Some teachers make their students dependent on them that when they leave their side, student become miserable & lonely
ISLAMABAD: One of the most satisfying aspects of teaching at the college or university level is the relationship that faculty members develop with their students. A good mentoring relationship can be what is sometimes called as a “peak experience” for both the mentor and the student alike — a sharing of something unique that no one else may experience in quite the same way.
In a healthy mentoring relationship, the student is encouraged and expected to be candid in responding to the teacher’s ideas, methods or words. This apprenticeship process may include travel, social activities and glimpses into each other’s personal lives. Yet, despite this closeness and sharing, the teacher does remain a teacher and the student a student.
Sometimes, however, the very closeness of the relationship challenges that necessary distance. Feelings of admiration and respect may become intense and personal.
For example, faculty members may get students caught up in political issues or may take advantage of some special ability or connection a student may have. They may treat students differently not because of their academic qualifications but because of a personal regard or attraction. They may disclose information of a personal nature that is more a reflection of their own need than of a true interest in the student’s professional or personal growth. Boundaries, therefore, refer to a spectrum of activities that have the potential to exploit the dependency of a student in a number of ways.
One must consider the potential of personal harm to the student, especially if there is a history of poor self-esteem, dependency, or victimisation. As with patients who become over-involved with their therapists, the betrayal of trust and sense of loss can sometimes lead to depression and a need for psychiatric care.
Some teachers make their students so dependent on them that when they leave their side the student become miserable and lonely. Such relationships are ethically inappropriate, coercive and exploitive. There should be boundaries and such closeness between student-teacher should be kept under strict supervision.
Ishraq Ashraf
Published in The Express Tribune, April 5th, 2020.
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