Student-Teacher Relationships?

On Friday March 26, 2010, Good Morning America reported on a story that affects a number of students attending college to become a teacher. Amy Beck, an English and social science teacher at David Starr Jordan Middle School in Burbank, CA had turned herself into the police for an affair she was having with a fourteen year old student for six months. The relationship had been over quite some time, but she says she turned herself in because she could not deal the guilt any longer. The unusual thing in this story, besides the obvious moral issues, is that she had refused bail, which was set at $175,000, and opted to stay in jail. Beck’s lawyer says that she has declined her bail in order to avoid the media and to earn credit towards her sentencing. Her lawyer says that she will receive two years in prison, but with the good behavior she will only have about a year in custody. Her sentencing is set for May 7. Since Beck’s made a plea, the young boy, now fifteen, will not have to testify which is what Beck’s wanted to avoid. Their relationship lasted between last March and September. Beck’s is married to a police offer and has three children. Her lawyer says that her husband plans to stand by her and keep their family intact.
This is such an important story for people to read because I believe the media is making Beck’s look like a good person, which may be true, she may have a really good heart, but she still committed a serious crime and it should not be ignored. I do think she is doing the right thing by turning herself in and by assisting the police so to avoid putting the boy’s name out in the public. Even though she is doing this all, I still think this is unbelievable. As a future teacher and a mother I am outraged at this act. I cannot understand how come a teacher would cross this line with their student. There does not seem to be a reason that would make this seem forgivable. Beck’s did take the right steps in dealing with this by turning herself in, but I feel she needs to face the media also. She owes an explanation to everyone, especially her students. I cannot imagine what she, her family, the boy, his family, and the school is going through. She was reported as being a wonderful teacher, a favorite among students, and now because she crossed that line, she will have to register as a sex offender for the rest of her life. I just cannot see how a relationship with a fourteen year old boy could be worth it.

I am sure you are all aware of the recent kidnapping, rape, and killing of 17 year-old Chelsea King from a parking lot San Diego County after going for a run. Well there was an arrest in her case and the man that was arrested appeared in court for the first time on Wednesday. He was a man of few words, but that didn’t stop the public from speaking out. Someone even went as far as to write, “Chelsea’s blood on you—move out,” on his mothers’ garage door and when a few men tried to cover it up with paint they were yelled at saying they were protecting a guilty man. The main point of the article was that they interviewed John Walsh from “America’s got Talent.” In his interview Walsh said that he met with President Obama and while President Obama congratulated him on his 1,000 episode, they also had time to talk about the Adam Walsh Law, which was named after son, that was signed by President Bush three years ago, but was never given any funding. President Obama assured him that the law would now receive the funding that it needs. Walsh said that one of the questions that everyone asks is why this man was even out of the streets. Nobody seems to understand why, since he had been accused of crimes much like this one, he was even roaming the streets. The only answer Walsh could come up with was that the law just isn’t clear enough. “Former San Diego County District Attorney Paul Pfingst was slightly more objective.
‘I am of the view that people who do harm to teenage girls should go to Gitmo and stay there for the rest of their lives and be waterboarded,’ he said.”
I think this is so important because I am of the same view of Pfingst, I strongly believe that even if the person is accused of a crime like Gardner was, he needs to be watched closely so to avoid the opportunity to strike again, like he has been able to. It seems to me that if this man had been convicted before and if not convicted had surveillance on him this horrific crime may have been able to be avoided. This is just so important because I think people need to take a stand to get sexual predators, high priority predators, behind bars and I believe they should be there for life. What these people do to children is a horrible experience that no one should ever have to go through and we need to stand together to get these people behind bars to protect our own children.