First and foremost that 99.9% of teachers are wonderful, caring people who want nothing more than success for their students. Teachers are one of the most important professions in our world and they do not receive the credit or respect they deserve. These teachers are making the majority look bad.
That being said...I can not let these pedophiles continue to prey on our children without attempting to do something.
I am confident in our background checks and know that our school district handles every accusation of inappropriate behaviour consistently. Could our training use some tweaking? This is something we are going to look at. When we have inappropriate behaviour come to our attention we investigate, if the accusations are true we turn the case over to the appropriate law enforcement agency. This is where it is out of our hands.
I believe the disconnect is in the sentencing phase. When you look at recent cases, with the most famous being Debra Lefave, there are huge discrepancies in the way pretty, blonde teachers are handled compared to men. Debra Lefave got, in essence, a slap on the wrist (for being to pretty to go to jail) with house arrest and probation and a man one county over got over 20 years in prison for the same thing. If I were a man I would be furious about the injustice. It is molestation anyway you look at it and in my opinion these teachers who have been entrusted with our children are predators.
Should we consider mandatory minimums for people who work with children and are in a position of trust who abuse that power? Is the school disticts ethics training enough? Are we seeing so many teachers in Hillsborough arrested because we take the accusations seriously and don't cover up? Is this happening more now than in the past and we just hear more because people are less afraid to report it? Is this isolated to Hillsborough County or is this a nation wide problem?
I don't know the answers to these questions yet. Rest assured I am asking them. But we need to start having the conversation sooner than later. I also understand that whatever we do we need to protect not only the students from this type of thing happening. But also our teachers so they are not falsely accused and have their lives and careers ruined because of a disgruntled student. There is a very delicate line to walk on this issue.
1 comments:
1). How do the other teachers feel about the latest developments? Do they blame the rogue teachers, the administration, or someone else?
Speaking for myself, based on conversations with other teachers (some at schools who taught with perpetrators), working in the 8th largest school-district in America:
A mix of surprise, anger, frustration, betrayal, and denial. It is tough when a coworker falls to such levels. We examine every nook and cranny, every word, phrase, action, and comment when trying to figure out what happened, what we missed. It is emotionally draining to see the teacher down the hall taken out in cuffs.
We look over, under, sideways and down. Inside and out.
Everyone knows an incompetent administrator. We also know ineffective administrators who refuse to enter into the arena that requires extensive documentation and courage to remove a teacher.
There are also great administrators who take the arrows to do what needs to be done. You are affecting a person's life/career and they deserve due process, not a reaction based on speculation or "potential". I have seen teachers "ruined" over a rumor, vindictive parent or vengeful student.
Every middle school and high school teacher knows the mine fields resident on the school grounds each time we step on campus.
Imagine walking into a classroom of 20+ 13 to 18 year olds (the middle school - high school demographic), both sexes, in various stages of development and sexuality. Add the equally various stages of parental guidance (or lack thereof), teen fashion, disposable income, parental indulgence, peer pressure, and susceptibility to suggestion and it's a wonder any adult doesn't insist on videotaping the day for protection.
Try speaking with different contractors and construction workers working in schools. They comment quite candidly about how the males and females dress, act, talk and generally what they see going on. These are men and women who's comments range from "Holy shit! I saw a girl walking around dressed like (you can imagine the rest)." "If my daughter ever tried to get out of the house like that (imagine the rest)." "My father would have kicked my butt for trying it." "Damn, how do you folks handle this?!"
My standard response is: "We have to handle it. Whatever comes in the door, it is our job to teach."
There exists parents who indulge their children, unable or unwilling to provide boundaries fearing they will lose their "friendship". Then allowing "little indiscretions", or defending their child's misbehavior in some misguided attempt to "rescue" them. Some think nothing of undermining the core disciplines needed to manage a school population of hundreds or thousands. Now add the additional responsibilities of teachers and administrators and you will wonder how we have come this far! Oh, did I mention work load, salaries and respect? Vacations are crucial.
2). Are these scandals affecting the students? In what way?
Of course. After the initial surprise, questioning, sometimes defense, a sense of betrayal permeates the campus. It's not supposed to happen. It's not supposed to hurt. It does.
Then there is the male "Debbie-LaFave-High-5-DUDE!-response" to the "MaryJo Spack-Hide-Face-duuuude-response".
The other response is often private and varied, from shame, to non-nonchalance, to victory.
3) Do you find yourself looking at innocent situations a little more critically, to make sure that nothing inappropriate is going on with your colleagues?
It is my experience that we are always in this self-policing mode. It is tempered by the knowledge anything we say that is not documented or supported can cause ruin. It also depends on our trust and respect for our principal and Superintendent's staff.
4). In your opinion, is the current employee screening adequate?
We submit to fingerprinting, background check and interviews. Only fingerprinting is scientific, the others require a human being and interpretation. I believe the process is adequate. I am not privy to the adequacy of funding these steps.
5). What do you think the solution is?
There is no solution per se. I'd love to have one, become famous, and do the consultant tour. The fact is, this is a crime.
I'd like to see the comparative data between similar crimes committed by the general population and school employees. From what I have seen published in the Tampa Tribune's Sexual Predators and Abusers insert and the publicized cases occurring in the HCPS system, I'd guess we're a bit lower. Of course it is of little comfort to the families of the victims.
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