I am a Civics and Moral Education teacher with 7 years of teaching experience under my belt. I belong to a prominent secondary school and each week I greet classes of students with the teachings of embedding civics and moral in one. But on the weekends and in my spare time, I steal. I’m a kleptomaniac and nobody knows. I nick school stationary, I steal from the library but I especially have a special craving for stationary stores.
Even though I am a CME teacher, I have uncontrolled kleptomaniac tendencies in the weekends.
How I became a kleptomaniac
It all began 20 years ago at the tender age of 7. I borrowed my friend’s storybook to read. Then I slipped it into my bag and the next day claimed that I had already returned it to her. My friend’s parents blamed her for being careless and she was puzzled for a long time about the whole thing.
From then on, I started stealing. Candy, bookmarks and such were my targets. Gradually, my stolen treasures got more. It wasn’t that I couldn’t afford. But the thrill of taking something that’s not mine and not paying for it, grew from there and now, is just blissful.
I have also taken things out of the school library. It’s really not that hard. Teachers are never checked and I guess I’m confident of that. Besides if I’m ever stopped I can always use the excuse “oops, stress. I totally forgot I’m supposed to zap it!” Ha! My mother always said I should have been a lawyer.
My weekends usually consist of window shopping and nicking small items. I love locking myself in my room at the end of the day and laying my ‘treasures’ out on the bed and fingering them. I haven’t been caught but perhaps so many years of experience have taught me how to avoid any form of detection.
The priciest stolen good I have is a CD I nicked 10 years ago from one of the music stores in Far East Plaza. It’s my prized item. I still haven’t removed the plastic wrapper on it. I look at it whenever I’m feeling down and it’s the one thing that is bound to lift my spirits.
The Hypocrite
Am I one?
I may teach the students ethics and all but nobody said I have to be perfect myself. When you chide your child for lying, are you completely innocent of it yourself? I don’t have to lead by example. I have never once condoned stealing to my students. Rather, I draw up famous robbers from around the world and have the class look at how it can tarnish a person’s reputation.
I am now pregnant with my first child. My husband has no clue about this side of me. Like I said, nobody knows. Not my family. Not my friends. I will definitely bring up my child with the right morals and nothing of stealing will ever be shown as good to her or him. But that also doesn’t mean I will stop this habit.
I once read a report on a kleptomaniac who started to change her ways after therapy. Will I be going to one anytime soon? No. I don’t believe in that. I’m a klepto by choice – I can stop anytime I want to, but just don’t want to right now.
*Names have been changed to protect the identity of the writer.
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