ScarletRose:

What about alcohol and tobacco? I think that if a teacher is a role model, then a teacher who smokes or drinks is a poor role model. Everyone agrees that a teacher who uses illegal drugs is not a role model but a bad example. What if children said: "I want to smoke just like my math teacher"? A teacher get s prescription for oxycontin from a doctor. Now the teacher uses oxycontin pills every day. That is an illegal abuse of prescription medication. Another teacher is caught smoking marihuana, and another is using crack. Then one teacher is injecting himself with heroin, and another with anabolic steroids. Each of those drugs is different. Should there be distincitons between drugs: legal, semi-legal, illegal. What about other addictions such as gambling addiction, sex addiction, even TV and food can be addictive. If a teacher is caught gambling, should he be fired? I think it is complex.