Teachers can be vulnerable
News of a despicable crime in Eagan recently has made it clear just how vulnerable our teachers can be.
We trust teachers every school day with our children’s wellbeing as well as their education. Two men accused of attempting to blackmail 22 male teachers and coaches played on that vulnerability to get rich.
It’s a crime equally disgusting in nature as the one they tried to fabricate in the extortion scheme by threatening to plant child pornography or make false allegations of sexual misconduct with students.
My own father is an eighth-grade math teacher and has coached students during his career. He certainly hasn’t gotten rich in his chosen profession, but he’s earned a lot of respect as a teacher. And, he’s shaped lives. It’s sad to realize how quickly his or any other teacher’s career (and life for that matter) could come crashing down because of one false and dangerous insinuation.
It is because of the task they have “