In New Jersey there is a story about a very young junior high teacher (she was also the wrestling coach) who was having sexual relations with some boys at the school.  Parents are not only outraged at the offense, but that the school and district officials did not act immedately after discovering this, but they delayed, letting the teacher finish the school year.  In addition, this woman was purportedly in love.  In the transcripts made publlic yesterday, you can see how childish, how irresponsible, and how touched this woman was.  I am surprised that a person of this maturity and itellect would pass exams and become an educator.  (I'm looking for the transcripts online now.)

http://www.nj.com/news/times/index.ssf?/base/news-3/1184904813307380.xml&coll=5


This is not the only issue I want to bring up.  how do you feel about a youn g woman training boys in wrestling?  Woudll you be nervous if a young man were helping your child in cheerleading?  Do we get overprotective and wary when we see that most professional gymnasstics trainers are men?  I am wondering about your take on that aspect of the story as well.

In New Jersey there is a story about a very young junior high teacher (she was also the wrestling coach) who was having sexual relations with some boys at the school.  Parents are not only outraged at the offense, but that the school and district officials did not act immedately after discovering this, but they delayed, letting the teacher finish the school year.  In addition, this woman was purportedly in love.  In the transcripts made publlic yesterday, you can see how childish, how irresponsible, and how touched this woman was.  I am surprised that a person of this maturity and itellect would pass exams and become an educator.  (I'm looking for the transcripts online now.)

http://www.nj.com/news/times/index.ssf?/base/news-3/1184904813307380.xml&coll=5


This is not the only issue I want to bring up.  how do you feel about a youn g woman training boys in wrestling?  Woudll you be nervous if a young man were helping your child in cheerleading?  Do we get overprotective and wary when we see that most professional gymnasstics trainers are men?  I am wondering about your take on that aspect of the story as well.



I say a professional is a professional is a professional.  It shouldn't matter what sex as long as they are able to do the job in a professional manner.  The problem, I believe, is that too many get there on the basis of who they are, not what they can do.  I would not be surprised to find out that the teacher involved had serious connections with someone up in the food chain that protected her, but not the students she was responsible for.

I couldn't find your story after I closed the OBNOXIOUS pop-up ad!  However, there's a lot of nasty grisly stuff going on in NJ, according to that news page!

No, I wouldn't want a female teacher instructing my (hypthetical) teenaged son in wrestling--unless she was a mean old cross-eyed nun with a vise-like grip.  That would teach the little punk a thing or two!
:P

Seriously, the bigger problem with this scourge of molestation--regardless of genders--is it makes us all more nervous and less trusting, which increases demands for surveillance and legislation.  It makes us all a little less free.