West Fargo teacher (former Miss Montana) under fire for offensive tweets

[TexasTowelie]

WEST FARGO -- A West Fargo special education teacher, a former Miss Montana who won her pageant title on a platform of inclusive education for students with disabilities, is being investigated by district officials for social media posts about her job and her students.

An anonymous group of self-described concerned parents sent a packet of printed-out Twitter posts to media and school officials late last week, including more than 20 pages of tweets from Sheridan Tihista, a special education teacher at Liberty Middle School.

In the tweets included in the package, Tihista frequently made references to her work with autistic children, calling mothers of autistic children “monsters” in one post and calling students “satan.”

She also disclosed and described interactions with students, sometimes dismissively. For instance, in one post she said the best part about teaching autistic students is she never has to change up her classroom routine because “we loooove routines!” In another, she posted an image of a text exchange showing someone saying they wanted “attention” as their Christmas gift, then wrote “Basically all my students.”

Read more and see video: http://www.inforum.com/news/4247724-west-fargo-teacher-under-fire-offensive-tweets

[angstlessk]

1. Under Fire....should be FIRED!

[oberliner]

2. Seriously?

On what grounds?

[oberliner]

3. These "concerned parents" need to chill out

The tweets cited here don't seem particularly offensive.

If anything has come up in the classroom, that's one thing, but this seems a tad McCarthy-like.

[Soxfan58]

4. Maybe

If you had a autistic grandchild you could see how inappropriate she was. What if the kids were deaf and she said she didn't have to watch her language "cause they cant hear anyway"

[N_E_1 for Tennis]

7. Thank you for saying that...

I have an autistic grandson, beam of sunshine in our lives, I don't think my response would have been as well worded as yours.

[oberliner]

8. I agree that it is inappropriate

But teachers have a tough job - especially teachers of students with special needs. I would think a reprimand would be a reasonable response to this.

[Soxfan58]

14. I did not see

That she had been terminated. I agree she should not lose her job, we all get frustrated. But I hope she learns to stay the hell off social media. And appreciate the gift she is giving, of the opportunity to educate these wonderfull children. And make a real difference in a life.

[oberliner]

15. The first response to the OP was saying that the teacher should be fired

I guess that is part of what I was responding to. I thought that was too harsh.

I pretty much agree with what you've written here. I have mixed feelings about "stay the hell off social media" - I guess I would need to see the actual tweets themselves.

I do think it takes a very patient person to handle the challenges involved with being a teacher of students with special needs, wonderful as those kids may be.

As long as she is doing her job effectively, I don't begrudge her the right to complain now and then.

[rpannier]

5. She also disclosed and described interactions with students

This is where she could be some serious hot water, depending on what she wrote
If she is revealing events that happened in the school, she is probably violating privacy and confidentiality clauses in her contract
When you work with kids who have IEPs, you have to be very careful what you say or write outside of the school setting
Laws are pretty strict regarding IDEA

[oberliner]

10. Understood

I guess, not seeing the actual tweets, it is hard to have a completely informed opinion on this. I am just going based on what I read in the article - they seem mild. Being a teacher of special needs students can be quite challenging, and the tweets cited in the article seem relatively innocuous.

If the teacher does their job well, then I think that is what matters. If the teacher is not doing a good job, then the tweets in question could serve to bolster the case perhaps.

[Ilsa]

6. It may also reflect that she's burned out and needs

to change her career path.

This is an emotionally hard job, but calling the mothers "monsters" is over the top and reflects a poor attitude and lack of empathy. The parents she's meeting with may already sense that she's no longer an appropriate teacher for their kids.

[oberliner]

11. Or maybe just blowing off a little steam

Considering the challenging nature of the job. Some parents do act like monsters. I would have to see the exact tweet to have a completely informed response, but it seems like the kind of thing many teachers say once in a while about difficult parents.

