I read in the paper today about a past "Teacher of the Year" that plead guilty to sex abuse charges for having an inappropriate sexual relationship that lasted several months with a 16 year old student... and took place at the school. Wanna guess what his defense was in the case?
Depression, and according to him, he had also suffered from several blows to the head in the past that affected his thought processes.
Well, that may be all well and true in his particular case. Who am I to say for sure. BUT, it makes me wonder two things:
1) Was his thought process only messed up when it came to his sexual conduct? I mean he was evidently a great teacher. Good enough to get "Teacher of the Year" at least.
2) I have suffered from depression all of my life. If you are depressed, most times intimate relations are the last thing on your mind. Plus, a lot of times, if men are on medication, they suffer from side effects of those medications that interfere with that portion of their lives.
So, while I realize that we all are sinners in this place we call life, and I know that I have no right to place judgment on this man, I can't help but wish that this teacher could accept responsibility for his actions without bringing depression into the whole conversation.
If you have followed my blog at all, you know that I have several goals in my postings: To share the love of Christ, to help educate others about Mental Illness, and to hopefully alleviate the stigma of Mental Illness. So, when I hear about defenses like this teachers, it reminds of why the third goal is so difficult.
I must say in closing though, that as a Christian, I know in my heart that I must pray for this man (and the entire situation) regardless of my personal feelings. Only God knows what's in his heart (or brain).
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