my returning student

There had never been a time when I would have considered hurting one of my students with a sexual advance. It wasnt in my nature. There were some beautiful children on campus; however, my boundaries were as clear as crystal. I would admire some of them for their appearance, but the thought was always that they would be very handsome when they grew up.

As a man in my forties, I knew that to my students I must look like a dinosaur. Their lives were full of people their own age with youth and the type of vigor that only young people possess. Never in my wildest imagination could I imagine that a student would have a crush on me. Im short, stocky, and although people my age have told me that Im an attractive man, I dont know that I fully believed them. People who love you will take special care of your heart. I know that.

Since my departure from teaching in the classroom setting, my students have routinely kept in touch by e-mail and MySpace or Facebook. These new networking systems are phenomenal to maintain contact with those about whom one cares.

It was nonetheless a surprise to receive a message from one of my students who had left our school in ninth grade. I had seen him a few times when he came to visit my classroom, but I didnt really think too much of it since many students returned occasionally to see me after they left the school.