October 31, 2012 —By leela.chantrelle I like to push boundaries in academic settings; one of my professors is my second mother and old high school teachers and I email and text each other. But there is a drastic difference between beings friends with a professor and taking advantage of their trust in you. That difference is further highlighted when the interactions are between male and female. The line between teacher and student in a prison setting is even more stark. There are so many rules that dictate how to interact with an inmate, what they can give you, what can be said in the classroom and even rules on where to sit. For anyone outside of this setting, it seems a bit ludicrous. Why can't I, as a TA, sit next to the students? I for one, like to think that I befriend most of the inmates I teach and throughout the semester I watch them grow and become more confident in their learning skills. But, I know my trust for these men can be taken too far. I'm not sure if it's because I'm not only a woman but I am a woman of color, but the way I'm treated in prison is much more different than how others are treated. Both semesters that I've taught, I've felt like the men were covertly flirting with me. Granted, these are men who haven't seen a woman in months or years, but at times it's hard to be comfortable in a setting like that. The thing is though, I love my students, and I know that they are mostly in the program for the right reasons. So, I like to remind them about the limit that exists between them and me. No, I'm not saying that Auburn is a dangerous place or filled with creepy men. But, some trust needs to be placed in the people that choose who gets into the program. Even though I've been the target of some of my students affections, I can't help but know exactly where they're coming from and that they don't mean anything bad by it. Lastly, for any other TA's in the CPEP program, I'd like to emphasize how your instructor is someone there to protect you. I know for one, I would not be able to feel safe if I didn't have mine by my side.
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