Is my teacher a pedophile?

Question

Well maybe not a pedophile because I'm 18 but I dont know any other word for it. okay im 18 and last year i was a freshman in college. i had a english teacher who is about 27 or so and i kinda feel uncomfortable when im alone with him like during office hours. like he stares me straight in the eyes when talking. and when i got up from my chair it felt like he stared me down. i felt soooo uncomfortable standing up and walking away. and during class sometimes he would make eye contact with me and i would look away because i felt uncomfortable. and now, he emailed me asking me about this grading assistant job like where i would have to spend a couple hours each week with me grading papers for another one of his classes. and during that email he told me how much of a great writer i am and compliments me on other "english related things". so am i just jumping to conclusions or am i right for feeling this way? if so, what should i do? help please

Answer 1

Actually because you are 18, both pedophile and ephebophile (likes teens) would be incorrect.  Being attracted to an 18 year old when one is 27 isn't a mental illness, but it does kind of make him a "pig."  Further, 27 and 18 year olds are in different phases of life, making their goals and priorities different and frequently incompatible.

That being said, he hasn't really done anything that makes it explicit that he is attracted to you.  You might be imagining things, he may just be weird when it comes to eye contact, or maybe he finds you attractive.  However, there is no need to be fearful of him unless you have some reason to think he is violent.  It's really just awkward.

Now, having a relationship with him would be highly inappropriate on the grounds that there is a disproportion of power:  He is a professor and you are a student.  If he were to make a overt sexual advance, it would be tantamount to sexual harassment, because he could cause you to fear that he will give you bad marks or do other things if you refuse him.  Of course, you could easily get him fired for that because it is almost always against university policy.

But if he isn't really coming on to you, I wouldn't worry about it.