Thread: Free Speech ?? Suspended teacher defends critical blog

2 hrs 13 mins ago

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) – A high school English teacher who was suspended from her job after she blogged that her students were "rude, disengaged, lazy whiners," said on Wednesday that she did nothing wrong.

"Some of the students, parents and administrators don't want to hear the truth," said Natalie Munroe, 30, a teacher at Central Bucks East High School north of Philadelphia.

In a blog that she said was intended to be seen only by a handful of her friends but was shared on Facebook by a student who discovered it, Munroe was highly critical of some students and school administrators.

"My students are out of control," she wrote. "They are rude, disengaged, lazy whiners. They curse, discuss drugs, talk back, argue for grades, complain about everything, fancy themselves entitled to whatever they desire and are just generally annoying."

Munroe, who is nearly nine months pregnant, was suspended with pay pending an investigation into her blog, said Carol Counihan, spokeswoman for the school district.

Steven Rovner, Munroe's lawyer, described her as a "working class hero for teachers" and said if she is fired he may file a lawsuit charging violation of her First Amendment right to free speech.

Munroe said she still wants to be a teacher.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110217/...acher_blog_odd


comments

She's right. She did nothing wrong. Had she published a magazine or written an open letter, her free speech would not be questioned. Its on facebook so now people think they can get her in trouble. Its true that her views might get her fired, which would not be a violation of her free speech, but if someone tries to sue her for libel when she did not specify an individual or someone tries a legal route to get her to take it down, that would be a violation. Personally, I think that kids act however you expect them to act. If I went around and called my kids lazy, they would act lazy. If I said they were stupid, their grades would probably slip. I think that if she feels that way, she should find another profession for their health and hers. She is not helping those lazy little idiots by pointing it out.

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I'm seeing a lot of 'What's the matter with kids today?" comments.

But I find for the defendant. She has every right to voice her opinion, just like the kids who use much more distasteful methods to describe their teachers, parents, etc. on Facebook and other sites.

Additionally, all teachers should have the authority to kick offenders out of class if they are to fulfill their collective responsibility to the students who WANT to learn. We do a disservice to our educators by tying their hands with political bureaucracy.

Before I get off the soapbox, I want to know who the hxll's bright idea it was to tie funding to attendance? Why aren't they/we tying school funding to NEED?

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Expel them, lets see how they feel after being stuck 10 years in Burger King and then maybe they will reaslise how stupid they were. Don't want to study? Fine, just make sure my fries are fresh.

My brother is like that, he doesn't do a thing in school, he has repeated so mamy times i lost count. He doesn't even take his glasses to school so he can see, he is a idiot who is a @#$% too and spoiled. He has no respect for any one, he even threatened to trash a proposed 1K vehicle just because he feels entitled to something he wants even though we don't have the money and that he does not deserve to get what he wishes due to his pizz poor performance.

Note: I mean no disrespect to college students or hardworking fast-food workers who are making a living, only to the idiots similar to my brother and other punks.

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Imagine a scenario, if you will. You come to work and within the first hour a "student" rolls a joint in your classroom. When you try to stop it from happening the student AND their friends say, " What you gon do bout it fat cracker white boy?" Though campus police pick the student out of your class after a great deal of screaming, yelling and death threats, they are back in class the next day, no consequences whatsoever for ANY of the numerous things they have done. When later that day they vandalize your vehicle causing thousands of dollars worth of damage and are caught on camera, the district says there is nothing that can be done about it. You turn in a complaint to the sherriff, but nothing happens. Months later you discover the district had the incident buried. This is but one incident, in a list of many. Still think she is the role model for their behavior? NCLB has forced districts to keep students, no matter the quality, at all costs. $ is assigned based on attendance and the rest is fudged to make it look good. Unless we speak out and stop this, it will only get worse. Just something to consider...

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She's right but let's face it, we as a society have dropped the ball.

We have a created a society in which entitlement and victimology are the norm. Parents choose to be friends over parents. We've allowed the government to make our parenting decisions because they just know better and we don't want to make the hard decisions. We've allowed the school systems to dumb down the education because we wouldn't want to damage our children's fragile egos. We've allowed failed teachers to continue teaching because we pander to the union. We allow the media and entertainment industry to dictate how we think and what we view. We've taken religion out of any public discourse because we're afraid to offend someone who doesn't have the same view. We've allowed all manner of perversions to take place because it's ok as long as no one is hurt. Yet, personal responsibility is anathema and everything is always someone else's fault.

You reap what you sow. We need to take a look around and make some hard decisions or we will follow in Rome's footsteps and fall to ruin.

It's her blog, she can write anything she wants on it.

