Teacher suspended for writing "loser" on girl's paper

[pam]

Appropriate or not? Special circumstances okay? Your thoughts?

Anderson Cooper 360: Blog Archive - Teacher suspended for writing "loser" on girl's papers « - Blogs from CNN.com

[prisonchaplain]

He crossed the line and should have been given a reprimand, and perhaps three days suspension. Two weeks seems pretty excessive, given the context. I also have to wonder why the parents did not first contact the teacher himself, or even the principal. Straight to the Superintendant??? Pretty vindicative, given that the student did not take it hard. However, educators, like parents, aren't to be the students' buddies, but rather their mentors.

Also, did we catch that the administration, and the students, have known of the teacher's antics for some time??? Real world stuff though. Standards slip and slide, and then someone gets slammed, and always cries, "But it's been this way for awhile."

[talisyn]

Loser is too big of a word for him to use on an 11 year old. Plain and simple. Maybe 'ninny' would have been better.

[SMG]

Not professional. But I don't think it's worthy of suspending and losing 2 weeks pay. He wrote an apology and it was not meant in a mean spirited way. I don't think the punishment fits the "crime." At the same time, you have to wonder about an educator who doesn't stop to think that maybe such a comment could cause offense to a student or parent.

[jonni]

A parent accused Enka Middle School teacher Rex Roland of writing "-20% for being a LOSER" on an assignment done by her daughter, after she had already complained about him writing the word "loser" on previous assignments.

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Edited November 2, 2010 by jonni

[Wingnut]

As a former elementary school "loser" myself, the one shining moment of my sixth grade year being when my teacher stood up to the class in my behalf (which had never happened in the previous three years with any of my previous 4 teachers), I can say that for a teacher to call a student a "loser" even in a joking manner, is entirely inappropriate.

[Carl62]

From what I understand of this, the teacher was writing 'loser' on the papers of students who were getting nearly perfect or perfect test scores as a joke. That's why the girl, who's parents were the ones who complained about this, actually laughed at seeing 'loser' written at the top of her paper. If this was a student who was doing terrible and the 'loser' remark had been written, then I could see a reason for complaining. I think some parents actually like to try and make issues of very miniscule things simply because they want to show schools and teachers that they have some kind of "authority" over them. As someone who has a sister who is a schoolteacher, I've heard many horror stories from her about the way parents like to show their muscle over very little things. I think in the case of the 'loser' student, some parents need to lighten up just a bit.

[RachelleDrew]

Good grief. It was a joke. What kind of pansy is your kid going to grow up to be if mommy and daddy swoop in every time they are offended by a joke?

The girl had an almost perfect score on a test. This was obviously satire. I can't stand it when parents baby their children. For the record though, the teacher had already been asked to stop once. He should have been smart enough to knock it off after he had already been told to. If for no other reason than to just not hear the parents whine about it anymore.

Now this girl is going to face far worse problems from the kids at school. What's more emotionally scarring, getting called a "loser" by one person, or an entire school of peers knocking on you because you are responsible for getting a teacher that they all love suspended? This girl is going to find out very quickly what real cruelty is. Kids are jerks, and they will make sure that she feels like crap for the teacher getting suspended.

This over-sensitivity thing is getting obnoxious. I had teachers and peers call me far worse growing up, and it wasn't done jokingly. I'm not scarred for life due to it. Geez.

[Moksha]

Did you know kids use this expression all the time? The context in which something is said or done must be taken into account, otherwise so very many things in life could be misrepresented and blown out of shape. For instance, what if I told you about a Bishop that takes young girls into his office? Would it matter to you if you knew the context, and how this was a perfectly normal thing for one in his position to do? I would hope so.

What do we know? They were joking. Being called a loser must have had something to do with the topic at hand and was part of the joke. The teacher, the student and the others all perceived it as a joke. Those who did not, were the ones not in on the context. Is it proper for an adult to engage in a childish context? Depends on whether they wish to be an effective educator or simply a stick in the mud. Wait till the students are older and more refined, like at BYU, and then worry about teachers helping to short sheet beds or adding gelatin to cold toilet water - all perennial Zoobie activities.

