Teaching "Physical Education"

For decades, male teachers have had to take great cautions to protect themselves against false claims of inappropriate behavior toward the female students lest their names become plastered all over the local (and depending on the circumstances, state or national) media. Those teachers who actually did involve themselves in inappropriate activity were faced with public humiliation, loss of their careers, and even jail time. Most were sentenced to time in state prison.

Prior to "the age of the scandal" which began around the time of Watergate in 1974, an offending teacher was more likely quietly let go and perhaps moved to another town to live his life, perhaps legitimately, perhaps not. The school wasn't interested in the negative publicity, the offending teacher wasn't interested in becoming the subject of a lot of "talk" or a stain on his career, so everyone involved (excepting the victim) would oftentimes just sort of make it all "go away".

But these were the male teachers. What of the female teachers?

In 1986, when I was a sophomore in high-school, a fellow male student began having a sexual affair with a young female teacher. In fact, we were both in her class together during the time of the transgressions. Rumors started to circulate, starting in the football locker room as I recall, that the aforementioned student and teacher were "involved". The rumors then started to become whispers around the entire school - that So-and-so was sleeping with Miss So-and-so.

Then, finally, the day came when Miss So-and-so wasn't in class and was substituted with an older male teacher who introduced himself as our "substitute for the remainder of the semester". When asked what happened to Miss So-and-so, the substitute claimed not to know why she was no longer teaching at the school, only that he was asked to take over her classes immediately.

The offending student was conspicuously absent as well...for a few days anyway...until he returned looking slightly less animated than before and unwilling to talk about any of the events that had transpired. An energetic and animated kid, he returned after all that quiet and to himself.

And that was it. Teacher: gone. Student: tight-lipped.

That was then.

Today the stories of female teachers sleeping with male, and sometimes female, students hit the news cycle hard and fast. People eat up the stories about pretty young English or science or math teachers seducing 13, 14, 15 year old boys and all the crazy things that they "allegedly" do with them.

This week's story involves one Christine A. McCallum, an English teacher, of Rockland, Mass., who seduced a 13-year old boy and, according to the boy, had sex with him at least 300 times over the course of 18 months. Police have found evidence to prosecute McCallum, 29, for at least seven of these acts of congress of which they can produce proof of their having sex together. In Massachusetts, the charge against her is statutory rape, which under Massachusetts state law (M.G.L. c.265, sec. 13B - Indecent assault and battery on child under fourteen) states that:

Whoever commits an indecent assault and battery on a child under the age of fourteen shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for not more than ten years, or by imprisonment in a jail or house of correction for not more than two and one-half years; and whoever commits a second or subsequent such offense shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for life or any term of years; provided, however, that a prosecution commenced under the provisions of this section shall not be placed on file or continued without a finding.

No person serving a sentence for a second or subsequent such offense shall be eligible for furlough, temporary release, or education, training or employment programs established outside a correctional facility until such person shall have served two-thirds of such minimum sentence or if such person has two or more sentences to be served otherwise than concurrently, two-thirds of the aggregate of the minimum terms of such several sentences.

In other words, Mrs. McCallum isn't going to be quietly let go and told to find a job outside of the field of education. Things have changed for teachers, male or female, who have sex with their students.

Regardless, these stories are commonplace in the news today. Although the vast majority of teachers, male and female, are 100% legitimate in their code of ethics, those who aren't are being prosecuted at an alarming rate. The cause of this, I believe, is the internet. Text messages, e-mails, IMs - all are being used to prosecute offending teachers, whereas before these methods of communication were possible, only letters and recorded conversations could be used as evidence against an offender.

Here in Michigan, teacher Kristen Patrick (neé Margrif) was prosecuted for having sex with a 16-year old boy dozens of times. Although the age of consent in Michigan is 16, it becomes 18 if the older party is in a position of authority. Patrick was sentenced to three counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct which were reduced to three counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct, a misdemeanor, when she remained out of trouble for a year.

Elizabeth Marie Miklosovic, now 40, of South Haven, Mich. is serving 6-25 years in prison for "marrying" a 15-year old female student (who insisted that the relationship was consensual) in a pagan ceremony at a state park in Van Buren County.

A simple Google search will net hundreds of stories like these. There are dozens of web sites dedicated to following the cases of teacher-pedophiles.

Perhaps Miss Miklosovic should have consulted with Kristen Patrick and waited until the girl turned 16. Or the rest of us who suggest 18 to be a better age to start sexing people up. One year in age made the difference between probation and a long stay in prison. Three years difference would have resulted in a legal, although ethically questionable (due to the age difference), relationship between an 18-year old woman and a 40-year old woman.


The Robert Scott Correctional Facility in Plymouth.
Michigan's maximum security women's prison.

After being sentenced in 2005, Elizabeth Miklosovic will be eligible for parole on October 7, 2010. Kristen Patrick is on probation in Tuscola County, Michigan. Christine McCallum faces up to life in prison if convicted. All will remain on their state's sex offender registry for life.

My, how things have changed over the years.