And her comments not only describe HER students.......but damn near (almost) every kid in America!

And you can't tell me students don't come home from school every day griping about their teachers and what a pain they are.....and I'm sure they post it on facebook as well as twitter it to anyone who will listen. !

Inappropriate for a teacher to post.

If she felt the need to share this among her friends, she should have made it in a private email/pm, not blogging or making entries on a public forum. *or under a screen name remaining anonymous and keeping her subject's identities, anonymous as well*

It says she was critical of students and administration, it does not say if she named names or titles (like the "principal" etc.- where everyone would know who it was). I would certainly take issue if she named my child in her blog, even if he was "rotten, lazy, etc." She's a professional (supposedly), she should act like one. Facebook is a public forum, the internet is a public forum. What she did was very unprofessional, what she had to expressed, was not expressed in private.

Now, if this were in an email and a student hacked it, I'd support her.

I love it when people say "WHAT'S WRONG WITH THESE KIDS TODAY....?" I have an answer for them.. THEIR PARENTS!!!!!!!!

Originally Posted by jasmine

I agree mostly with this comment, because yes the vast majority is because of a lack of parental up-bringing. But I also know children that were brought up in a very good home/environment with there parents, and then they took the wrong path, that makes you think WTH happened.
I don't know what age group you are talking about, but I have seen kids brought up in a good home, then I don't know what happens, they just turn out and take the wrong path. There are limitations, but I do believe that no matter how right you bring up your children, children (teens), some of them are bound to be a little (some more than others) rebelious, no matter how hard you try with them.

But what is a "good home"? Kids are fed, House is nice., but really what do you know whats happening on the inside? The way I see it (and by NO MEANS am I an expert, just MHO), when "we" were growing up., we had to mow the lawn, clean the house, take out the garbage, we were disciplined for talking back, for not having our rooms clean, for getting trouble in school, etc... I think that when "we" have kids, "we" think, I would never make my kid mow the lawn, my precious little baby won't take out the trash, I will not discipline my child for talking back, because "we" didn't like it when "we" were kids. .... but there was a reason our parents made us take out the trash, mow the lawn, etc... It wasn't because they liked to be "hard-asses" it was to teach us responsibility, to teach us to respect each other, our property, etc..
When kids these days never work for what they have, never learn to respect their parents/elders, we have a society that thinks its above the rules, that is above taking responsibilty for their actions.
How many times do you hear people say, "when I was a kid, I was up at 6am doing yard work, so I could afford a new Atari game."(or something like that), but I'm like, "Why then do you just buy your kid whatever he wants, instead of making him work for it?
, then the response is, "Oh, its easier for me just to give him what he wants," or, "My kid just won't do it." I don't think that we're doing kids any favors by just giving them whatever they want. If I wanted a toy or something, I had to work for it., I had to do chores.
It trickles down from generation to generation and its only getting worse.
There was a great line from the show 30 Rock a month or so ago, when they were talking about the "generations", "The first generation works its fingers to the bone and makes things. The second generation goes to college and innovates new ideas. The third generation … snowboards and takes improv classes." That to me says it all right there!

Hear Hear! As a teacher, I have found that leadership is also lacking in many schools. I have sent students to the principal for cursing at me and they get sent back after a few minutes and then what happens? The kids get worse behavior-wise. I have had students tell me their parents, grandparents, etc didnt finish school and they're going to be just like them.....*slap forehead in frustration*

Trust me., I'm not arguing either. There is no exact science in raising children and I agree with what you said, you could have a family with 2 kids and one could turn out to be the perfect child and the other one a hellion.

The teacher who wrote this article did not name names, so she did not bad mouth a child to the public., I think she was speaking as a whole., that there are kids these days who are out of control (and if you read her entire blog), she also goes on to say that there are some of the kids that are wonderful to teach.

There are alot of parents who are wonderful parents, who take pride in raising great kids, who raise there children to respect others, to respect what they work for etc.. In NO WAY am I saying that there aren't. ....but there are a TON MORE parents out there who don't give a damn, who let their kids run wild, who have absolutly no control over them and couldn't care less about how they act. Parents who them, themselves have no respect, no manners, etc...

A few weeks ago, one of the saddest things I ever say was on The View., this poor little 13yr old was bullied horribly in school, and when his mom went to confront one of the bullies-mothers, the mother straight out told her to call the police on the kid, because she couldn't control him. Thats what I'm talking about! You give children an inch and they take a mile. You lack discipline and respect in your house and it will come to bite you in the ass. But its easier to be your kids friend and let the schools raise your kids., then when your kid grows up to be a monster, you can just blame the schools instead of blaming yourself.