Student writes how Jesus would give pot to the sick. Teacher put on admin leave, resigns.

[madfloridian]

Crossposted in General Discussion

Give a rec there if you can.

The administration said that the teacher was not fired, but she chose to resign rather than conduct her class "in a professional manner".

I would think there would be a wide range of what is considered "professional" in a creative writing class of all places. A student writes creatively of a topic that offends another student and their parents. She was targeted and harassed.

I found the news video at You Tube, the article is listed below it.

Creative writing teacher resigns after student writes about Jesus, pot

The assignment was to take a fairy tale or legend and rewrite it in modern times. One student changed the biblical story about Jesus handing out bread and fish to the poor to Jesus handing out marijuana to the sick.

“I don't take any personal offense. It's not written for me. It's written for them. It's how they can express themselves,” said Guarascio.

But according to the teacher, during peer review, one of the other students got highly offended by the story and told her parents. And then the teacher was put on administrative leave while the district investigated.

The teacher had one last message for her students.

“If they have something to say, say it,” Guarascio said. “Not everyone's going to agree with you. But that doesn't make your point invalid or worthless. Tell your story.”

Another article makes it clear that the teacher was said not to be conducting her class in a professional manner. That of course is ridiculous. It was a creative writing class. The student applied a present day problem and told how it might have been handled by Jesus.

Conservative Student Attacks Teacher Over Jesus Story, Teacher Resigns

Katrina Guarascio, a teacher at Cleveland High School in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, gave her class the assignment to rewrite a fairy tale or legend with a modern setting. One of her students, following instructions, rewrote a tale about Jesus, a central biblical figure, to have him handing out marijuana to the sick. During the subsequent peer review session, one of the students claimed to be so offended, she complained to her parents, who then filed a complaint to the school. Guarascio was subsequently placed on administrative leave pending investigation, despite not having violated any rules.

“It was Kind of a slap in the face after years of hard work,” Guarascio said to KOAT 7. The teacher had been working for the school for eight years at the time of the incident. Of the student who claimed offense, she said on Facebook that the student had been bragging to her classmates that she was going to get Guarascio fired. Now Guarascio has resigned amid being “targeted and harassed.”

In response, the school district’s Communications Director Kim Vesely, declining to go on camera with KOAT7, released the following statement:

“The teacher involved chose to resign rather than follow the school district’s direction that classes be administered in a professional manner.”

The teacher said that Kim Vesely was someone she had never met, and someone who had never even been in her classroom.

[daleanime]

1. Kick....

[nichomachus]

2. Teach to the test -- no thinking allowed

If you let people think creatively, how are we going to keep this dictatorship intact?

[dhill926]

3. this is so fucked up….

"Of the student who claimed offense, she said on Facebook that the student had been bragging to her classmates that she was going to get Guarascio fired."

[Android3.14]

4. Was medical marijuana the issue

Or was it allowing a student to identify the Christ story as a legend or fairy tale?

[madfloridian]

5. Probably all of the above.

[msongs]

6. too bad she chose not to honor her beliefs and resigned instead nt

[Turbineguy]

7. Another victory for

ignorance.

remember the conservative creed: Every day do a little harm. All those little harms add up!

[Smarmie Doofus]

8. A camera-shy "Communications Director".

Will wonders never cease.

[lunasun]

9. She should have got fired and sued . Stood for her last message to the students

Perhaps coerced to quit

[magical thyme]

10. according to the school, this was not the issue

http://www.koat.com/news/jesus-pot-story-school-district-releases-statement/30171160

"There have been numerous concerns raised about this teacher and her classroom.

"We received reports of repeated uses of profanity and sexually explicit language in the classroom that were inappropriate in a public school setting. The teacher was offered the opportunity to change her instructional practices and she chose instead to resign, as is her right.

"All teachers at Rio Rancho Public Schools are required to adhere to accepted professional standards as stated in the Code of Ethical Responsibility of the Educational Profession. To this end, all RRPS teachers receive and sign an agreement to follow a professional code of conduct.

[madfloridian]

11. I agree with the comment section.

If she did not have other things in her file, then her class can not be that bad.

[lenrely]

12. wwjd

Last edited Wed Dec 17, 2014, 08:30 PM - Edit history (1)

I've seen statements that being a "good student" is close to godliness, that it's what Christ would do, when probably what Christ would do is treat everyone in the school equally from the valedictorian to the lowest delinquent. But of course this would interfere with the curriculum.

[IndieEverything]

13. Another question.

Why did all of the other students read read this paper? Was that the teacher's choice? Were all of the other student's papers read aloud as well? I wonder if the paper referred to the profit Mohamed doing the same if it would have been read or shared with the rest of the students? Something to think about.

[madfloridian]

14. Peer review

The teacher was letting them critique each other's essays I gather. I never did use peer review in my classes, but some teachers do.

BTW it's Prophet not profit.