Teacher suspended over myspace.com
Moms View Message Board: The Kitchen Table (Debating Board): Teacher suspended over myspace.com
I think I have the right website but it's the site where kids post photos of themselves and journal and stuff like that.
Well, anyway in my hometown one of the middle schools suspended a teacher because her psycho ex-boyfriend took intimate photos he had taken of her and emailed them to students at her school. He found the students on this particular website (a very scary thought). I feel so bad for her. She will most likely get fired and be blacklisted. The ex-boyfriend is facing a bunch of criminal charges and rightfully so. He deserves everything that is coming to him. My nephew goes to this school and she is one of the best teachers there. The kids adore her. The parents are angry with her because they feel she should be a role model in and out of the classroom which I think is wrong. I understand their anger but I think it’s geared toward the wrong person. What she does in her personal life is her business and no one else’s as long as she hasn’t committed any crimes. She is only guilty of having poor judgment. As far as I know, nothing criminal was portrayed in the photographs, so what's the big deal (children receiving naked photos of an adult is wrong! - so please don't take this the wrong way!). I am sure when the photos were taken at the time she had no idea that this jerk would email them to students at her work just because she ended the relationship.
This is a tough one. I can totally understand the parents wanting the teachers to be a role model, but we're all adults, and what we do in the privacy of our bedrooms is our business. It's not like she intended for those photos to be seen by anyone but her and her ex. It would be different if she posted them, but she didn't do anything wrong. I really agree with you here, they are being unfair, it's a sad situation, and I'm sure she's sufficiently humiliated, I hope her ex gets some severe punishment.
Other than showing a lack of wisdom in allowing her ex to take intimate pictures of her, the teacher did nothing wrong, but sadly, she will pay a high price for that small lapse of wisdom. Yes, parents "expect" teachers to be role models on and off the job - and I agree that that is an unreasonable expectation, as long as the teacher is doing nothing illegal or publicly doing something in poor judgment (like being a stripper or dancer in a club, or joining the Hell's Angels).
I hope they throw the book at this guy.
But, you have got to know that this has gone through the whole school, and will affect her ability to teach the kids. Some of them will always be snickering about the photos, and by now every kid with access to the internet (and every parent) has seen them. I can understand the school board suspending her (with pay, I trust). It may well be that she will have to move to a different school or even a different school district in the end, because I do think her ability to teach these kids will be affected by this. And if there is a trial, she will have to testify and the trial itself can generate publicity that will be bad for her and her ability to teach kids in that area.
I just think it's so sad that she will lose her job over this. I do agree that it would be in her best interest as well as her students that she leave the school and teach elsewhere but there are parents who want her fired and not be allowed to teach anywhere.
Ditto Ginny.
Other than showing a lack of wisdom in allowing her ex to take intimate pictures of her, the teacher did nothing wrong, but sadly, she will pay a high price for that small lapse of wisdom. Yes, parents "expect" teachers to be role models on and off the job - and I agree that that is an unreasonable expectation, as long as the teacher is doing nothing illegal or publicly doing something in poor judgment (like being a stripper or dancer in a club, or joining the Hell's Angels).
As a former teacher myself, I was VERY careful not to do anything that could tarnish my reputation and/or jeopardize my teaching career. Nude photos is definitely in that category. Regardless of career, it's just not wise to create any photos, video or anything in writing that could possibly come back to bite you in the butt!
As a former teacher, too, you try but honestly having intimate pics taken of myself would never have crossed my mind. People need to understand that the teacher is also a person, who has a life outside of school that involves NORMAL things. If it's not affecting the lives of children, her teaching abilities, or her professionalism then it shouldn't matter.
Just for me, the one thing I NEVER did was go to bars in my hometown because all of my parents were between 20-30 and were partiers. I did not want them seeing me because they would have just wanted to get drunk with me anyway! (That was just the clientele at my school.) I also tried to watch my language in public where I might see my kids. (I tend to have a foul mouth, of which I'm sure my former parents and kids would drop dead to find out about!)
