my fertility - it's just plain creepy to talk about my uterus when we should be talking about principles of design!"
"What's the name of your favorite book again, Mrs. G?" (Okay, maybe this is a good sign that the conversation is heading in a better direction.)
"Wuthering Heights."
"Oh, that's the word I was looking for - withering. Like your withering uterus!"
Yep, I'm adding 20 questions to your final.
