Teacher's Unconventional Q&A with Seniors Reveals Insights on Privilege, Leadership, and Parenting Regrets

In an unconventional end-of-year tradition, a teacher known as 'Gibson is the name!' has been allowing her senior students to ask her a series of questions, fostering a unique environment of openness and vulnerability. The educator, who has taught these students for two years, sets a simple rule: questions must be 'mildly appropriate.' Among the questions posed, one student inquired about her least favorite student. While declining to name an individual, the teacher candidly described a category of students who fall into this group: "It's always the privileged kids who come from really solid households and backgrounds, don't have a lot of stressors in their lives, and for some reason think the rules don't apply to them and think that they're better than other people." She stated this was a "pass for me" to answer directly about a specific student. Another student asked about her all-time favorite president. Her response was immediate: Jimmy Carter. She elaborated, "Jimmy Carter seems to be the only truly good, kind human that I ever noticed becoming a president. I don't know how great he was at being a president, but he sure seems to have done a damn good job at being a person." Perhaps the most poignant question was about her biggest regret in life. The teacher revealed, "My biggest regret was bringing my ego into parenting my children. And instead of just letting them be who they wanted to be, I think I did a lot of trying to see them as a reflection of me when they were young and tried to get them to behave in certain ways so that they would be perceived by people in certain ways that reflected well on me." She concluded, "That wasn't okay. They needed to be themselves." This candid exchange highlights the evolving dynamics in education and the value of authentic connections between teachers and students, demonstrating how vulnerability can lead to deeper understanding and personal growth for all involved.