It's very unfair. It's one of those professions where ultimately you're overworked, underpaid, and every move you make is up for criticism. All major reasons why people entering the field of education is drastically dropping. The ones who go into it (like myself) really have a passion for it to take/put up with the BS.
One of my former principals had a staff Christmas party in her home where alcohol was available. She was reprimanded by the administration, which I found highly unfair. The administration felt it was not a "professional atmosphere". Heck no! It's a Christmas party and out of town at that! You can't make one wrong move (and get caught) or you're done. Really unfair.
I feel terrible for this teacher. Her career is ruined AND her reputation over something silly that is no one else's business. I hope the boyfriend gets his punishment. He should be made to publicly apologize (yeah right), but he should be.
Ditto!
This reminds me of the NYC police officer who posed for Playboy years ago. She, at least, had signed a contract that spelled out the kind of behavior she could engage in on duty and off while on the force.
If the teacher did not have as part of her contract some kind of "morality" clause, and she has tenure, then I really don't know on what grounds she can be fired.
I agree, it would probably be best if she left and taught elsewhere, with a good recomendation from the principal as to her professional ability.
Ame
I remember that case too Ame. Didn't she sue to get her job back or something?
I'm sure this teacher can't be fired but she will most likely be blacklisted which is sort of the same thing.
I admire anyone who enters the education field. Just like Deanna mentioned, overworked, underpaid, and underappreciated, who would want that position?
All i can say is I am an adult and I am not a teacher- but even I know not to do stupid stuff like this that can come back to haunt you???!!! I would be particularly anal about it if I were a teacher of young kids. I am guessing she has learned a tough lesson here.
OMG!! We can't pre-plan all of our would-be mistakes in life because of our later professional life. Conni-Respectfully, you've never done anything that you shouldn't have or that someone else might find "wrong"? I really can't believe anyone would fault this teacher for what she does in her personal life.
I can guarantee you I've done PLENTY that if my students or parents knew about it they would be very unhappy and I'm sure some of them would not want me to teach because some people are like that. Confessions: Do you think they would want to know I've been drunk and flashed cars on the street? Or that I had sex outside of marriage?? Or that I have driven drunk? Some of them would not. You can bet I was NOT thinking of my teaching career when I did those among many other things. This teacher did not post these pictures anywhere, her slime of an ex-boyfriend did. Maybe she has a poor choice in men, but certainly she did NOTHING wrong IMO.
I agree with deanna. I guess I don't think it is in poor choice to let your intimate partner take photos of you (let the record state I have never had my photos taken..lol). But I guess I would want to know more. Like were they just of her nude, or what she being very kinky, were they recent pictures. Also I guess I want to believe that she let him take photos for his sake and really had no idea that he planned on sharing. I think we probably don't have the full story. To throw it to the other side, if she was photographed in a public place, with more than one partner, etc. Those things would change my mind. She apparently does have poor choice in partners!
As a teacher here also, i too signed a morality clause. But when I think morals, it never crossed my mind not to have intimate relations with my husband who I love and trust. I never drank out in public though and never made out in public either, that breaks the moral clause for me!
But aren't teachers allowed to have a private life?
Those photos of her were taken by her boyfriend (now ex)and from what my sister has told me, they were really innocent.
I never signed a morality clause as a teacher and thank goodness I didn't have to because I wouldn't have. And that's saying a lot becasue teaching is my passion and really one of the top reasons I feel I was put on this Earth. That's ridiculous IMO.
And frankly, if someone took her pics (with her consent) in the middle of an orgy it's STILL her private business IMO. No, that's not my thing, but honestly if we knew what everyone did in their bedrooms we might all have different friends, don't you think? My best friend mgiht be into something that is appalling to me, but I'll never know because it's not my business and it doesn't affect me.
Kaye- exactly what you said "breaks the moral clause for me" is so true. The moral clause is different for everyone, so whose morals are we going to base this so-called "moral clause" on, you know? There are a whole bunch of people (like myself)who would see this case and say "Who cares? So she let her bfriend take her pic nude. Whooppee", along with whole group of people who find this to be breaking some moral code. We don't always know what religion our teachers are, we just know how we feel about the job they do as teachers of our children. That's what's important.
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