I like doing anonymous question time every so often. I get good questions. Things about: what kind of personality do I hope my kid will have. When did I lose my virginity. What is the hardest thing I went through as a kid. Touchy hard things to ask about sex. And today I was asked when does hitting become abuse. The kid qualified that he or she doesn’t get hit that much, but sometimes it gets kind of out of hand.

I really value this time because sometimes I am asked stupid questions, but I can tell that the kids store up these things they are afraid to ask about. I’m always painfully honest. (I didn’t give them an exact age on losing my virginity but I pointed out that some people measure from losing the hymen but I believe that virginity goes when you first *choose* to have sex. I told them that I was younger than I hope will be true for them and I made the decision then because I had a bad childhood and believed that was the way to get someone to like me. I said that I hope they have a better sense of self-esteem than that because they all deserve better.) The question about hitting lead to a very serious and intense conversation about abuse and how to get out of it. I expressed that the person who submitted the question is brave for being willing to ask, even in an anonymous setting. I talked about how much shame and guilt exists around this topic and why people tend to feel guilty. I told them about the process for reporting abuse and what will happen to them if they do report it and why going through that is worth it.

They were very intense as they listened. I was impressed. I think this is one of the best things I do as a teacher. I’m going to miss this.

And I told them about the tattoo. They are stunned.