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Thursday, February 17, 2011

Ethics / Schools Teacher Bad-Mouths Students on Blog, Hilarity/Sadness Ensues

Posted by Charmaine Pritchett on Thu, Feb 17, 2011 at 2:13 PM

Pennsylvania high school teacher Natalie Munroe was just exercising her first amendment right as she as she began her day in August of 2009, confessing to her hatred of her job on her personal blog.

“I’m being a renegade right now, living on the edge and, um, blogging AT work," Munroe wrote. "However, as I’m blogging about work stuff, I give myself a free pass of conscience.” The timestamp on her post was 9:01 am.

“When I was first teaching, I put a lot of time and effort into [report card] comments because I felt it was a great way to communicate the students’ efforts. Then it got to be a complete pain in the ass, just one more thing standing between me and being done with the report cards, and suddenly I realized why I’d always gotten the same comments from my teachers: they didn’t want to do them any more than I do,” she wrote.

“Also, as the kids get worse and worse, I find that the canned comments don’t accurately express my true sentiments about them. So now I pretty much choose ‘Cooperative in Class’ for every kid (or, in some instances, will speak in other codes. For instance, if they talk a lot, I’ll put ‘is easily distracted’ or ‘talks persistently’; if it’s a kid that has no personality, I’ll put ‘ability to work independently’). For some kids, though, my scornful feelings reach such fever pitch that I have a hard time even putting ‘cooperative in class’ and have, sadly, had some kids for which none of the comments fit.”

It's probably not the best decision ever to express such candor about your hatred for your government job online where millions of people have access to it. But people have a right to feel how they decide to feel, and express that. Right?

Munroe didn't reveal her name or the school's on her blog, but it was somehow discovered by her students this past week (didn't see that one coming), which has resulted in her suspension from her job.

People responded that if she's unhappy with her job, she shouldn't work there. I thought that was ridiculous. In my opinion, work is work, and life outside of that involves free speech. She doesn't deserve to be suspended. The comments she wrote that she wanted to say about her students couldn't be that bad, right?

Hold on. Here's her list of comments Munroe confessed to wishing to be able to say in her report cards:

• “Concerned your kid is automaton, as she just sits there emotionless for an entire 90 minutes, staring into the abyss, never volunteering to speak or do anything.”

• “Too smart for her own good and refuses to play the school ‘game’ such that she’ll never live up to her true potential here.”

• “Seems smarter than she actually is.”

• “Has no business being in Honors.”

• “A complete and utter jerk in all ways. Although academically OK, your child has no other redeeming qualities.”

• “Lazy.”

• “Shy isn’t cute in 11th grade; it’s annoying. Must learn to advocate for himself instead of having Mommy do it.”

• “Dunderhead.”

• “Nowhere near as good as her sibling. Are you sure they’re related?”

• “Rat-like.”

• “Frightfully dim.”

• “Just as bad as his sibling. Don’t you know how to raise kids?”

• “Dresses like a streetwalker.”

• “Whiny, simpering grade-grubber with an unrealistically high perception of own ability level.”

The same day Munroe wrote the post, another woman, presumably a friend, wrote a comment to encourage her, “My fave: Gimme an A.I.R.H.E.A.D. What’s that spell? Your kid!”

On one hand, it's human nature. We aren't always going to be happy with where we are, we aren't going to like everyone we come into contact with. (Even if they're kids.) But on the other, Munroe went through how many years of schooling? And she's teaching your kid about how to prepare for life, even though she doesn't give a fuck about them? How about not.

 

Comments (10) RSS

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1
I LOVE when people say "if you don't like it, don't work there."

It's neat to see what nonsense pops out of a person before they've considered a suitable reason that makes any sense. That is, a reason to explain the result they already arrived at (i.e. "I don't like this person").
Posted by Commenty Colin on February 17, 2011 at 2:31 PM · Report
2
Oh come on, we all knew each and every one of those kids in high school. I tended to fit a few categories, including seems-smarter-than-is and nowhere-near-as-good-as-sibling.
Posted by ($8239f8h248cerfehjf23@&*@ebdjhb23f237OCDBO#BD*(# on February 17, 2011 at 2:52 PM · Report
3
I had teachers who said this sort of thing OPENLY about students.
At least this was (semi)anonymous.
Posted by jakeaaron on February 17, 2011 at 3:20 PM · Report
4

'And she's teaching your kid about how to prepare for life"

That is the problem, parents dump their kids off at a school expecting the school to privide the necessary lessons/structure/skills to get them through life. Nope, that is the parents job.
Posted by gloworm on February 17, 2011 at 4:12 PM · Report
5
The suspension seems unfair, BUT she doesn't sound like any sort of good teacher at all...blogging when she should be teaching, her attitude about the comments section of report cards.
She's become a lazy teacher.
She talks about the kids getting worse and worse, but is what she is really seeing is her own change in attitude?
Posted by frankieb on February 17, 2011 at 4:24 PM · Report
6
Every HS teacher I know works 70+ hours a week while getting paid for maybe 40, gets little support from administration and has to deal with a a ton of shit in the classroom from a majority of lazy, asshole kids who have disconnected parents who only get fired up if their kid is told that gay people are okay. It's enough to kill even the most resilient person's soul. She has every right to vent anonymously and should have every right to say those things on a report card but she's probably screwed.
Posted by Beer Batter on February 17, 2011 at 4:32 PM · Report
7
@BeerBatter YEAH DUDE
Posted by bearfax on February 17, 2011 at 8:59 PM · Report
8
I'll bet she ain't working 70 hrs a week.... 55 grand a year, summers off, day shift work, great bennies - oh I feel so bad for her.
Posted by frankieb on February 17, 2011 at 10:30 PM · Report
9
I love this teacher. Frankieb;Ha, Good point!
Posted by Spindles on February 17, 2011 at 11:38 PM · Report
10
after 25 years of teaching science, a masters degree in computers in the classroom only to never use it because the AZ politics wants to go back to the 50's. and wants to pay what was paid in the 50's I get where she is coming from. 53, 5 years till I make my 80 point if they don't pull the rug out from under me at the last minute. In this atmosphere My wage is going down from a high of 40,000$. Here in AZ I cry every morning, waiting for the next bomb. I did not crash the market: rich folks did. I did not under pay everyone: rich folks who hire all of us did. I did not tell you your house was an investment then sell your papers to crash other governments: the rich folks did. I a science teacher work very hard 7 am to 5 pm, I live in a single wide trailer that I call home in hopes to own it by the end of this gig. This year I became an at will employee. I pay for paper, copier, my computer and my mandatory upgrades to education myself. My beloved students hate we teachers now because the Glen Becks of the world tell them too. We teachers are in pain and sorrow. We gave our lives for the hope of America we did not sell you out. We are not holding the money. Follow the money. Follow the money. Shoot them. Oh yea I forgot. The rich are bullet proof as an AZ teacher I am a sitting duck easy target. You guys are cheap lousy shots If you are aiming my way.
Posted by teacher in tears on April 17, 2011 at 4:23 PM · Report

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