Teachers as Moral Exemplars

We ended class last week or perhaps two classes ago with a statement from Dr. Pope that teachers are help up as moral exemplars for their students. This is an awesome and uncomfortable proposition all at once for me and I still haven't come to terms with the implications of the statement.

I understand that students will look to me as an example for all that occurs within the classroom. As a Girl Scout leader, I am in the same situation whenever I am participating in a Girl Scout event.

My discomfort comes when I consider the implications of being a moral exemplar when I am not in these roles. For example, if I am at Festifun in Fort Mill or at the Come See Me festival in Rock Hill, or any other public event, do I need to try to conceal the alcoholic beverage that may be in my hand if I happen to see one of my students or scouts? what if I am participating in an outdoor event or happen to be on the lake or at the beach, in any case dressed in attire that would not be worn in front of the students or scouts - am I somehow obligated to try to cover up? I say pah! to that idea. And yet from the cases that have been reviewed in class, a photo of me with a beverage in my hand or dressed in a way that would not be appropriate in school could appear on the web or in the school, through the efforts of others, and thereby cost me my teaching job and/or my scouting leadership position. I don't think it is fair to hold teachers to standards that 'normal' adults are not accountable for, and then I remember that fairness does not have anything to do with any 'ism' in ethics. I feel violated.