Teacher Creepin’

In the past several months, Ms. Bengtson has had not just one, but several girls ask her where she’ll be delivering her baby so they can “stalk” her.  One girl even offered to drive her to the hospital when she went into labor.

Ms. Cafazza recalls how she once saw two students at a beach in Santa Cruz, and four years later one of the girls said, “Hey Mrs. Cafazza, remember when I ran into you at the beach and you were in a bikini?”

Ms. Ford has had similar encounters outside of school. “I have had kids standing up in a full movie theater and yelling ‘Hey, Ms. Ford!’ waving their arms frantically and on the Truckee river floating down the river yelling, ‘Hi, Ms. Ford. I have you for Photo next year…yahooooo!’”

And Mr. Mumper tells about a recent incident in Civics class when he was role-playing a Supreme Court Justice, and the first question asked was if he was dating another teacher at school. “Honestly,” he asks, “Who cares?”

Mr. Mumper has a point. Why do we care? And yet in interview after interview, teachers had stories to tell of students who cared an awful lot about their personal lives.  Students refer to their “obsessions” with teachers in a joking manner—in fact, 19 of the 20 interviewed said they simply admire their teachers and the way they teach—but many teachers are bemused by all the attention.

So the question is, what’s causing this intense curiosity about our teachers’ lives?

Not Obsessed, Just Bored

It appears that a great deal of student interest in teachers is driven by boredom.  Though the benefits of single-sex schools are clear, it’s also true that with no boys to focus on, and even a lack of fashion to talk about due to uniforms, girls often turn to the next best distraction— teachers.

“Being a teacher at Presentation is like being a low paid celebrity,” joked Mr. Pistacchi.

He’s right, of course.  It seems like sometimes Presentation teachers are a stand-in for perezhilton.com, with students gossiping about what teachers are wearing, where they were seen outside of school and why they might be in a bad mood.

The lack of boys on campus contributes not only to gossip, but to an intrusive intereste in a teacher, both male and female.  While male teachers tend to be the recipients of more romantically fueled curiosity, female teachers can also serve as objects of interest for teenage girls, who often look up to the teacher as someone she would like to emulate someday.

These behaviors, while sometimes annoying to teachers, are normal among teenage girls, and can even be beneficial, according to an article from msnbc.com.  “A crush can even help the learning process because the student is likely hanging on the teacher’s every word. It can drive those students to work a little harder in class in an attempt to impress the teacher,” says Thomas Cottle, a clinical psychologist and professor of education at Boston University.

Is the Campus a Fishbowl?

Students admit to being intensely curious about teachers and learn quite a lot about their habits and preferences simply by observing them.  The size and structure of Presentation could also be the reason.

Presentation’s campus is much smaller than many campuses around the San Jose area. “We have a small student body, so the students are closer to the teachers because they have them for multiple classes throughout their high school education,” suggests Ms. Bengtson.

Another difference is that the campus is mostly indoors. “At Leland [where I went to high school], it is open so you don’t see teachers roaming the halls. Here, you see when I go to the restroom or when I eat an apple or when I’m talking to another teacher,” said Mrs. Bengtson.

Accordingly, she says, she gets lots of questions from students about who her friends are at school, what they do when they hang out, and where they go.

Obsessed with Technology?

It’s also tough to not be overly interested in others when technology today makes it so easy.  A common habit in our generation is technology overuse. People spend over 700 billion minutes per month on Facebook. Presentation is no exception to this online activity.

Our 700 billion minutes include lurking, stalking (the benign kind), and following hourly status updates of friends. Several students interviewed also admitted to looking up which teachers are on Facebook, even though Presentation’s policy states that teachers and students can’t be Facebook friends.

Perhaps because they didn’t have access to ever-present technology, our current teachers did not experience this “obsession” with their own teachers. “I never thought of my teachers as actual human beings. It was almost as if they appeared out of the wall to teach and then walked back into a closet after class,” said Ms. Bengtson.

Cell phones with cameras have only added to the creepy obsession. Ms. Carr, who is assistant coach to the swim team,  said, “I have had students and swimming team members take photos in front of my house after looking up where I lived in the directory. They then send the photo to their teammates.”

A Culture of Oversharing

Let’s face it; in the age of Oprah and reality TV, we’ve lost touch with what information should be shared and what should be private.  This can lead to the blurring of boundaries between teachers and students because both sides are sharing information that should really only be shared with good friends.

