Case Study: Plan of Action

Dr. Angela DiNardo was exhausted. Friday afternoons were always filled with emergencies that could never wait until Monday. During her three years as assistant principal at Madison High School, Angela could not remember the last time she left her office before 5 p.m. Angela looked for her “homework folder” to place in her briefcase. This afternoon she would try to leave around 4 p.m. Her thoughts were interrupted when her secretary entered with a typed observation report to be signed.

This particular observation report was one that Dr. DiNardo enjoyed completing because it described and evaluated a lesson taught by Ted Tressler. Ted appeared to be the consummate professional. His students respected him and were extremely attentive in class. He constantly introduced innovative teaching methods into the health and physical education curriculum. The applied concepts taught in the classroom were transferred to real-life situations, motivating the students to do well in health class. The health teacher led his department in a concerted effort to modify teaching styles to increase student learning. For several of Mr. Tressler’s students, it was an unhappy time when the bell rang indicating the end of class. This was evident by the sad looks on their faces and the approach of some of them to Mr. Tressler’s desk to schedule additional time for tutoring. Interestingly enough, the majority of those students were female.

The administration had approached Ted several times during his five years at Madison, asking him to coach various teams throughout the seasons. Angela always questioned why he declined such opportunities, which could prove to be beneficial if he chose to apply for the athletic director’s position, the next logical career step for him. Although she was anxious to mentor her faculty, in this case Angela had never actually approached Ted about his unwillingness to coach. She assumed that his family responsibilities or his frequent tutoring sessions failed to allow him extra time in his schedule to coach. This was unfortunate, Angela thought.

The clock said 4:05 p.m. Dr. DiNardo knew her secretary expected her to have left five minutes ago and would not want to wait a minute longer to photocopy the observation report. Reviewing her suggestions for improvement, Angela recalled an incident that occurred toward the end of the class period she had observed. A female student had asked Mr. Tressler a legitimate question dealing with the curriculum. Immediately following his response, he added an unnecessary compliment that bordered on what Angela construed to be sexual harassment. The class period had gone so well and had been conducted in such a professional manner that she felt, at that time, that the phrase was reflective of the teacher’s expressive nature and dismissed any thoughts of mentioning this in written form. She hoped this was a good decision and one that her superintendent would have approved. Dr. DiNardo signed the observation report with little hesitation and handed it to her secretary. Happy Friday!

Angela always tried to plan her weekends so that her activities provided a balance between work and relaxation time. She was pleased that tonight was a fortieth birthday party for a long-time high school friend. It sounded as though it would be fun because Angela and her husband were told that they had to bring an interesting “gag” gift to get in the door, something that would help the friend cope with an anticipated “midlife crisis.”

The party was a surprise and would begin promptly at 7 p.m. Angela’s husband was away on business and would not be back  until just before the party, so it was left up to her, with less than two hours to spare, to purchase a gift, shower, and dress. Where could she go for a quick shopping excursion for a gag gift? Just then, Angela passed the Adult Fantasy Center. “Why not?” she thought. Something really silly from a place like that might just work. After all, her friend was a bit outrageous.

The Adult Fantasy Center was an establishment deemed by many to be offensive, presenting an eyesore to those living in the upscale Madison community. The store was situated just across the border between a squalid borough and the wealthy township of Madison. In fact, when it first opened, the Adult Fantasy Center had been rumored to have in the back of the store a red velvet curtain separating the legal business from unlawful endeavors. Several Madison community members had exhausted all efforts protesting the establishment, fearing that the escort service advertised was really a cover for an illegal prostitution ring. However, they had not succeeded because the store was not within their borders and nothing illegal had developed. Angela had no time to spare. Assuming she would not run into anyone she knew, Angela began her shopping expedition.

Ted Tressler knew that he was about 30 minutes late for work that evening. Friday nights were always busy. Steve would just have to understand. After all, on Wednesday night Ted had closed the store at 2 a.m. Teaching all day Thursday was difficult, but he had somehow coped. Who would have known how lucrative the “adult business” would be? Ted sighed. He initially agreed only to financially support Steve Wilkins in his business venture and serve as a silent partner. Steve really needed help from his old college roommate and, after all, if Ted could make as much money as Steve claimed was possible, how could he resist investing his inheritance from his grandmother’s will?

Ted’s wife knew the amount of money that the business was accruing and was pleasantly surprised herself. Putting three children through college was extremely expensive. The Adult Fantasy Center had been very busy lately, despite the strong opposition from the neighboring community. Fortunately, no one in Madison High School or that district was aware of Ted’s business venture. Not that he had anything to hide; from Ted’s perspective the business was entirely legal. But conservative society members might feel that his part-ownership of an adult center was indecorous, recognizing his position as a public school role model. Ted and his wife preferred that his second profession be kept a secret.

Ted’s thoughts stopped as he entered the parking lot of the store. The lot was not filled. This was a relief. As he entered, he noticed that the shipment of new CD-ROMs, which had arrived the previous afternoon, had not been shelved. He would have to speak to the new employee just hired last week and give better directions. He laughed to himself, wondering if a course at Madison High should be implemented stressing job responsibilities. The new employee had graduated from Madison four years before.

The rest of the store looked ready to go for the upcoming weekend. The videos were in place and other paraphernalia was restocked. Ted decided to look for Steve, whom he had somehow missed seeing all week. Ted hoped that Steve’s disappearance was not a hint of what might happen in the future. From the initial phases of this business venture, it was made clear that Steve and Ted were partners, but Ted felt as though he had already been doing more than his share.

I will only be a minute, Angela told herself. As she entered the store, she glanced around at the other customers and then at the merchandise. Not seeing any signs for a gift section, she began perusing what appeared to be infinite numbers of sexual paraphernalia. Angela was shopping with such strict focus and intent, wanting to understand the functions of the gadgets she was looking at and anxious to achieve her mission as soon as possible, that she almost did not hear the loud argument coming from the back of the store. As a result of her broken concentration Angela looked up, only to see Ted Tressler coming through the red velvet curtain. He turned and clearly recognized Angela. The embarrassment on both sides was overwhelming. Putting the merchandise back on the shelf, she said, “Hello, Ted. What are you doing here?”

Questions for Discussion

1. Are teachers role models for young people? For their students? Why or why not? If teachers are role models, is it acceptable for a teacher to be part-owner of an adult center? Is a teacher’s second profession anyone’s concern other than his or her own?

2. If the community became aware of Mr. Tressler’s second profession, might it believe that this profession would have an effect on his performance in the classroom? Would the students think of Mr. Tressler differently and view him in an entirely new light if they knew about his other job?

3. What about Dr. DiNardo’s role in finding out about Mr. Tressler’s second profession? How could she explain her own behavior with regard to shopping at the Adult Fantasy Center if those in power found out? How might Dr. DiNardo’s behavior affect her standing in the local community? Is an administrator exempt from the same kind of scrutiny as teachers?

4. Does the fact that Mr. Tressler has his own children to send to college affect the morality of his decision? Would your answer be different if it were clear that working in the Adult Fantasy Center was the only way that Mr. Tressler could make enough money to support his family? To educate his children?

5. What should Dr. DiNardo do? What would be in the best interests of the students? Would you see this decision differently if the principal were male? If Ted Tressler were female?