My son’s teacher sounds like the man who hurt me

Dear Delyara, My son’s new teacher has the same deep voice and slow way of speaking as the man who abused me when I was a child. The teacher has done nothing wrong. He is patient, well-liked, and my son comes home excited about school. Still, whenever he says my name at pickup, my stomach tightens and my hands go cold. At the parent meeting, he closed the classroom door for privacy, and I nearly ran out. He noticed and opened it again without asking. Since then, I have made excuses to avoid school events. My son asked why I never volunteer in his class like other parents. I told him work is busy. The truth is, one innocent man’s voice has opened a room in my past that I spent years sealing shut. I feel ashamed because my fear is unfair to him and because fairness does not calm my body. Next month, the class is taking an overnight trip, and the teacher will be supervising. My son is desperate to go. I have signed the permission slip, but it is still in my bag. Every time I reach for it, I see a different man standing behind the same voice.