Over the past five years that I have taught high school - first art, now design - I have found that the students often educate me more than I educate them. I have several students who have directed me towards books, movies and music. As a married father of two young children, I don't get out much anymore. The students keep me linked to the real world.

As a design educator, I find that I am responsible for establishing links to the past with these kids - and sometimes that means referencing the present and surmising about the future. That said, we sometimes appoach that razor line between appropriate and inappropriate subject matter. However, I've been very careful not to teeter over to the "dark side". I'll be of no use to my students if I'm kicked out into the gutter.

The proper way of introducing this material to an interested and advanced student would have been to show it to her, tell her where she could get her own copy and leave it to her to make the decision of whether or not to own it and bring it home. Exposure to this material isn't detrimental to anyone - but giving it to a student who is under 18 can surely be viewed as creepy at best.

Also, I have constant contact with several of my student's parents. If obtaining a personal copy wasn't an option for this student, then perhaps asking permission of the parents would have been a more appropriate choice. No matter their age, these students are still children and most of the time need to be handled as such.

I don't believe that dismissal was the correct answer here. As a society, we are too quick to suspect malfeasance on the part of our authority figures - politicians, teachers and priests alike. The truth of the matter - that most teachers do what they do because they enjoy teaching - is too boring for people to handle, so they jump all over the smallest infraction in judgment.

As a simple rule of thumb, be careful whenever you are considering introducing anything even slightly controversial in your classroom or to your children or their friends. The truth of it is that most people can't handle it - they weren't educated all that well.