Run-ins with teachers send students running

Music pounds at Polly Esther's, a D.C. club, as a Blazer spins around the dance floor, escaping the stresses of the school day. Glancing around, she realizes that one face looks familiar. Embarrassed, she looks away. But not in a giggly schoolgirl way—this embarrassment is purely adult.

Social studies teacher Jeanne Tremonti steps off the dance floor, almost sure she has just recognized a student.
Tremonti and two other Blair teachers were at the seventies-style over-18 club two years ago when they caught sight of a boy they thought they'd seen in the halls of Blair. "I swear he was staring at us the next day like he knew us," says Tremonti.

Tremonti and other teachers may often feel awkward about running into students outside of school, but students are equally distressed when they run into faculty. According to an informal Silver Chips poll of 100 students, 69 percent remember seeing a teacher somewhere other than in school. None of these students claim to have enjoyed the experience.

Run-in rules

Teachers and students alike are unclear on proper run-in etiquette. Who approaches whom? Is it best for both parties to pretend not to see each other? Junior Andrew Shoenfeld feels that it is okay to say hello to teachers on occasion. "It depends on if you like the teacher," Shoenfeld explains. "If you don't like the teacher, you say little things under your breath and pretend it wasn't you."

In some cases, students simply can't ignore overzealous faculty members. "I was driving home," recalls junior Amanda Thornton, "and a teacher drove up beside me and started criticizing my driving."

In contrast, Tremonti says that she prefers not to exercise authority over her students after the school day has ended. "I try to remove myself when I'm not in school," she says.

Where the Bacardi at?

Tremonti believes that alcohol—whether consumed by teachers or students—makes run-ins a bit more confusing. At a Blair football game, she encountered students who had been drinking and wondered whether her responsibilities as a teacher should carry over into interactions after school. "I didn't know whether I should say something to somebody else, say something to them, or what," says Tremonti, who adds that she did end up issuing a warning. "I said something along the lines of, ‘You should be a little more careful with what you do on school grounds,'" Tremonti says.

Students can be just as uncomfortable when it's the teachers who are drinking. Junior Nardos Bellete and her friend were at a Mexican restaurant and bar when several Blair staff members arrived. "The whole social studies department just rolled up on the bar," Bellete says. Bellete and her friend chose to pretend they didn't know the teachers.

Media teacher John Goldman reminisces about an incident in which he and social studies teacher James Mogge saw senior Eli Roth while they were enjoying a happy hour at Bennigan's in Rockville. Goldman says he dealt with the situation by turning it into a joke at Roth's expense. "We called him over and made fun of him for a while," says Goldman.

Mogge thinks some students are surprised to find teachers in social hot spots because they don't understand that teachers have lives too. "I don't think students have a clear picture of what we do outside of school," Mogge says.

Tremonti also believes that students think of teachers as a domesticated breed. "They think we all go home and have children and husbands and stay at home," says Tremonti. "Not true," she adds decisively.

As Mogge and Tremonti suggest, many students do not recognize that plenty of teachers have busy social lives. "They're teachers," says senior Michelle Peralta. "They should be old and grumpy and stay home and watch CNN all day."

Despite the awkwardness many suffer, some teachers have no problem with the out-of-school encounters. "I think teaching is being in the community and the classroom," says Mogge. "So I feel comfortable running into students."

Social studies teacher Lansing Freeman concurs. "Although we have a very specific relationship at school, we're all regular people outside of school," Freeman says. "If I happen to run into students living their lives as I am living mine, I'm happy to see them. I consider that an opportunity to learn more about them."
Tremonti believes that seeing students outside of school also gives the students a chance to see a friendlier side of teachers. "I think it makes people realize that we're a little more human," she says.