Teacher-Student Affair: "I Like You" Doesn't Mean "Chop" Me

Central to the school social environment is a positive teacher-student relationship. The relationship between a teacher and student is a very vital and sensitive factor in the school's learning environment.

Positive relationship between teachers and learners is key to getting the job done as both the raw material and product in education are people.

Learners spend most of their time with their teachers (about 1000 hours a year) hence the teacher-student relationship is inevitable.

This proximity between teachers and learners breeds familiarity which can serve as a ground for other unethical relationships. People are more attracted to those they are familiar with; just being around someone increases the likelihood that you will be attracted to them.

The working environment of teaching fosters close contact between teachers and learners; there are learners who are closer to teachers (even of opposite sex) and share their challenges with them more than their parents, there are others who come to teachers after class hours seeking further explanation on topics they couldn't understand during lesson periods.

It's impossible for educators to eliminate learners being with their teachers beyond lesson hours no matter how hard educators try. This is the truth.

Additionally, when a teacher stands in front of a classroom; is intelligent, confident in their teaching, listens, communicate well and act as second parents beyond the classroom, it is very understandable that they will be admired and have occasional advances from students of opposite sex. This is heightened when the teacher dress decently, have great command and understanding of the subject area they teach that learners see as difficult.

Due to but not limited to the aforementioned factors, there's going to be occasional amorous attractions between female learners especially and male teachers.

There are going to be some teenage girls who will mistake their feelings of admiration and appreciation for love, thus they are ready and willing to be in amorous relationship with teachers. Some are even bold to make their feelings known to the teacher.

Nonetheless, teachers should know that they are in positions of trusted authority and they will surely sometimes be the objects of student advances which may not be any fault of theirs. Yet, being in an amorous relationship with students however consenting is illegal under the GES code of ethics for teachers, and any sexual relationship between a student and a teacher can lead to the teacher being dismissed instantly.

When female learners have crushes on you, it is part of your job as a male teacher to ignore it or help her through the guidance and counselling unit and also treat her as a little sister regardless of how matured her body maybe.

One day when she grows and understand her feelings better, these girls are going to be eternally grateful that you didn't take advantage of their naivety when they were young.

It is not all "I like you" that means "chop me", sometimes it means guide me on the right path because I don't know the way.