[Ilsa]

13. Doing this publicly is inappropriate, though, and she

can expect career trouble for doing it.

"Monster" mothers may be the only ones advocating for those children. I've known parents who've brought tape recorders to ARD (IEP) meetings to make sure that what was agreed upon would be documented and implemented, including safety issues. Sounds to me like she's mad that parents are making her do her job.

If she needs to blow off steam, she needs a confidant, not a public forum.

I equate this to a nurse whining about patients who are in pain, or a cop who has to drop his sandwich to chase a bad guy. IOW, there are certain things that come with the job, like parents demanding school districts follow the law regarding their kids' education.

[oberliner]

16. She was tweeting under a pseudonym

If you look at her blog, she seems like she takes her work pretty seriously.

Special Education is a SERVICE, not a PLACE

The most common question I get is, “How are teachers supposed to teach all of these students that are on so many different levels and handle all of the behaviors without the help of paraprofessionals?” My answer is simple. Guide students to work together. If they have a question, teach them HOW to ask a neighbor or look in their resources before requiring the teacher’s attention. Students with disabilities get fantastic behavioral modeling from their peers and reinforce positive social cues. By having an empathetic and inclusive environment for the general ed students, they learn problem solving skills and ways to communicate the same idea in a variety of ways. How can we expect students to be REAL-WORLD READY by just teaching them the maths and sciences, and not practicing critical thinking, problem solving, or accountability?

Special Education is a service, not a place. Let’s create integrated classroom cultures and promote involvement and friendships between students with exceptionalities and the general-ed youth. Through inclusive education, students can not only learn from the benefits of mainstreamed education, but how inclusive education can benefit them as well.

https://sheridipitous.wordpress.com/2013/07/08/special-education-is-a-service-not-a-place/

[Warpy]

26. She definitely needs some time off

to regroup, after which maybe she can teach another age group.

Face it, middle school kids are at the peak of savagery. It's where bullying and taunting are the worst for any kid and even the bullies are bullied by older bullies. When I think of pure hell, I think of being perpetually eleven years old with some sort of quirk.

I know teachers who love the age group. Apparently they have a gift she lacks.

[Ilsa]

27. Middle schoolers with developmental delays

Aren't quite like the others, but I agree that she might need a good break, maybe some fun seminars, before starting back in the fall.

[Warpy]

28. I was thinking in terms of a sabbatical

Take a year off, regroup. A summer isn't enough to overcome burnout.

[oberliner]

30. There is her first year as a teacher

There would be no chance of being granted a sabbatical, and these tweets do not suggest that she is experiencing burnout. If you look at her other social media posts, she clearly loves her job and takes her work seriously.

[Warpy]

34. Sure there is

It would give her time to consider her career path and maybe grow up a little.

[oberliner]

35. No school district would grant a sabbatical to a first year teacher

They are usually given to teachers with at least ten years of experience.

[Warpy]

36. When did I say they would? She needs to take it on her own.

How very silly.

[oberliner]

37. Do you not know what a sabbatical is?

This might be helpful to you:

Regular Sabbatical Leaves for Study or Restoration of Health

Eligible teachers who want to study to enhance your teaching skills or restore their health if they are ill may request a sabbatical leave. For study sabbaticals, coursework must be rigorous and related to your teaching assignment. You must submit an official transcript or final research project upon completion of a study sabbatical.

If your superintendent does not approve your proposed course of study, you must be given the right to amend it. All sabbaticals for restoration of health must be approved by the medical director. If your application is denied, you may go to medical arbitration.

All teachers are eligible for a one-year sabbatical of either type after 14 years of service. (For your first 14-year sabbatical, you can claim up to three years of regular substitute service; the rest must be regularly appointed service.) If you are a junior high or high school teacher, you can also apply for a six-month study sabbatical for the spring semester only. After seven years of regularly appointed service, all teachers are eligible for a sabbatical leave for restoration of health that lasts for up to six months.

