This was no "horseplay", like the convicted teacher claimed. Something like this is more than just bullying; it's outright torturing.
The superintendent is not genuinely horrified by the incident. He said this was an isolated incident. What would make any other areas different? He quickly said the teacher's career was 18 months old. If he was a teacher for just this amount of time and already directs something like this, you can tell he is not fit for the job.
He claimed this needed a significant reaction "and that's what we did". So...he did not fire the teacher or even get the police department involved and fine/jail him, but just moved him somewhere else. What will this do for the teacher? He won't feel aptly sorry for the incident! He won't think something like this is strong enough for punishment. And what about the children involved in the abuse? When a teacher allows them to carry on with this behavior, they will certainly think bullying like this is okay! No punishment of any sort took place.
They don't often fire teachers short of sexual harassment because of a magical concept called tenure. It virtually guarantees a teachers job for life. Started out as a nice concept in the 60s to protect university professors from being fired for political reasons but it is ridiculously transposed to the school systems now. Teachers can be lazy, don't teach, horrendous, mean, unsuited, but no one dares to or even can fire them. That's why each year, schools transfer their worse teachers out, in a hope that the mess they can get in return isn't as awful. District superintendents have no power to change this. Why? The teachers unions are amongst the most powerful.
But this isn't a case of suspected sexual harrassment, it's a documented case of teacher showing not only bullying but what could be constituted as sexual assault, I fail to understand how this man's coworkers didn't call for his termination and arrest alongside the parents. And to be quite honest, I would rather that children be home schooled that let people like this continue to teach.
He quickly said the teacher's career was 18 months old.
Just double checked this, the teacher had an eighteen year career not eighteen month. Regardless, this far exceeds anything that could be described as horseplay.
Actor Matt Damon attended a teacher's union rally. During an interview, the cameraman asked Damon if the bottom performing teachers in schools should be fired. Damon, as bright as a wet match, replied, "Maybe you're a crappy cameraman, should you be fired?" The cameraman probably wanted to say "If I truly was a bad cameraman, then yes, I should be replaced with someone who is more capable. Your point is?" Sadly, what Damon said was so unbelievably stupid, I'm not surprised the cameraman didn't have a response. I was in shock too.
I watched Good Will Hunting a long time ago and liked it. I tried to watch it again, but Damon pissed me off so much I just couldn't stand it. After hearing such a blatantly stupid comment, I just don't even know. He might be smart in non-political areas, but I don't care. Sorry, needed to vent some.
They don't often fire teachers short of sexual harassment because of a magical concept called tenure. It virtually guarantees a teachers job for life
Not necessarily, I had a teacher that went to a party with some students (there were no drugs involved, though there was some drinking) and was fired the minute our school found out about it. Nothing "sexual" was involved, the teacher was just hanging out with students (while doin light drinking)
This man, on the other hand, not only leads an entire class into bullying another child, but obviously emotionally scarred that kid (the kid became suicidal over the incident!), and the punishment he gets is the same as moving a dog into another carpeted room because the dog peed on the carpet of the room it was in before!
I don't understand why people have this belief that efforts should be made to ensure that you keep your job even when you're terrible at it. Particularly in a case where they're actually influencing our society's future. Thank fully I can say with complete confidence that all of my teachers in high-school were at the very least competent if not excellent. Unfortunately not everyone was that lucky, particularly in the case of those who were taught by the sports coach who was a teacher for no other reason than that the school simply couldn't hire them as a coach.
This doesn't apply to all such teachers, as I had one or two that were capable, however the horror stories I heard about others made me serious consider the emphasis my school in particular was placing on education over sports.
I don't understand why people have this belief that efforts should be made to ensure that you keep your job even when you're terrible at it. Particularly in a case where they're actually influencing our society's future. Thank fully I can say with complete confidence that all of my teachers in high-school were at the very least competent if not excellent. Unfortunately not everyone was that lucky, particularly in the case of those who were taught by the sports coach who was a teacher for no other reason than that the school simply couldn't hire them as a
It used to apply in the past when working conditions were really horrendous and the workers were jut exploited; unions were needed back then. Now, they can be a major hindrance towards reform and hauling overs. If anyone is interested, Waiting For Superman is quite a good watch on the crazily that Americas education has become. Also watch the movies critiquing it; they might lampoon it's intricacies, but they too highlighting sorry state of education.
I remember hearing about Waiting for Superman, I never got the chance to watch it though, I'll have to hunt it down now. The past is the past, let it remain there, and honestly, I feel like teaching is the one of those places where the competition ought to be cut throat, let them be paid a lot and may the best teacher win. Although I have the ****edest feeling that this would result in teachers forging standardized test scores. Which is a rant in and of itself.
Schools tend to downplay every incident that happens.
There was a restraining order in which one student at my school wasn't allowed to be within a certain number of feet from a friend of mine. The school informed my friend's parents that they were allowing the one student back in school. They stated that the student was allowed on school grounds, despite the restraining order, as if the school was above the law. I'm not a lawyer, but I'm pretty sure that was a load of crap. Luckily, my friend was going to give the school permission to allow him to come back. Unfortunately, the school made that call, not my friend.
There was a restraining order in which one student at my school wasn't allowed to be within a certain number of feet from a friend of mine. The school informed my friend's parents that they were allowing the one student back in school. They stated that the student was allowed on school grounds, despite the restraining order, as if the school was above the law. I'm not a lawyer, but I'm pretty sure that was a load of crap. Luckily, my friend was going to give the school permission to allow him to come back. Unfortunately, the school made that call, not my friend.
I am pretty sure judges usually make that call, I don't know much about restraining orders but from what I hear they can't stop you from going to work, school, or other such necessities. Blaming the school for it doesn't sound correct. Or relevant.
I remember hearing about Waiting for Superman, I never got the chance to watch it though, I'll have to hunt it down now. The past is the past, let it remain there, and honestly, I feel like teaching is the one of those places where the competition ought to be cut throat, let them be paid a lot and may the best teacher win. Although I have the ****edest feeling that this would result in teachers forging standardized test scores. Which is a rant in and of itself.
They tries to do it in the Capital; introduce huge bonuses based on merit; but the unions didn't even want to vote. The unions need to be castrated first, as Thatcher showed rather ruthlessly.
I know teacher's Unions are big in places like new york, but in texas, that concept is almost unheard of. the teachers where I live don't often get fired for poor performance, but they sure as hell get fired for anything that could tarnish the image of the district.
I don't know about you, but unions are great when needed, but they become a pain afterwards because they stonewall everything that doesn't guarantee them absolute benefit.
This happened to a friend of mine back in 2003 when I was 15, nothing happened to the teacher. But, a month later that same friend did the same times 2 to the teacher. So why don't this kid just do the same? No matter if he's an adult, numbers beat size and strength (and age in this situation). They can't throw the kid(s) out of the school because the school did nothing about the teacher.
Revenge is a mistress, and a mistress that is giving herself out easily too.
