But not all of us have this standpoint, as I did not when I was an adjunct as a graduate student. All of us are at different places in our personal lives. Moreover, there are cases when the nature of the threat to erosion of the professional and private boundary is not, shall we say, "affectional." I have a student, whom I shall call "Lisa," whose affective disorder required occasional hospitalization, and therefore missing class. She required some coaching in her public presentation of self. Lisa would share personal information, including details of medication, in front of other students. I worked closely with Academic Support Services on these concerns. Because of my Introductory Sociology course, she switched her major to sociology, which will necessitate her taking sociology almost exclusively for the rest of her time with us. Our discipline invites the sociological imagination, and some students apply this to their own circumstances. The can be excited about what they find. Some find the experience personally liberating. Lofland and Lofland tell us, in Analyzing Social Settings, that Robert Park invited students of the Chicago school to transform their experiences of their "cramping orthodoxies" into sociological inquiry. Lisa is bright, and asks some of the best questions. She generally achieves well on her exams, but can be late in turning in papers. In her writing, however, she struggles with some of the big ones. I feel strongly that if there is anyone who could benefit from teaching as service, it would be a student like Lisa.
All of this required some degree of intensive interaction with Lisa. I had to develop a language for educating her on what it meant to be "professional," for her and for me, and how this was to be distinguished from the therapeutic professional. Lisa dealt with "boundary issues," and I had to be clear that I was not a therapist, peer, or "recovering paraprofessional," who blurs such distinctions.
As a soccer coach, and volunteer provider of religious education within my worship community (popularly characterized as "Sunday school teacher"), I received explicit, official instruction on such professional conduct. I need only invoke the historical and geographical context of the Archdiocese of Boston for one to understand the mandate. As soccer coaches, we were counseled to be sure that two adults were present to greet parents picking up late (at all times, really). We restricted our physical encouragement to pats on the back and on rare occasions, one-handed half hugs. We had written suggestions, guidelines, and rules. But our students are adults, or practicing to be, and exercise their own discretion. They will have to do so in the wide world. Moreover, it would seem inappropriate to impose too much structure on a necessarily interpretive enterprise; every case will differ, and we will want our academic freedom in finding our way among them.
Still, I wonder about our responsibility to think more systematically about all of the issues raised in connection with appropriate and inappropriate relationships with students. We must know our audience, they expect appropriate relationships, and we have a role to play in transforming the way they view their lives. But we must also engage in conversation about the boundaries. It would be most helpful to me to further my thinking on these issues to have a professional workshop on this topic, sponsored by this section, at a future ASA meeting. How about "Personal Relationship with Students: The Power and the Peril"? For all I know, this may already have been done. I wonder not only to what degree others concur on the need, but what other issues and perspectives we might constructively add to this conversation.
Sincerely,
Richard Hudak
Merrimack College
Sociology Department
On Aug 3, 2005, at 1:05 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
Dear Adair,"Human beings live in a world of meaningful objects--
I think the quote below would be exactly what you should say, more or
less, to the students who are interested in having a social (or more)
relationship with you. If you were interested, in maintaining some kind
of friendship with them, you could do so in a kind of mentor, or
professional capacity, if you wished.
That's my opinion, for what it's worth! :-)
A. Siskind
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
I should have made it clear in my last post that I'm not necessarily interested
in being friends with these students and, even if I was, I'm quite sure that
it's not a wise move, for any number of reasons. I guess what I was getting
at more was how to politely tell them--is there any more effective way than
just: "As your Professor, I'm interested in your future academic pursuits and
you may contact me in that regard, but anything more than that would be
inappropriate."
Thanks again,
Adair
not in an environment of stimuli or self-constituted entities."
--Herbert Blumer ,1969
Richard Hudak <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Merrimack College
Sociology Department
978-837-5000 x4314
In my case Pilgrim's Progress consisted in my having to climb down a thousand ladders until I could reach out my hand to the little clod of earth that I am. - Carl Gustav Jung
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