During a medical sabbatical, teachers earn 70 percent of salary during a full-year sabbatical and 60 percent of salary during a six-month sabbatical. During a study sabbatical, whether full-year or a six-month sabbatical, teachers earn 70 percent of salary.

Before retiring or leaving service, you are required to return to your position for one year after a six-month sabbatical and for two years after a one-year sabbatical. Other rules apply, as well. UFT borough offices hold sabbatical workshops in the fall and spring to guide prospective applicants.

http://www.uft.org/our-rights/sabbaticals

[Bernardo de La Paz]

9. Teacher who publicly calls her students "Satan" has attitude that shows up in classroom. . nt

[oberliner]

12. Not necessarily

Again, I would have to see the full tweet, but there are countless great teachers who have to deal with students who act like little devils sometimes.

[FreepFryer]

17. One of the first things you learn as a teacher is not to 'vent' on social media. No upside. (n/t)

[oberliner]

18. There could be an upside

Making connections with others who are going through some of the same challenges, for instance.

I think as long as you are anonymous, it ought to be okay to tweet in the manner this person did. It seems that it took some digging to connect this twitter account to the actual teacher. And then a local newspaper reporter published a story about it and off we go.

This teacher seems like a good person who takes her job very seriously. She has a sister who is autistic, whom she has blogged about with great love and sensitivity. She also has many blog posts about how much her work means to her.

[FreepFryer]

19. All the possible benefits you posted are possible w/o public venting.

I'd like to have a conversation with others, not just you - you've made your support of this teacher and her actions abundantly clear, maybe let others make their points without taking it upon yourself to continue to rebut every post on this thread?

[oberliner]

20. True

I am just saying that there could be an upside from this person's perspective. If there wasn't, people wouldn't do it.

In terms of posting, this is a discussion forum, and I enjoy engaging with people on topics of interest to me. Not sure how my sharing my opinions with posters is problematic for you. If anyone else wants to share their thoughts, they are obviously welcome to do so.

DU is a great place to engage in interesting discussions with people about a variety of topics. There is no need to discourage participation.

[FreepFryer]

21. Participation, yes - but you have taken the last word on every reply on the thread.

You might want to let others participate, now that you've made your position clear numerous times.

Conversation implies making ample space for others to paricipate and you have more posts here than most of the other posters combined.

[FreepFryer]

22. Allowing space for others to articulate their ideas is the difference between dialogue & monologue.

Honest thanks, no insult intended.

[Ilsa]

23. Making connections with others to vent needs to be in a private forum,

not a public one where her identity and that of her students can be "unmasked". The children and their families have a right to privacy.

I haven't said she needs to be fired, or reprimanded, and I would probably be happy with whatever Administration recommends to her. But I would be concerned if I was the parent of one of her students. I've been through something similar, dealing with a teacher who needed a break from her classroom, a decade ago as a parent of a special needs child.

[oberliner]

24. Fair enough

However, I think the way this story was presented was unfair to her. If you look at the totality of what she has blogged and tweeted about her teaching, she seems like someone who really cares about her job and her students. I mean, if you put a camera in the teacher's lounge of most schools, you'd hear and see much much worse than this. I think the local reporter who made this story go a bit viral did a disservice in this case and made this teacher out to be something she isn't by using cherry-picked tweets that are really not all that bad.

[Ilsa]

25. They may not seem all that bad to a

Parent whose child is not disabled. It's very different when there is criticism of children who are unable to defend themselves to adults, parents, or other teachers for their behaviors in school.

We parents have to trust and rely on those teachers to provide objective information about cognitive abilities, social skills, behavior, and self-help skills. We use that information for continuity at home and in public places, and to report back to doctors and multiple therapists. Trust in that objectivity can easily be lost when the teacher whines about the children. This isn't like teachers gossiping or comparing notes on their neurotypical children in the Lounge.

