{"id":19379,"date":"2021-12-04T10:20:31","date_gmt":"2021-12-04T15:20:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/?p=19379"},"modified":"2021-12-04T10:22:21","modified_gmt":"2021-12-04T15:22:21","slug":"episode-485-walking-on-egg-shells-the-state-of-teaching-today","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/?p=19379","title":{"rendered":"EPISODE 485: WALKING ON EGG SHELLS (the state of teaching today)"},"content":{"rendered":"

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EPISODE  485   WALKING ON EGG SHELLS  (THE state of teaching today)<\/p>\n

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alan skeoch<\/div>\n
Dec. 3, 2021<\/div>\n

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Teaching today is like walking on egg shells.  A slight slip.  An innocent well meant slip can ruin a career. Today I was
Surprised and pleased to receive a note from Jean Graham whose Grandson Logan found this story on the internet. It was written 25 years ago when I was head<\/div>\n

of history at Parkdale Collegiate Institute.  I made a mistake with an envelope that could have ended my career.<\/div>\n
Thankfully, Ron Graham, was our vice principal.  As I said, teaching today is like walking on eggshells. READ ON;.


Alan Skeoch, about 25 years ago\u2026conducting a Jane Jacobs walk into history

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The hall was empty\u2026or nearly so.  I was late for class.  A boy came around the corner.  My oh my, did he look forlorn.  Teachers notice these things.  Body language\u2026facial expression\u2026shuffling\u2026troubled.  That kind of thing.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
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\u201cThings can\u2019t be all that bad, son.  Cheer up.\u201d <\/span><\/div>\n
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And I tapped him on the shoulder with an envelope I was carrying.<\/span><\/div>\n
No reaction.  Just a blank, maybe slightly hostile stare.  Maybe even a bit of a surprised look since we did not know each other.  No time for much more dialogue.  I was paid to teach and the class was waiting.<\/span><\/div>\n
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Sounds like a non event.  Wish that were so.<\/span><\/div>\n
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Ron Graham, our Vice Principal and a good friend, came to see me right after the class.<\/span><\/div>\n
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\u201cBoy, I saved your ass, Al!  Took the whole period to do so.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d  I thought Ron had a joke in mind for his comment made no sense.<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cI spent the last 45 minutes cooling Larry down.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cWho is Larry?\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cDidn\u2019t think you knew him because he certainly did not know you. He burst into my office claiming you hit him in the hall.  Wanted to know your name so he could report you to the super-intendant.  Perhaps even the police.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cGet off it Ron.  Who is Larry?\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cYou may not know him now but you would certainly have known him<\/span><\/div>\n
if he had laid the charge.  Assault.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cRon, I don\u2019t know what you\u2019re talking about.  Some kind of joke?\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cNope.  Serious, Al.  Really serious.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cWho is Larry?\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cLarry is a new kid here.  Troubled kid.  Unhappy home life.  I guess you would call him a loner.  He does not trust teachers or the world in general for that matter.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cWhat has that got to do with me?  Don\u2019t know the kid.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cOK.  Did you meet a kid in the hall before class?\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cOH, that kid!  Yes, met him\u2026seemed depressed.  Tried to cheer him up.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cDid you hit him?\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cCome on, Ron.  Do you think I\u2019m stupid? I tapped him good naturedly with an envelope.  This envelope. \u201d (The envelope was an invitation to speak to a University Women\u2019s club about teaching if you can imagine.)<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cSo you did touch him.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cHardly  a touch, Ron.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cEnough for him.  He did not know you.  Thought you had no right to even speak to him.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cGet off it, Ron.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cAny witnesses?\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cNo, we were alone in the hall.\u201d  Now I was getting worried.  Alone in the hall meant it was my word against this student, this person called Larry.  That spelled trouble.  Teachers walk on egg shells, especially male teachers. <\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cSo what did he say?\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cHe said some weird teacher with  a brush cut and a blue suit jacket hit him in the hall near Room 225, your room\u2026your haircut\u2026your jacket.<\/span><\/div>\n
And your hand it seems.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cSo?\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cSo, suppose Larry laid a charge with the super-intendant and it got down to the Toronto School Board.  First thing that would happen is you would be hauled out of class\u2026told to leave the school and not return until the case was investigated.  Many people would believe you are guilty of assault.  You even admitted touching Larry with that envelope.  Touching and assault can become synonyms.  So you would be out of her on your ass.  Doesn\u2019t matter that you have taught here for twenty years and have a great reputation.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cDo you mean I would be considered Guilty until proven innocent.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cRight.  OSSTF would provide a lawyer.  The case could take a year or so and all that time you\u2019d sitting at home.  People would wonder why. Some would assume you are guilty.  Even when the case was rejected, as it would be, you would have that stigma forever.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re scaring me, Ron.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t worry, I got you off.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cI asked Larry to sit down so we could have a chat\u2026to cool him down.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cLarry,\u201d I said, \u201cMr. Skeoch and I come from different generation. From friendlier times.  We try to treat people in a friendly manner.  We have different values you might say.  Your hat, for instance.  In my time, students removed their hats in the presence of teachers.  Larry then took off his baseball cap so I knew I was getting through to him.  Larry, I continued, I think you are making a mistake. Mr. Skeoch has never hit <\/span><\/div>\n
a student in my time.  And he has never sent a student to me for discipline reasons.  Never.  I went on and on.  Made you sound like a prince of the church. Finally asked Larry if he would consider withdrawing the charge.  And he did.  Saved your bacon, Al.  You owe me big time.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cPhew!\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cBy the way, I have enrolled Larry in your Grade 12 history class for  next semester,\u201d said Ron with a mischievous grin.<\/span><\/div>\n
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Larry turned out to be a really nice student.  He got to like me.  Greeted me in the hall often.  He became cheerful.  Not sure whether he punched me on the shoulder saying \u201cMorning, sir!\u201d.  I like to think that happened.   I also wondered what could have happened had Larry not withdrawn the charge.  I really did owe Ron Graham  a beer.<\/span><\/div>\n
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I taught at Parkdale Collegiatte Institute for 31years.  Never missed a day for sick leave.  Loved the job.  But this incident was never far from my mind which is a sad thing to say.  Walking on egg shells\u2026.trying to teach at the same time.  How much social distancing is necessary?  At what point does the distance become so great  that the<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

joy of teaching ceases?<\/span><\/font><\/div>\n


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alan skeoch (circa 1995)
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EPISODE  485   WALKING ON EGG SHELLS  (THE state of teaching today) alan skeoch Dec. 3, 2021 Teaching today is like walking on egg shells.  A slight slip.  An innocent well meant slip can ruin a career. Today I wasSurprised and pleased to receive a note from Jean Graham whose Grandson Logan found this story […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19379","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19379","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=19379"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19379\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=19379"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=19379"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=19379"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}