Last week, a student asked me if she could have $2. Without thinking, I reached for my wallet and said, "What's it for?"
"Lunch," she responded.
"Will you pay me back?" I asked.
"Sure," she said. So I handed her $2.
It was only in retrospect that I began to wonder if I should have given away my money so easily. It isn't that $2 is a lot of money but rather that I wonder if that breaks the student-teacher boundary. I never would have asked a teacher for money when I was in high school. Yet if my student needs money to each lunch, why would I not give her the money? Sure enough, she has not paid me back, so I probably won't lend her money again without first receiving her payment. However, what if another student asks to borrow money from me? Do I give $2 to every student and hope they'll all pay me back? I'm not really sure what the answer is, nor do I really think it's terribly important in comparison with most issues I write about on here. However, I was looking for some opinions. What do you think?
Firstly, my less-than-dignified comment: I started singing "money money money" from Cabaret, when I read the title of this entry.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, my more dignified comment: I guess it would be ideal to work with the student to figure out a way to get food without actually handing them the cash. Obviously it depends on how YOU feel about it, but that's just my opinion.
Thirdly: you were an excellent Sarabande treasurer. Random, but true.
=)
Hahaha.
ReplyDeleteThank you. I really appreciate your feedback. I think that is an excellent suggestion, and I will talk to my students about that the next time it happens.
You're lovely. <3