I don't like to tell people they don't get it unless they've walked in our shoes, as parents, but I'm going to pull that card now.

[oberliner]

29. Her sister is disabled

And she has devoted much of her adult life to helping young people with disabilities.

If you read the totality of her social media posts, she comes across as a young teacher who cares very much about her students and about children with disabilities in general.

[Ilsa]

31. I know that.

I'm speaking as a parent, not the person who wrote the tweets, or someone with a passing curiosity on a forum.

Again, we rely on the teachers to give us objective reports. If their communications about the students start looking like whining, we question their objectivity and the value of their opinion. The parents obviously have lost some trust in her, or they wouldn't be taking the matter to a higher authority. This has almost nothing to do with whether she is a dedicated teacher. It is about her behavior and the loss of trust.

Again, I don't think you understand all of the dynamics in this relationship between parents, students, and teachers. It is not like a triad with neurotypical students.

[Ilsa]

33. Another reason trust is critical:

These are very small classes, usually 6-8 children to help with giving specific teaching and assistance and to reduce stimulation. Because of the small class and unique requirements of the job, it is not uncommon for the teacher to know much more about the family than in a typical classroom.

You have no idea how many times I've gotten a note or phone call asking me, "what has changed at home? Johnny is acting different this week." Sometimes it could be because a parent is travelling on business, or a family member is visiting. The illness of a sibling, causing mommy to redirect more attention to the other child, will be an issue. I can tell you that it can be very unsettling for someone outside your family to request and need information on the personal activities and relationship dynamics in your home, even if they aren't big or explosive like a divorce. The only way we can get through that type of invasion of privacy is if we have trust in the teacher and other professionals. You don't violate that trust by broadcasting generalities or specifics on social media.

[oberliner]

39. Well, she has resigned

She appeared on the "The Jay Thomas Show" Monday, April 10, to say her words and posts had been misconstrued and that her classroom was like a family.

She said that she did not know at that time if she would return to her classroom if the school district's investigation did not find she violated district policy with her tweets.

She said she has been called names and received death threats since Friday.

"I'm a good person who just made a mistake," Tihista said. "My words have been taken out of context."

[Ilsa]

40. No one should receive death threats.

Like I said, she broke trust with the people who trusted her with their most vulnerable and precious people.

[oberliner]

41. That trust could be have been rebuilt

By an actual conversation with this first-year teacher.

I think it is a real shame that she went through this. People who are willing to devote their lives working with students with special needs ought to get all the support and understanding we can give them.

And now the students in the class will have their lives disrupted, which is good for no one.

A reprimand from the administration, a meeting with parents, anything along those lines would have been appropriate and could have served as a learning and growing experience for all concerned.

The local media did not need to make this into a public shaming of this young teacher.

[oberliner]

32. West Fargo teacher on paid leave pending investigation of her Twitter posts

After a lot of backlash online, Tihista deleted or privatized several of her social media accounts.

WFPS said as of Monday, she is on paid administrative leave until this situation can be investigated further.

http://www.valleynewslive.com/content/news/West-Fargo-teacher-on-paid-leave-pending-investigation-of-her-social-media-posts-419046254.html

[oberliner]

38. ND special ed teacher accused of sending inappropriate tweets resigns

WEST FARGO—The West Fargo special education teacher who was under investigation for inappropriate Twitter posts she made about her job and students has resigned.

The school announced Wednesday, April 12, that Sheridan Tihista, a special education teacher at Liberty Middle School, had resigned.

"During the course of the investigation, she has resigned her position, effective immediately, and will not be returning to her classroom," District Spokeswoman Heather Konschak said in a statement. "This afternoon, we notified parents of her decision, and of our plan to have qualified teachers in the classroom, and our commitment to do everything possible to make the remainder of the year positive and productive."

http://www.wdaz.com/news/4249878-nd-special-ed-teacher-accused-sending-inappropriate-tweets-resigns#.WO7LMorTxi8.email