Betrayal of trust

In my small community we have a regional middle school and high school which serves four local towns. In the middle school this week, a veteran teacher was indicted on 10 counts of child pornography. Video was found on his home computer of little girls, as well as pictures. The investigation had been ongoing for more than a year, while the teacher was allowed to continue working in the school with 6,7, and 8th grade girls and boys. Apparently he had no idea he was being investigated until they showed up on his doorstep with a warrant.

As I think about this issue and try to look beyond my disgust for this person and his behavior, I think about the kids - past and present - he taught and coached. Many many students, former and current, posted on line on the news articles about what a great guy he is - a mentor, a great teacher, an awesome coach - and that they won't ever believe this of him. This teacher/coach had a great positive impact on many students throughout the years.

As I read the posts, it was interesting to see how opposite the postings from adults were - almost 100% negative - very little talk about innocence until proven guilty. I guess once the feds catch you with kiddie porn, the jig is pretty much up. Fortunately (?) his victims were not members of the student population.

But I thought about my nieces and their friends who are in this middle school and other kids I know and these kids who posted - their trust has been completely shattered by this guy. They looked up to him, they trusted him, they went to him with their problems. And for the most part right now they are all defending him. But once the reality sinks in, how does this experience color their futures and how does it not jade them and how does it impede them from trusting another teacher, another coach, another "great guy"?

Besides the obvious depravity of this person's actions, he obviously never even considered what would happen to him, his family - they are far reaching throughout this community and neighboring ones as well - and to his students. It's quite a shame that this person - a pillar of the community, a well liked teacher and coach, a family man (!) has broken the hearts and spirits of those who looked up to him.

I'm a bad liar? WTF?

So the kid has been fibbing...nothing major but easily caught out little white lies. Of course dipshit is in a huff over it, but I know it's a stage and she is SO bad at it. But damn if she did not look me straight in the eye and lie to my face. Which brings back memories of how I used to do the same thing to my parents. And my mother told me this morning that I was a shitty liar! WHAT? I was a great liar....all those times we said we were going to the movies and we drove around the beach all night looking for boys. All the times I said "no I didn't smoke, it was Dana"....c'mon. No way she caught onto that. All the times I said I was sleeping over Nancy's house and we ended up God knows where at a party - (except for that time with the guy with one hand, but that's another story)....she never guessed. She was always asleep when I got home...

Mothers always know...dammit.

Twilight.....

My friend Colleen bought the Twilight series of books when she was going in for her operation so she'd have something to read during recovery - and my niece has read them so what the hell - I'll start the series. And there's hoopla over it - I mean, I see the teenage girls losing their shit over it and all...that's fine. And I started the first book this morning and it seems an easy read and pretty good. And another girl (read: 35 y.o. woman) at my office is obsessed with this fictional vampire, so how bad can it be?

So the kid says to me this morning - "Mary saw that movie". Mary is in second grade. Mary should not be watching movies with vampires, IMHO. I know that the kid never will be.

WTF is wrong with people? I have another friend who took her 7 yo to see Harry Potter - the 4th one, where people DIE. And she wonders why Sara didn't sleep for a week. Stop trying to be friends with your kids, people. You are their mothers, forchrissake.

The Little Sleep

I just finished a "can't put down" book by Paul Tremblay called The Little Sleep. Set in Southie, it's a detective story. Reminiscent of Raymond Chandler, with a little Robert Parker thrown in and a great setting, it's a book you can read in one sitting. Hope Tremblay comes out with another installment in the series...soon!