Mother wants teacher who called her daughter a loser to be let go

[IDrinkaRum]

Teacher Rex Roland says he wrote the word "loser" on the girl's assignment as his way of bonding with his students - many of them are academically gifted

I don't care if they make Albert Einstein look like the village idiot. No teacher should be allowed to call a student a loser fo any reason.

The student within the past week has received over a 100 threatening text messages because she doesn't like Mr. Roland's way of teaching and the other students do. The student's mother had to take her daughter out of school.

[Rageaholic]

I read about this. Bonding with the students? I've heard some BS from teachers before, but that seals the deal.

I do wonder though, what is it that other students like about this teacher? He has his obvious flaws, but he must be doing something right.

[joe hx]

I do wonder though, what is it that other students like about this teacher? He has his obvious flaws, but he must be doing something right.

Maybe he's picking on the same kids they are?

[MaggieTheCat]

This guy sounds a bit like the band teacher I had in high school. He would do things that were rather controversial for a teacher, such as swear during class (and not just "tame" words like hell or damn; he frequently used bitch and fuck during his lessons) and throw things, like pencils and conductor's batons, at students when they didn't perform up to his standards. My mom and I reported him for this (and other) behavior multiple times to everyone from other teachers, to guidance counselors, to the principal, to the superintendent, and nothing was ever done about it. Like this girl, I was ridiculed by other students for complaining about the band director, and when I eventually quit band because I was so fed up with the director's attitude, other students threatened and bullied me over it. A lot of students loved the guy, for reasons I could never understand until later.

I do wonder though, what is it that other students like about this teacher? He has his obvious flaws, but he must be doing something right.

I'll tell you what the band director did "right" to get so many kids to like him: He threw parties at his house where he passed out illegal drugs and alcohol to minors. When he got one or two doped up enough that they'd pass out, he raped them. This all came out a year or two after I graduated high school, and the bastard went to jail for 7 years for it. I'm not saying that the teacher in the OP is doing anything quite that extreme, but it does prove that just because a teacher is popular and kids like him, doesn't mean he's doing anything right.

[elsporko]

I work with teenagers. The thing with bonding with them like that is you have to be well aware of their limits and sensitive areas. This teacher was trying something understandable but he apparently isn't good at knowing when it is okay and when it isn't.

[Rageaholic]

Maggie, I remember reading about that band teacher. He sounded like a real jackass. Hmm, it makes sense though. The teacher that encourges bullying gets loved by the bullies and feared by the non bullies. I forgot how mean kids can be.

[NateSean]

I work with teenagers. The thing with bonding with them like that is you have to be well aware of their limits and sensitive areas. This teacher was trying something understandable but he apparently isn't good at knowing when it is okay and when it isn't.

The same goes for anyone in any workplace really. And that's what it comes down to. For a kid, school is school. For a teacher, school is the workplace.

I've had too many teachers who got away with murder because off a number of BS reasons provided by the administrative staff and while I don't believe the teacher should be fired for one incident, I do believe they should at least be reprimanded and made to set an example for these students who will eventually go into the working world.

[Fryk]

I don't know about "let go". I think that's a bit reactionary. But he should be observed and investigated.

[Gravekeeper]

Important Question: Does the girl like the teacher? Or did mom just see her assignment and have a "precious snowflake" shit fit like it sounds like she is.

Whats causing more damage to her daughter's learning process? A teacher's bad joke or her making this a national spectacle, causing her daughter to be utterly ostracized by her peers? >.>

The guy seems to have a ton of student and parent support. He must be doing something right in some category. Also would it have become this sort of shit storm around the poor kid if mom wasn't on a crusade to get the guy suspended/fired over it? Probably not, no.

Was it right of the teacher? Debatable. I've had teachers that gave us nicknames and joked around with us before, I liked those teachers because they were easier to approach and relate too. Still, if its that big a problem, reprimand the guy and move on. Does she have to go on a crusade, turn it into a national spectacle and drag her daughter through all of it? No.

Grats, you have your daughter's name, town, school she went too and picture on the news and the internet so the whole world can weigh in and those that disapprove can harass her/you too. Way to go. You've probably scarred her for life.

[elsporko]

I've read studies that pointed out that buillying is often validated by teachers, not always on purpose, but a teacher who picks on a kid makes it clear to the others that it is okay. Calling somebody a loser when they aren't okay with it is picking on them. Like somebody else said maybe the teacher is popular because the teacher bullies the same kids they do.

[AdminAssistant]

Another reason while I will never ever ever teach K-12. I bullshit with my students all the time. I would never insult them, but I will also never be put in a position where Mommy Dearest has a say in my employment.

[Greenday]

Important Question: Does the girl like the teacher? Or did mom just see her assignment and have a "precious snowflake" shit fit like it sounds like she is.

Whats causing more damage to her daughter's learning process? A teacher's bad joke or her making this a national spectacle, causing her daughter to be utterly ostracized by her peers? >.>

The guy seems to have a ton of student and parent support. He must be doing something right in some category. Also would it have become this sort of shit storm around the poor kid if mom wasn't on a crusade to get the guy suspended/fired over it? Probably not, no.

Was it right of the teacher? Debatable. I've had teachers that gave us nicknames and joked around with us before, I liked those teachers because they were easier to approach and relate too. Still, if its that big a problem, reprimand the guy and move on. Does she have to go on a crusade, turn it into a national spectacle and drag her daughter through all of it? No.

Grats, you have your daughter's name, town, school she went too and picture on the news and the internet so the whole world can weigh in and those that disapprove can harass her/you too. Way to go. You've probably scarred her for life.

Well, since I loved every second of your post, I just had to quote the whole thing. I'm glad at least ONE person read the article. It's the MOTHER who has the problem, not the daughter. The daughter likes the teacher. And now because her mom is acting so uptight, her daughter is the one paying for it. The teacher wasn't doing anything demeaning or rude. He was just having fun with the students and the students all understood it for what it was - joking around.

[Savannah]

Actually, Greenday, I didn't see anything in the article about whether the daughter likes the teacher or not. In fact, as I was reading the article, I was struck by how silent it was on the daughter's views. So we don't really know; she could hate the teacher and be allowing her mother to take the strong stand so that she doesn't have to open herself to more bullying by saying she hates him. At the same time, she could love him and be really pissed at her mom.

[Gravekeeper]

So we don't really know; she could hate the teacher and be allowing her mother to take the strong stand so that she doesn't have to open herself to more bullying by saying she hates him. At the same time, she could love him and be really pissed at her mom.

Frankly, judging from mom, anything the kid has said one way or another so far has probably be swallowed in the maelstorm. I highly doubt mom's paying any attention to daughter's opinion at this point.

Latest update says the guy has been suspended for 2 weeks without pay to undergo some sort of sensitivity training bullshit. Yet again proving it doesn't matter whose right or wrong, only who screeches loud enough to the media. So she's successfully ruined her daughter's life and the guy's previously spotless 12 year career.

Brilliant. They're going to have to move to find some place this poor child can go back to school now and considering her face has been plastered across the national news, it better be some place far away.

[elsporko]

This is terrible. We all know the right response in situations like this is to allow the teacher and other students to bully the obvious weirdo. She must not have minded the bullying too much since she never brought a gun to school or even made a death threat. When are we going to learn to stop babying students who expect teachers to not bully them? Don't they realize that teachers get bored and maintaining a professional demeanor is hard?