In a previous homeschooling article, Andrea discussed how the poor judgment of others made her glad that she homeschools her children. The article was brought on by teachers’ faked gun attacks on a group of sixth grade students during an overnight trip.
The incident resulted in a group of scared children, angry parents, and two suspended without pay school employees, a teacher and an assistant principal.
Like Andrea, the whole story greatly concerned me. First, it was my understanding that the students were ending a weeklong trip on the last night when the faked attack occurred. I am uncertain why it would be necessary for a group of sixth grade students to be on a weeklong trip. This I think was the onset of the poor judgment.
I realize that it is very hard to leave your children in the care of another person. That is why we must speak out when bouts of bad judgment occur. I am very proud of the parents for ensuring that some type of disciplinary action took place. I have know of occurrences in the past that parents let slid due to not wanting to cause trouble or make others angry. However if we do not stand up for our children, who will?
I was also very pleased to see that the two responsible employees were suspended without pay. Until recently, suspended teachers in our county received pay until a verdict was reached. I realize that in our country one is innocent until proven guilty. However, why should teachers who commit questionable actions be asked to stay home and receive pay?
Like in all professions, there are ‘bad’ teachers. There are teachers who do not have the children’s best interest at heart and teachers who are not passionate about their job. Just as there are doctors and lawyers and police officers that are the same way. We, as parents and co-workers, should demand better for our children and call out those that give less.