With Presentation’s culture of collegiality between students and teachers, sometimes knowing who’s a friend can be confusing.  Yet, as Ms. Erickson says, “There is a major difference between being friendly and being friends.”

It is in the area of oversharing where teachers are perhaps just as guilty as students.  It can be difficult to know what information is OK to share, although some teachers draw the line quite clearly.  “There are only two reasons why a student should know personal information,” suggested Ms. Cobarrubia. “One is because a teacher used the information to connect to a topic in class. Two is in personal dialogue if a student asks for help with personal issues and the teacher responds with personal experiences to relate. There is a difference between knowing information through a student-teacher relationship and a creepy obsession.”

Presentation is known for its strong relationships between students and teachers, and no one wants that to change. With that, there are boundaries that need to be established, especially given Pres students’ nosiness about teachers. Know that teachers’ lives are separate from the ones that happen at Presentation. Their dating lives, marriages, their friends on the faculty, and their weekend plans should all be off limits.

Presentation has a wonderful community with students who genuinely like their teachers.  The new teachers over the past couple of years have even said the transition was made easier by knowing that the enthusiastic students cared about them.

Ultimately, no one knows if it’s technology, over-sharing or Pres’ small size that causes students’ sometimes excessive interest in their teachers,  but there is a solution. As Ms. Erickson says, “A major part of being young women and adolescents is learning boundaries.”

iPod Psychoanalysis: Mr. Mumper

This month’s installment of iPod Psychoanalysis is featuring one of Pres’s favorite Civics/AP Gov teachers, Mr. Mumper. Most of you may not be familiar with these artists, but do not be afraid. Although many of the bands have “interesting” names, they were found to actually quite good once listened to. These indie/rock songs off his iPod will allow us to delve deeper into the mind of Mr. Mumper.

“No Image,” Blue Sky Death (instrumental)

Although this song is instrumental it really tells us a lot about Mr. Mumper. Firstly, the name of the band is originally a phrase used when skydiving, alluding to the beauty of it and the possibility of death. This could mean that Mr. Mumper is secretly an adrenaline junkie who enjoys jumping out of perfectly good airplanes in his spare time. The only line that can be understood in this song is “there are no palm trees,” perhaps suggesting that Mr. Mumper is in need of a tropical vacation. Too bad school has just started; he is going to have to wait a while for that vacation.

“Local Natives,” Airplanes

This song was a bit hard to analyze but the lyrics, “The desk where you sit inside of a
frame made of wood” and “When you taught abroad” led to the assumption that Mr. Mumper was destined to be a teacher. And with all his classes this year, he has no shortage of teaching time. References to chopsticks and traveling to Japan lead us to believe that Mr. Mumper may be ready for a trip abroad. Maybe a new school trip will result from this. Does a trip to Tokyo interest anyone?

“Young San Francisco,” Boy in Static

This song displays a love for the city just an hour away. It accurately describes the city life, the shoreline, the streets, and the generally cold weather. San Francisco is a very interesting and fun city and we can understand Mr. Mumper’s fascination with the atmosphere of the city. But this could also mean that Mr. Mumper would like to live there someday, after he retires from Pres, of course.  Also San Francisco is known for eclectic fashion, which would explain some of Mr. Mumper’s wardrobe choices, i.e. the skinny jeans, plaid shirts, and boat shoes (no longer converse).

“Go Do,” Jonsi

This song is written and sung by the guitarist/lead singer of the Icelandic indie-rock group Sigur Ros (see below). This song is in English and the lyrics are telling people to literally “Go Do.” This song is about living life to the fullest, or Carpe Diem, the theme that can be tied to any poem, novel, or short story. Maybe Mr. Mumper could have been an English teacher as well. One of the best lines in this song is “We should always know that we can do anything.”  Inspirational Mr. Mumper…just inspirational.

“Untitled #4,” Sigur Ros

This song was very bizarre because it is not written in English. Even though it is a bit frustrating having no idea what the song is about, it is very calming and has very soothing background music. This explains that Mr. Mumper is a very “chill,” go with the flow kind of person, which is one quality that makes him one of the school’s favorite teachers. Whatever “í sayr lon” means, we hope this helps some of you come to better understand the mind of the civics/AP gov teacher that we all see walking the halls with his plaid shirts and glasses.

