There are so many issues associated with the recent episode at South Florida State College as reported in FutureU that I had to separate items that, for the purpose of this commentary, were less important to get to the matter that is most important.

That said, I do not mean to underscore their importance. Indeed, each of the following issues merits further attention. It’s just that I will not focus on any of them in this commentary.

Less important: The educational requirements for the position of president of South Florida State College were lowered so that Mr. Fred Hawkins, who has no advanced degree, would qualify for the presidency.

Less important: The FSC student felt that the short story Bettering Myself  by Ottessa Moshfegh “made me a bit uncomfortable.”

Vinita Prabhakar (photo courtesy Michael S. Roth on X

Less important: The short story has won acclaim and awards, and that Vinita  Prabhakar, the instructor, has successfully taught it for ten or so years.

Fred Hawkins had served previously as a Florida State legislator (photo courtesy FOX 13 Tampa Bay

Less important: Mr. Hawkins, according to the lawsuit filed by Ms. Prabhakar, told her that he would not want his college-age daughter to read the story.

Less important: Mr. Hawkins fired the teacher who assigned the story, Vinita Prabhakar, without a formal complaint.

Less important: Ms. Prabhakar apologized to Mr. Hawkins and promised to teach only materials in the school textbook.

While all of the above matter a great deal — legally, educationally, and ethically — the issue most important for me is: What are we teaching our students?

Not familiar with the short story, I found it online and printed its 11 double-sided pages, about 4500 words. Here’s what I read.

Miss Mooney, the narrator, teaches math prep for the SAT in a New York City Catholic high school. She is a divorced alcoholic, lapsed Catholic who discusses sex with her students. She also changes the answers on her students’ standardized tests to make her teaching look good. Later in the story, her ex-husband comes to town and invites her to dinner, over which he offers her money to stop calling him. She agrees to his sum, and from there her life changes.

After reading the story, I can appreciate that a student in a first-year college English class would be a “bit uncomfortable.” But, again, that’s not a focal point of this commentary.

Years ago, when I was the only father available to coach a middle school basketball team, another parent, Pete, showed me how to teach the girls to move the ball downcourt against older and bigger players. “Use a triangle, Roger,” he told me. “It spreads out the defenders, and the girls can make quick passes to move the ball,” he said.

In basketball, I found triangles worked great, just as they do in many human interactions. They can spread out, or they can unite. I learned early on as a school administrator that when a parent came to complain about a teacher, the teacher had to be present for unity to occur, which would likely benefit the student.

Courtesy FOX 13 Tampa Bay

But what has unintentionally been taught here at South Florida State College (and other institutions) is that a student who might feel a “bit uncomfortable” is encouraged to complain to authorities instead of approaching their teacher to express their legitimate feelings.

I understand that the “power dynamic” heavily favors the teacher in most situations, especially in ones like this. I also understand that learning to “speak truth to power” is a valuable life skill that is best learned by practicing it.

I suspect if this student had met with Ms. Prabhakar to discuss their feelings, perhaps they would have both come away better for the discussion. Instead, Mr. Hawkins has created an unsteady two-legged triangle that mis-teaches and harms all involved, including the institution.

Once again, it seems we have cheated our students by teaching them that going to anyone other than their teacher is the first avenue of complaint about anything that causes discomfort.

But being uncomfortable can cause one to change their position on a matter, which, in education, is a good thing.