I don’t know about you, but when I look at the state of Florida on a map, the last thing I see is a phallic symbol.
Of course, I haven’t seen science teacher Ryan Haraughty’s recent depiction of the “Sunshine State.” If I did, I might have a better understanding of why Shawnee Mission school district administrators gave Haraughty the boot a couple of weeks ago.
According, to the former Mission Valley Middle School teacher his firing was instigated by a drawing and comment he made about the state of Florida.
The Kansas teacher says as part of a lesson explaining how the jet stream works; he drew a map of the United States.
“I drew Florida out of proportion,” Haraughty told local news reporters. “The kids jump all over stuff like that, ‘Oh Mr. Haraughty, Florida is all wrong. OK, whatever, not thinking, I said, ‘Florida got excited.’ And right after, I’m thinking, you know, but I decided I’m not going to dwell on it.”
Haraughty may have not wanted to dwell on his accidental sexual innuendo about Florida getting excited, but one parent wasn’t about to let the offhand comment slide, and complained to school administrators.
The result: Haraughty is out of a job (district leaders say he was fired for “creating a sexually hostile environment at school”) and hundreds of students are peeved.
Haraughty is mad too.
He claims that he has been unjustly targeted, and plans to fight to get his job back.
Dozens of Haraughty’s students rallied to have the school board re-instate their beloved teacher shortly before Thanksgiving break, but their efforts went unnoticed.
Haraughty’s phallic-shaped drawing of Florida, not so much.
Firings and peeved students aside, how does one see male genitalia in a distorted drawing of Florida?
I just don’t see it.
And I’m wearing contacts.
Maybe I should take them off and use my imagination.
But, enough about my lack of vision, what do you make of Haraughty’s termination?
Do you think that it was an honest mistake and he should get his job back, or do you think it was a stupid move on his part and he indeed created a “sexually hostile environment at school?”
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