A Collection of Thoughts from Black and White

By Tanya Padgaonkar, Special Sections Editor

A Perspective from a Chaperone…

Hey everyone, Mr. Mumper here. I’ve dreaded it for all of October, and now it’s finally here. Black and White. Someone please rescue me? Actually, no, it’s alright. I can do this, with this handy-dandy checklist in hand. Okay, so…

Flashlight: check.

Detention slips: check.

Protective gear…? Er, check?

I think…I think I’m ready.

But the moment I walk into the Hollywood themed gym, I know I’m in for a long night filled with sweaty teenagers, but (hopefully?) maybe a little bit of fun for myself too. I’d have to say though, the coolest thing I’ve seen all night was the crowd of boys and girls jerking and break dancing to the song “You’re a Jerk.”

Well, I guess people seem to be having fun. Standing atop a large ladder with a flashlight isn’t exactly my ideal Saturday night… I wish there was some Hawaiian music on. But at least the kids seem to like the DJ since they are singing along with almost every song. I’m not sure why the majority of the people seem to be in the middle of the gym though, since the foyer has spiffy looking card tables and there are refreshments outside. CI and NAHS really managed to incorporate the Hollywood theme into everything, from the decorations to the movie of old Hollywood films in the background, they thought of everything.

But apart from that, the whole experience is making me a little bit sad. I’m not in high school anymore! I can’t dance or even go to these things without a legitimate alibi. You know, I’m actually pretty impressed with all of these girls though. I’m supposed to be checking for drugs, alcohol, etc. and I haven’t found anything! Hey, these are actually some pretty good quotes. I’ll have to be sure to keep these and other positive Pres-related thoughts in mind in case one of those yearbook or newspaper students comes to interview me. Mr. Case warned me about them before I left. Now, where’s that checklist of mine?

By Angelia Tran, Business Manager

A Perspective from a Pres girl’s date…

Name:  Jonathon Stutchman

High school:  Saratoga High School

Grade: 12

Mission: Black and White Charity Ball at Presentation High School

Thoughts: Presentation is a typical private school, small, only females, and not too exciting.  The dance will be kind of boring, not many people will be dancing, and there will be chaperones patrolling. But I told Ivy Nguyen I would go since she’s a senior and it’ll be her last Black and White.

October 24^th 2009: It begins…

Preparation: 30 minutes to get ready and dressed. I must remember to wear something that matches lots of things to be safe since Ivy isn’t sure which dress to wear.

Mission begins: We are meeting at one of Ivy’s friend’s house for pictures and such. Perhaps I will meet other dates. I have a feeling I’ll be with them for the rest of the night. Then time for dinner! Ivy says we’re splitting the bill at Pasta Pamadora.

7:45 PM: Dinner is done and now at Presentation. The beginning of this dance is awkward since no one is dancing. This is typical of dances though, so, hopefully, things will improve. For now there are other things to do, like take professional pictures and play blackjack. How nice.

9 PM: For the most part, the music is pretty good.  The DJ isn’t too amazing, but I’ve been to dances with much worse. Actually, this dance isn’t too bad and not too different from the ones I have gone to before.  The only difference is, typically at schools like mine, there aren’t so many cops…and the chaperones usually aren’t so strict about the dancing.

11 PM: Time to leave. Wow, they really want us off campus fast. That’s different.

Notes: I didn’t think that the gym would be so big, and didn’t know that the school was really nice looking.  Also there was a lot more sports awards in the gym than I thought would be at a private girls school.  I really like the people though; they weren’t at all how I pictured.  They seem a lot more real and fun than previously thought.  Also there were more of them than I had thought.

A Perspective from a Police Officer…

Matt Christian and his brother are police officers, but their high school alma mater is Mitty. Still they came to Presentation, teenage stereotypes put aside, to chaperone the Black and White Charity Ball, the first for Matt who has only chaperoned other Presentation events such as the Mother-Daughter Breakfast. Unlike his experiences at Mitty, Matt found the Bellarmine boys to more well-behaved than he had thought and the Pres girls pretty decent. He was even further impressed with the charity aspect of Black and White as the proceeds of the night are given to Sacred Heart. Also, there were no incidents as he checked the parking lots and the rest of the campus for any criminal activity, critical or minor, to keep those on campus that night safe. The only safety breach came when some local neighborhoods kids hiding out at St. Chris managed to soak some students with water balloons as they were leaving the dance. While he and the other officers had rushed over, there was no one there. So, sadly, while the night had gone well otherwise, there was a casualty that night – a girl’s chic dress.