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[talisyn]

Well, joke or no, if a teacher called my daughter a loser I'd probably have a nice, polite, grown-up discussion with him/her. I believe the suspension was because he had been warned once to cease and desist at least in the child's case.

[annewandering]

Some jokes are not funny. He was told to stop and he didn't. It might be the in thing but some in things are still hurful.

Loser is not something to call anyone let alone a student.

When you are building a person self respect you dont call them loser or any other derogatory word.

Let them call your kids loser and lets see how much you laugh.

[Drac]

Wow, I think the school district overreacted a bit here. As the article mentioned the kids thought it was funny and seemed to like the teacher, knowing the teacher was just joking around.

My high school teachers called us all kinds of things, and for the most part they were right, even though they were joking around as well. As others have mentioned, with all the crap kids have to put up with other students, a teacher joking around with the kids is the least of their worries. This article just confirms that schools are babying children way too much, and parents complaining about stupid things are ruining schools. Teachers can't fail students in there classes or "OH NOO!! THE PARENTS ARE COMPLAINING." or "YOU'LL RUIN THE CHILD'S SOCIAL HEALTH."

Edited March 23, 2010 by Drac

[talisyn]

Teachers are expected to have certain professional standards of behavior.

[prisonchaplain]

Perhaps we'd all agree that the teacher could have been my cautious. IMHO, he'd used his approach for quite awhile, may have had the occasional complaint, but students liked him, and the Administration did not consider it serious. This parent did, asked him to stop, and he ignored the admonition, based largely on his history of success with it.

In the real world, sometimes that'll bite. So, as I suggested before, he takes a hit. But two-weeks??? That's probably a $2500 penalty. If he'd never even been officially reprimanded before, that's excessive. How many of us haven't said something, or even written something, we thought was funny, but later regreted. Usually we have to apologize, and endure our supervisor's displeasure for awhile. But how many of us would not suffer significantly at a sudden two-week's loss in wages? Plus, such a reprimand remains in the records, and may well impede his career permanently.

[aruth5000]

coming from someone that is still in school ... teachers do stuff like that all the time... me and my friends call each other far worse things then that just as a joke... it's become a normal thing so to speak.... and from the sounds of it its her parents not her that seem to care about it... since when were children not aloud to stick up for themselves.

[Elgama]

Just because something is normal doesn't make it right, and actually I feel its a term that should never cross a teachers mind when in school. He is there to be a teacher and its perfectly possible for a teacher to be an exceptional teacher and relate to the children he is teaching without becoming one of them. Its not just the impact it has on the children he writes on the assignment of its also the impact it will have knowing about it on those that are struggling it highlights how he sees them

[marts1]

My favourite teacher was a fella who brought himself down to our level in grade 7. He would joke around quite a bit with us and made school fun. I don't remember anyone suffering for this.

[FunkyTown]

Perhaps we'd all agree that the teacher could have been my cautious. IMHO, he'd used his approach for quite awhile, may have had the occasional complaint, but students liked him, and the Administration did not consider it serious. This parent did, asked him to stop, and he ignored the admonition, based largely on his history of success with it.

In the real world, sometimes that'll bite. So, as I suggested before, he takes a hit. But two-weeks??? That's probably a $2500 penalty. If he'd never even been officially reprimanded before, that's excessive. How many of us haven't said something, or even written something, we thought was funny, but later regreted. Usually we have to apologize, and endure our supervisor's displeasure for awhile. But how many of us would not suffer significantly at a sudden two-week's loss in wages? Plus, such a reprimand remains in the records, and may well impede his career permanently.

Teachers in the US earn between 60-70K/year? That's FANTASTIC. I'm getting myself a teaching degree!

