LAKE CHARLES, LA—Students of high school social studies teacher Deborah Delong, 43, are taking note of some significant changes in the feedback they received on assignments over the last month.
Sometime in early March, word got out that then-Mrs. Delong was going through a divorce with her husband of 17 years. Her students were sympathetic, but Ms. Delong gave no sign that anything was amiss as she worked painstakingly with her attorney to ensure that the legal proceeding ended with her needs met. However, in the last week or so, now that the divorce has finalized, her students have noted a change in tone.
Trey Fletcher, 16, who plays wide receiver for the football team, explains that he first noticed the tone shift in a comment on his test given March 28th. "I got a C, which is pretty normal for me," Fletcher shared. "But usually she'll write up on the top something like, 'I know you can do better. Try taking more detailed notes.' Well, this time, she wrote, 'If only you had listened to me, even a little.' Man, I don't know what that's all about."
Other students noticed the difference on their assignments as well. Gemma Buchold, 17, noticed some strange feedback on a brief writing assignment of hers. "You're seeing what you want to see, Gemma. People are going to get hurt if you can't try to understand what they see and feel."
Although her written feedback has gotten strange, the teenage students have not noticed any changes in classroom behavior. "She's the same old Mrs. Delong, or Ms. now, I guess. But you'd never even know she was going through something if it weren't for the weird stuff she's writing."
Delong's freshman students have also noted a change in her feedback. 15-year-old Allyssa McHenry, who attends Delong's second-period class, states that there was a noticeable shift from her weekly quiz on March 20th to March 27th. "Look here. On March 20th, I got an A, and she wrote, 'Great work!' Then, on March 27th, I also got an A, but she wrote, 'I wish I could tell you that good things last, but they never do.' What the [expletive] is that?"
Generally, Delong's students are just planning on waiting out this phase. "I figure this is probably just her way of working through it," says Fletcher. "But if she's still doing this around Prom [May 5], then we might need to come up with some kind of intervention or something. Knock some sense into her."
When asked for comment on her recent feedback, Ms. Delong said, "Oh, I've got such a talented and promising group this year. So much potential there." She then sighed and looked off into the distance as she added, "Reality is going to come crashing down on them all too soon. I can't protect them any longer."