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The Confusing Thing About Dating Your High School Teacher
On the thin line between ‘appropriate’ and ‘inappropriate’ relationships
Shortly after I graduated high school, I entered into an intense, years-long romantic relationship with one of my high school teachers.
When I think about that time in my life, my brain sometimes shouts, “Fuck yeah! I dated my teacher! Rock on!” Other times, my brain concedes, “What the fuck were you thinking? Dating your teacher is not okay!”
Sometimes one voice is a little louder than the other, but at the end of the day, I still don’t know which one is right. And until I know, I’m afraid I’m stuck thinking about it year after year after year. It’s not because I was hurt or damaged by him. It’s not because I haven’t gone on to have other healthy and satisfying relationships. It’s not because I’m ashamed or embarrassed or because I’m still in love with him.
Sometimes I feel like I need to talk about it with someone. But I almost never do, and I’m not sure why. In lots of ways, it was a normal, healthy relationship. So why do I feel like I need to keep it hidden? Why does it feel like a skeleton — albeit a very small one, like a squirrel or muskrat’s — that I carry around in my back pocket?
