Teaching Profession

Things Get Awkward for Teacher at a San Antonio Spurs Game

By Ross Brenneman — December 18, 2015 1 min read
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At a San Antonio Spurs game this Tuesday, two attendees found themselves in the repeated crosshairs of the oft-dreaded Kiss Cam. They did not want to kiss. The Kiss Cam did not want to leave them alone. The Kiss Cam has one job, after all, and would not be denied:

The couple in question: San Antonio 1st grade teacher Kristin Hinojosa and golf coach Kyle Collins. And they were indeed a couple—kissing was not, one can imagine, a new step in their relationship. But as Hinojosa explained to SBNation.com on Thursday, she spurned the public’s desire for smooches for a simple reason: As a teacher, she felt uncomfortable about the possibility of any of her students bearing witness:

I’m a teacher, so my first thought always is: are there students around?” she said. “You always see kids out as a teacher. What am I wearing? What am I holding? That kind of thing. So that was my first thought: Don’t do this!” The dodge, she says, happened because she was thinking of her students. “I thought, if I have kids here, that’s inappropriate. I wouldn’t want my teacher kissing on the screen. I teach first grade, so they’re all 6 and 7 and they think kissing is gross.”

In the beginning, God created the school, and then created the Teacher, who would never be allowed outside the school. How can a teacher possibly be out at a movie? Or an ice skating rink? “Is that Mrs. Smith, at the grocery store?!” children might wonder, unaware of their 6th grade science teacher’s natural dependence on nutrients and vitamins.

This Kiss Cam episode is far from the first instance I’ve ever heard of these kinds of circumstances. How often does being a teacher mean limiting your public persona?

I’m curious about any related stories you might have as an educator. Date night interrupted? Spotted getting rowdy at a sports bar? Feel free to share in the comments.

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A version of this news article first appeared in the Teaching Now blog.