[prisonchaplain]

Teachers in the US earn between 60-70K/year? That's FANTASTIC. I'm getting myself a teaching degree!

If a teacher lives in a high cost of living area, has a Master's Degree, and over 10-15 years experience, then, yes, it's quite probable s/he's in the $60K a year range--quite low, given the education level, and private-sector pay for similar requirements.

[prisonchaplain]

Just because something is normal doesn't make it right, and actually I feel its a term that should never cross a teachers mind when in school. He is there to be a teacher and its perfectly possible for a teacher to be an exceptional teacher and relate to the children he is teaching without becoming one of them. Its not just the impact it has on the children he writes on the assignment of its also the impact it will have knowing about it on those that are struggling it highlights how he sees them

I don't necessarily disagree with this. However, even the most professional "boundaries-aware" instructor, might occasionally use childish humor for effect. No? The proper English teacher who says, "Ain't AIN'T a word?" The use of "Loser" in such an ironic way?

It seems to me that most of this teacher's strongest critics keep equating his actions with sharp insults towards vunerable students. Or, the figure he's wholesale trying to be a friend rather than the teacher. Considering his success, my guess his that his use of this type of humor is ironic, occasional, and never targeted towards a fragile student.

And yet, I still agree that given the past warning, something was due him. Just saying--this was an overreaction.

[RachelleDrew]

Let them call your kids loser and lets see how much you laugh.

I WOULD laugh were it in the context of the situation.

If it weren't, and the teacher was just being hateful i'd tell my son to suck it up because sometimes people are rude. I wouldn't run to the principal in tears because my son's delicate ego had been offended.

[Elgama]

It seems to me that most of this teacher's strongest critics keep equating his actions with sharp insults towards vunerable students. Or, the figure he's wholesale trying to be a friend rather than the teacher. Considering his success, my guess his that his use of this type of humor is ironic, occasional, and never targeted towards a fragile student.

And yet, I still agree that given the past warning, something was due him. Just saying--this was an overreaction.

it might be an overreaction my concern is an adult should not be perpetuating language that can so easily used for bullying - its so easy for those it is used with jokingly to then turn round and use it seriously to another student

If it weren't, and the teacher was just being hateful i'd tell my son to suck it up because sometimes people are rude. I wouldn't run to the principal in tears because my son's delicate ego had been offended.

I don't think an adult bullying a child is ever acceptable - my daughter was treated like this by a teacher at church, its one thing to expect a child to stand up to there peers but they have no power to do so with a teacher that is their parents job

[Carl62]

I don't think an adult bullying a child is ever acceptable - my daughter was treated like this by a teacher at church, its one thing to expect a child to stand up to there peers but they have no power to do so with a teacher that is their parents job

Agree! It's funny how we'd expect our children to just "suck it up" when something like this is said in a serious context, yet if this happened to us as adults, would we be so fast to merely let it go? I highly doubt it.

[NeuroTypical]

I was so incredibly happy when I finally got to college and nonsense like this went away.

My statistics professor was a hoot. He was single in his early '30's, and would often use self-depricating humor about his dating life in the classroom. He asked us to come up with a bar, line, and pie graph. So I gave him a bar graph tracking the number of dates he got from bars, casinos, bail bondsmen offices, and graveyards. The line chart tracked the average age of his dates over time (they got younger every year). The pie graph mapped out the reasons his dates gave him for not having a 2nd date. (The details get funnier every time I tell this story, but I've got the main points down.)

He returned the paper covered with his red pen marks, all sorts of insults like "worst student ever", "-1000%", and "you fail".

I got an A in his class. One of the few that really meant something to me.

Yeah, such things shouldn't happen in government schools where children are forced by law to attend.

LM

[marts1]

Agree! It's funny how we'd expect our children to just "suck it up" when something like this is said in a serious context, yet if this happened to us as adults, would we be so fast to merely let it go? I highly doubt it.

What serious context..did you read the story...the kids were all laughing about it...it was a joke!