Wow, this chapter was a nice relief from some of the sadder and more depressing sections!! I immediately connected with the very first entry, which discussed the teacher who had many of her students announce that they wanted to be teachers. From my own personal experience I have had many teachers tell me that they could not be more proud of their students that go on to follow their dreams, make tons of money and pioneer in their fields, but they are truly moved by their students that want to go on and teach their knowledge to others.
I did not agree however with the teacher who discouraged her student from publishing a poem that would be her 'coming out' as a lesbian. I can understand the teacher having the student weigh the pros and cons of publishing the poem, but straight up discouraging the student was, I feel, very wrong. I feel that the teacher got a little too involved in the situation, especially when she encouraged her student to come out to her parents. Teachers dance a fine line between being adult role-models and politically neutral educators. As disappointing and discouraging as this may be, it is the world we live in.
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