I just read this article about being honest with your students, see what you think.
http://dancingnancy533.wordpress.com/2007/11/28/is-it-good-to-be-completely-honest-all-the-time/
I have always asked myself the same question. Should we be completely honest, with older students anyway, about actions in our past? I just don’t know. It’s easy to say “Yes” when you are innocent of a particular act. For instance, I have never smoked a cigarette. So, when kids ask me if I have ever smoked, I can honestly, and without delay, give them a definite “No”. I think this kind of situation is appropriate, I think it is important for students to see that it is possible to get through life without participating in every kind of activity available to us. It is possible to live an entire life without drinking or smoking, and you don’t have to be a nun to do it.
Now, on the other hand I did consume alcohol, even before I should have (shhh). My husband and I still have an occassional drink. But, is that information you want to share with your students? Is it a good example of how you can do such things and still act responsibly or is it just something they should never know about you? I have been sitting at a restaurant with a mixed drink in front of me and students walk by our table. I usually panic and try to pay attention to where they are sitting. I would just hate for them to go back to school and tell a tale that may be completely untrue. So, I don’t know what the right answer is.
December 2, 2007 at 3:30 am
This is a very touchy subject because if your students know everything there is to know about you they can use it against you. I guess one of the things to do would to avoid putting yourself in a situation where you can be manipulated.
December 2, 2007 at 5:36 pm
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