Sharing Secrets Slowly: Issues of Classroom Self-Disclosure Raised by Student Sex Workers

Many teachers find experiential teaching methods useful for discussing emotional and controversial topics such as sexual identity or family violence. These methods, many of which include self-disclosure in the classroom, can break down the barriers between students and the social world. We explore the classroom management of student self-disclosure of sensitive topics drawing on our experiences teaching sociology at a large, urban university in which a number of students used their employment in the sex industry as springboards into class projects. Students' concerns with peer disapproval and the processes through which they disclosed their involvement in the sex industry raised several pedagogical and ethical issues that have not yet been addressed in the self-disclosure literature. We examine a number of difficulties with students disclosing information partially, either to teachers or to a few classmates, on classroom dynamics and teacher-student interactions. Finally, we evaluate a number of strategies, such as hidden involvement, fictitious informant, and full disclosure, for managing self-disclosure in the sociology classroom, and we discuss additional steps that teachers can take to address sensitive topics in class.